Tokyo snapper displays his love for pandas

"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.