A year after losing pandas, western Japan town seeks to rebuild tourism

A year after bidding goodbye to its much-loved giant pandas, the western Japanese town of Shirahama is looking for new ways to lure back the crowds that the iconic bears once drew from across the country.The four female pandas -- Rauhin and her offspring, Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin -- left the Adventure World theme park in the Wakayama Prefecture town on June 28, 2025, for China, under the terms of a joint breeding research program that began in 1994.During the roughly 30-year period, the facility succeeded in raising 17 cubs, the largest number outside China.The return preceded that of two g…READ FULL ARTICLE