Nearly two months have passed since Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama, returned its four giant pandas to China, and the town is already feeling the impact.
During the busy Obon holidays, inns and hotels that were once packed reported empty rooms. One major ryokan said bookings were down 20 percent compared with last year, while smaller guesthouses reported cancellations cutting reservations in half. In July, townwide lodging numbers fell by more than 10,000 from the previous year.
Some longtime panda fans have stopped visiting altogether. “I’ll only come back when pandas return,” one regular visitor from Chiba said. Adventure World has tried to keep fans engaged by opening the former panda enclosures to visitors, offering a chance to step inside the spaces where the animals once lounged.
Mayor Yasuhiro Oe acknowledges the downturn but insists the town must move beyond what he calls “panda dependence.” The panda billboards once displayed at town hall were taken down in July, and the town is promoting new ventures—from a beachside bar on Shirarahama beach to talks with luxury five-star hotels targeting international travelers. “Shirahama is changing,” the mayor said. “We aim to be a world-class resort. We’ll be fine without pandas.”
Still, some analysts note pandas could one day return. Journalist Tetsuo Suzuki pointed to Japan’s past requests to Beijing and Adventure World’s strong record in panda breeding. “The chances aren’t zero,” he said, adding that local leaders should focus on tourism development while national politicians handle diplomacy.
For now, Shirahama faces a turning point: whether it can reinvent itself as a resort destination without the beloved animals that once defined it.
by MagazineKey4532