Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China
SHIRAHAMA, Japan (AP) — Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell Friday to a family of four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan's coastal town of Shirahama as the animals made their last public appearance before their return to China.
Around 3,000 visitors flocked to the Adventure World theme park to get a last glimpse of the beloved animals. Many rushed straight to the panda exhibit zone, calling out the names of their favorites.
Although the 24-year-old mother Rauhin and her three daughters — Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin — were all born and raised at the park, they remain on loan from China and must now be returned.
Once they return to China, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo will be the only pandas left in Japan.
More than 1,000 people, many wearing panda-themed attire, queued outside the entrance of the theme park hours before it opened while some camped outside the night before.
Some people wiped off tears while viewing throwback images of the pandas when they were cubs.
Yoshihiko Fukuzumi recalls the arrival of the first two pandas at the park 30 years ago and has watch their family grow. Since retiring three years ago, he and his wife have visited them nearly everyweek. 'To us, they are like our grandchildren."
Giant pandas are native to southwestern China and serve as an unofficial national mascot. Beijing lends them to other countries as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over them and any cubs they produce.
Born in 2000, Rauhin had seven other cubs with Eimei, a male panda sent from China in 1994. Eimei returned home two years ago and has since died.
Despite strained political ties between Japan and China, giant pandas are hugely popular in Japan.
'We feel comforted just by looking at pandas,' said zoo director Koji Imazu.
Imazu said the departure of the four pandas marks the end of the zoo's 30-year joint project with China. He thanked Chinese specialists for sharing their expertise with the Japanese staff and said the zoo will be ready for a new arrival at any time.
'Of course we all miss them, but I hope you could send them off with a cheerful wave and wish them well in China,' Imazu said.
In Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said giant pandas are 'friendly ambassadors" conveying the goodwill of the Chinese people.
Guo said that China and Japan have collaborated on panda conservation and research since 2000, and that China is ready to further strengthen international cooperation, including with Japan.
Rauhin and her daughters will be flown to China on Saturday where they will join other pandas at a facility in Sichuan province near their original habitat. There, the three young ones will find partners.
'I still can't believe they're all leaving,' said Junko Ikeda, a Fuhin fan from neighboring Nara prefecture who spent Thursday night in her camper van for the send-off. "I hope she finds a partner, becomes a mother and lives a happy life.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
5 hours ago
Kenzo brings mischief back to Paris' iconic Maxim's with a riot of color and clash
PARIS -- Few Paris addresses conjure myth quite like Maxim's, the gilded Belle Époque haunt where artists and aristocrats once jostled for a seat at dinner, and a place immortalized in Cole Porter's lyrics and classic Hollywood films as the very symbol of Parisian chic. On Friday night, at Paris Fashion Week the renowned restaurant-turned-nightclub became the improbable stage for Kenzo's latest co-ed show — a riot of pop color, celebrity and cultural collision served tableside. Guests perched around white tablecloths as Nigo, the first Japanese designer to helm Kenzo since the late, great Kenzo Takada, set out to prove the house can still surprise. What unfolded was a knowingly playful mash-up of preppy classics and off-kilter eveningwear: eye-popping pink dresses loosely gathered and knotted, each one tossed with a Left Bank silk scarf; a slinky tuxedo jacket paired with a blaring urban-printed tee in wild color, topped with a cartoon bunny in intentional clash. Think cocktail hour by way of Shibuya street style. Tongue-in-cheek references ran rampant — a circus master's striped waistcoat here, sheeny tiger-motif pants there, all nodding to Kenzo's signature mix of high craft and subcultural wink. If the goal was to recapture the house's historic sense of fun, Nigo went all in. While the creativity on display was undeniable, the sheer abundance of ideas sometimes made it hard for a single vision to shine through. With so many bold references and layers echoing recent seasons' spirit of collaboration and eclecticism, the collection sometimes felt more like a lively collage than a focused statement. Still, there were moments where the craftsmanship and playful accessories truly stood out, offering glimpses of the distinct Kenzo spirit that Nigo has made his own. Since joining Kenzo, Nigo has brought a fresh spirit of collaboration and cross-cultural exchange, most visibly in his headline-grabbing work with Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton and his frequent partnerships with artists from across the globe. That outward-looking energy has helped pull Kenzo back into the pop-culture conversation, blending the house's playful legacy with new momentum. As part of the LVMH stable, Kenzo now enjoys the reach and resources of the world's largest luxury group, giving Nigo freedom to experiment, push boundaries and reawaken the brand's irreverent roots. It was a night that nodded to both past and future. After a string of worn years under the previous design duo, Kenzo seems determined to shake off old dust and reclaim its seat at Paris' most storied table. The show at Maxim's — equal parts fashion circus and cultural memory — was a reminder that Paris style is best served with a wink, a clash and more than a little mischief.
