Japan no longer has any pandas as of September 2020; there are “zero” or “no more” pandas in Japan! Instead of having empty cages and disappointed visitors, one of the zoos decided to do something totally different by creating a panda costume for their staff to wear while visiting the enclosure.
It sounds crazy! And it is!
Before we get to the “why,” let’s discuss the actual experience. At Adventure World in Wakayama, Japan, everyone can see pandas by looking at the employees wearing panda suits! This is not a joke or a one-day event. It’s a complete experience available to everyone, so even though there are no real pandas at this time, there will be a way for people to fill the emotional void of no longer being able to visit pandas.
It’s an interesting concept that is both very creative and awkward, as well as somewhat moving.
The reasoning behind all of this has much more to do with international relations than tourism. In early 2021, Japan was given back the two remaining pandas that were kept at Ueno Zoo, located in Tokyo, back to China. The return of those two pandas was the end of an era and the end of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Thus, Japan is now officially “panda-free.” Those two pandas were the last two remaining from an ongoing partnership that lasted for more than 50 years.
In June 2025, Adventure World shipped its final four pandas back to China including Rauhin the 24 year old and her children Yuihin, Saihin, and Fuhin, who helped make Adventure World a major tourist destination.
Losing these pandas is not just about losing animals but losing an emotional connection between the zoo, visitors, and staff members.
Rather than pretending nothing happened, Adventure World decided to seize the moment and use it as an opportunity to connect with visitors. The idea for the Panda Cosplay originated from the Panda Love Club, a project created by Manami Wakabayashi, a public relations worker who has worked with pandas for almost three decades. This project wasn’t about replacing the pandas, it was about honouring them and all that they have done for Adventure World.
Context is important; having this context will make you feel better about wearing the costumes and that it holds a special meaning.
Visiting guests are not just watching Adventure World’s staff members outfit themselves in panda suits; visiting guests have the opportunity to participate in a unique 90 minute experience of being a zookeeper for a day. During this experience visiting guests will have the opportunity to learn how Adventure World cared for their pandas, how food was made for the pandas, howbehaviour was observed and documented, and how Adventure World wrote daily reports on the pandas.
The educational aspect of the project is emphasized but the Japanese culture of “Attention to Details” is also a strong theme of the project.
One of the best experiences was when participants fed apples to a “Panda” at the completion of the workshop. The “Panda” was a staff member at the zoo dressed in a panda costume. After completing the workshop participants received a certificate proving they were now “Zookeepers for a Day.” A very strange experience, yet wholesome and emotional at the same time.
The goal of the zoo is to provide insight into the close personal relationships between panda care-givers and the pandas themselves as well as the importance of caring for these animals and providing for them even after the animals are no longer in Japan.
The lack of actual pandas in Japan makes the message of caring for these animals seem even more poignant than it would if they existed.
Through creative means, the Japanese have come up with a solution to the plight of the panda by having a human solution to an animal issue. There is no need to worry if there are no pandas in Japan—we still have empathy, people in costumes, and a way to honour those we lose.
