Tokyo snapper displays his love for pandas

TOKYO — It was still cold for an early spring day in Tokyo. Takahiro Takauji, the owner of the website Mainichi Panda, or "panda every day", showed up on a snowy morning at the entrance of Ueno Zoo as usual.

Takauji, also known as "Mr Panda" for his love of the animal, launched the website in September 2011, which displays photographs he takes of giant pandas at Ueno Zoo.

For nearly 12 years, the 44-year-old website designer has been visiting the park almost daily to take panda photos.

The man takes a one-hour subway ride from his home in Saitama city to Ueno Zoo, which opens at 9:30 am local time. "I usually get in line at the zoo entrance two hours early. I take care of my work for the day while waiting so that I can focus on photographing the pandas once the zoo opens," Takauji says.

The heavy snow did not seem to affect the panda lover's good mood at all. "Today's shoot is well worth the wait, because giant pandas love snow, and you might see them frolicking in it," says Takauji, adding that there will be much fewer visitors when the weather is bad.

As visitors followed the staff at the zoo into the panda house, where the mother panda Shin Shin and her twin cubs dwell, Takauji began clicking away madly, and the two-minute viewing slot passed in a flash.

There was no line for the outdoor exhibit of the father of the twins, or the male panda Ri Ri, who was either sitting and nibbling bamboo sticks or climbing up and down in the snow. Takauji weaved through the crowd to find the perfect spot to film after wrapping his expensive filming equipment with a scarf to prevent it from getting wet.

To get more shots of the pandas, a typical Ueno Zoo trip for Takauji means joining the line outside the house of Shin Shin and her babies three or four times, waiting for at least 40 minutes each time.

The man recalls a day when he spent over seven hours waiting in the biting cold to photograph the beloved giant panda Xiang Xiang, which returned to China on Tuesday.

"It was a winter morning, I started queuing at 5 am and then waited outside the panda house for three hours after the zoo opened," he says.

In the eyes of "Mr Panda", Xiang Xiang was worth the wait, although the visit lasted only two or three minutes. "As long as I get to look at the pandas, I feel happy."

When Takauji returns home from the shoot, after sifting through the large number of photos he has taken, he will post around 200 pictures on the site.

Takauji's connection with the giant pandas stems back to 2011, when the two Chinese pandas Ri Ri and Shin Shin arrived in Tokyo in February that year, ending a nearly three-year absence of giant pandas at Ueno Zoo. One day in August he decided to go and see the pair, and that casual decision changed his life.

As of Monday, Takauji has photographed giant pandas at the zoo for 3,139 days over a period of nearly 12 years. Except for the 340-day closure of the zoo due to COVID-19 and his daughter's birthdays, he has been seen at Ueno Zoo every day.

"Through photographing giant pandas, I have made many friends and become healthier. It is also because of the pandas that I have learned more about China," he says.

For Takauji, Xiang Xiang is a daughter-like figure as the panda shares the same age with his daughter. He has published a large number of books, photo albums, postcards, and calendars featuring the famous giant panda Xiang Xiang, and most of the remuneration has been donated to related funds for the protection of giant pandas at Ueno Zoo.

Currently, Takauji has a cooperation with a shopping mall near Ueno, which is hosting a photo exhibit on Xiang Xiang using his pictures.

"Xiang Xiang has given us a lot of happiness here in Japan. I want to thank her and hope she can serve as a symbol of peace and a link between Japan and China," says Takauji.

Takauji says that as long as there are giant pandas at Ueno Zoo, he will continue to take pictures of them and share the joy with more people. "I will definitely go to China to see Xiang Xiang in the future," he adds.

Xinhua