The Hill
6 hours ago
- The Hill
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez marry in Venice
Billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez married in a lavish wedding in Venice on Friday following a slew of pre-nuptial events, estimated to cost a total of between $46 million and $56 million, per the Associated Press. About 200 guests attended the star-studded event, according to a statement from the Italian municipality. Among the A-listers in attendance were the Kardashian-Jenner family, actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom, Queen Rania of Jordan, fellow tech titan Bill Gates, retired NFL star Tom Brady, and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, among others. President Trump was reportedly invited to the nuptials but did not attend. Kim Kardashian, left, and Khloé Kardashian leave a hotel ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini) Sánchez wed the Amazon founder in a Dolce & Gabbana high-neck gown with long sleeves and silk buttons, according to Vogue. 'Not just a gown, a piece of poetry,' the bride wrote in the caption of an Instagram post showing her gown. 'I feel like a princess,' Sánchez told the magazine. She also wore a Schiaparelli couture gold corset dress to the couple's Thursday welcome dinner. Bezos, also the founder of space company Blue Origin and owner of The Washington Post, proposed to Sánchez in 2023 after five years together. Bezos, the world's third richest person, and Sánchez, requested that in lieu of gifts, guests donate to local organizations supporting the preservation of Venice. 'Donations on your behalf are being made to UNESCO Venice Office to safeguard the city's irreplaceable cultural heritage, to Corila to restore the vital lagoon habitats that protect Venice's future, and to Venice International University to support research and education for sustainable solutions,' the invitation reads. Jeff Bezos, left, and Lauren Sanchez leave a hotel for their pre wedding reception, in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Several local organizations have spoken out against the wedding, prompting protests in the days leading up to the celebration. Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace were among the groups that have put on 'No Space for Bezos' protests in Venice. Protestors unveiled a banner on Monday reading, 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.'
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
What to Stream: ‘The Bear,' Lorde, ‘Smoke,' ‘A Minecraft Movie,' ‘Nosferatu' and Nelly and Ashanti
The Jack Black-led movie phenomenon 'A Minecraft Movie' and Lorde's fourth studio album, 'Virgin,' are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press' entertainment journalists : All 10 episodes of season four of FX's 'The Bear' drop Wednesday, Nelly and Ashanti get their own reality show and Bill Skarsgård leads an update of the 1922 silent vampire classic 'Nosferatu.' New movies to stream from June 23-29 — The Porky Pig and Daffy Duck movie 'The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie' comes to HBO Max on Friday (it will also broadcast on HBO on June 28 at 8 p.m. ET). Reviews were a little mixed, but mostly positive for the full-length animated feature. Bob Strauss wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that 'The laugh ratio is more hit-and-miss than in the tightly scripted shorts, but enough jokes land to satisfy most funny bones.' The film had a wild ride to end up where it was originally intended, including a theatrical release in December not from Warner Bros. but Ketchup Entertainment (who will also distribute the previously shelved 'Coyote vs. Acme' ). — Mariska Hargitay's documentary about her mother Jayne Mansfield, 'My Mom Jayne,' will also be streaming on HBO Max on Friday. The Hollywood bombshell died in a car accident at 34, when Hargitay was only 3. — La-la-la-lava, ch-ch-ch-chicken, Steve's lava chicken is now streaming on HBO Max, as is the rest of 'A Minecraft Movie.' A box office phenomenon with over $950 million in worldwide ticket sales and counting, this movie adaptation of the popular game stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa. In his AP review, Mark Kennedy wrote that 'the Jared Hess-directed action-adventure artfully straddles the line between delighting preteen gamers and keeping their parents awake. It's an often-bananas adaptation, with bizarre digressions into turquoise blouses and tater tot pizzas. It has Jennifer Coolidge being very Jennifer Coolidge. Need we say more?' — Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård lead the Robert Eggers-directed update of the 1922 silent vampire classic 'Nosferatu,' streaming on Prime Video starting Friday. Jocelyn Noveck wrote in her AP review that 'it will chill you to the bone' but that 'it may not terrify you.' Everything, she adds, in Eggers 'faithful, even adoring remake ... looks great. But with its stylized, often stilted dialogue and overly dramatic storytelling, it feels more like everyone is living in a quaint period painting rather than a world populated by real humans (and, well, vampires) made of flesh and, er, blood.' — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr New music to stream from June 23-29 — What will the next era of Lorde look like? 'What Was That,' the singer's first new single in four years, recalls the clever synth-pop of her 2017 album 'Melodrama,' casting aside the folk detour of 2021's 'Solar Power.' The song that followed, 'Man of the Year,' is stripped and spare – just Lorde and a sorrowful bass. Who knows what will come next? Listeners will have to wait until Friday when she releases her fourth studio album, 'Virgin.' (Read AP's review.) — The 'F1' movie, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, is quickly gearing up to be a summer tentpole. Naturally, the filmmakers knew its sound had to be massive, too. That arrives via a score by the many-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and a huge soundtrack releasing as 'F1 The Album' via Atlantic Records, the team behind the award-winning 'Barbie' album — with bespoke tracks from Chris Stapleton, Ed Sheeran, Myke Towers, Blackpink's Rosé, Tate McRae and many more. Learn all about how the soundtrack came together here. — On Friday, arty alt-rock legends Failure will receive documentary treatment in 'Every Time You Lose Your Mind: A Film about Failure,' available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. The unorthodox and influential band finally gets their due in the project, directed by frontman Ken Andrews. And don't worry if Failure isn't a familiar name to you. Some of the featured voices in the documentary certainly will be: Paramore's Hayley Williams, actor Jason Schwartzman, comedian Margaret Cho, legendary producers Steve Albini and Butch Vig and many more participate. — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman New series to stream from June 23-29 — All 10 episodes of season four of FX's 'The Bear' dropped Wednesday on Hulu. Viewers will find out if Michelin-starred chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) can successfully run an acclaimed and profitable fine dining restaurant in Chicago. The series has led to acting awards for White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colón-Zayas. — Jensen Ackles ('Supernatural,' 'Tracker') stars in a new crime thriller series for Prime Video called 'Countdown.' Ackles plays a LAPD detective assigned to a task force investigating the murder of a government official. Eric Dane of 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Euphoria' also stars. It premiered Wednesday. — Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's second shot at love didn't work out but there's another celebrity couple who has rekindled a past flame. Recording artists Nelly and Ashanti were an item for more than 10 years before their breakup in 2013. They got back together in 2023 and are now married with a son. The pair are the subject of their own reality show called 'Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together.' It debuted Thursday on Peacock. — Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett star in the new thriller 'Smoke' for Apple TV+ as investigators working together to catch two serial arsonists. It's created by Dennis Lehane and based on a true story where an arson investigator turned out to be a serial arsonist. 'Smoke' reunites Egerton and Lehane who worked on the Apple limited-series 'Blackbird.' John Leguizamo and Greg Kinnear also appear in 'Smoke,' out Friday. — 'Nautilus,' a reimagining of Jules Verne's novel 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas' comes to AMC+ Friday. It's an origin story of the character known as Captain Nemo and portrayed by Shazad Latif. Nemo is an Indian prince whose birthright was stolen from him and he's on a mission for revenge. — Alicia Rancilio New video games to play from June 23-29 — In 2019's Death Stranding, a courier named Sam worked to reconnect survivors in a postapocalyptic America beset by 'beached things,' gooey monsters trapped between the worlds of the living and the dead. Sam is back in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach , but now he faces a question we've all asked in the internet age: Was connecting everyone really such a good idea? The series is the brainchild of legendary 'Metal Gear Solid' mastermind Hideo Kojima, and fans know they can expect a complex story, flamboyant graphics and some off-the-wall gameplay ideas. (The original included a lot of walking and inventory management next to some mind-blowing boss battles.) Norman Reedus of 'The Walking Dead' returns as Sam, and yes, he's still carrying a baby who has psychic powers. Embrace the weirdness Thursday on PlayStation 5. — Lou Kesten
