The First Panda Lovers Association Gathering was successfully held on June 28, 2026, on the second floor of Happy Panda, a directly operated store of Ark Co., Ltd., in the Kohama Shopping Street, Osaka.
Panda enthusiasts from Japan, mainland China, and Taiwan attended the event. Ms. Xu Li, Chairperson of Ark Co., Ltd., welcomed the participants and expressed her hope that Happy Panda would become a friendly exchange center for panda lovers from Japan and China, contributing to friendship between the two countries.
Mr. Cai, the organizer of the Panda Lovers Association, then announced the Declaration of the Establishment of the Osaka Panda Lovers Association, encouraging members to deepen friendships through pandas by sharing personal stories, collections, travel experiences, and future panda visits to Sichuan.
Participants exchanged panda trivia, travel experiences in Sichuan, Tokyo, Wakayama, and Taiwan, and displayed their panda collections, including souvenirs and the Bing Dwen Dwen mascot from the Beijing Winter Olympics. They also proposed bringing the Zigong Panda Lantern Festival to the Kohama Shopping Street in the future to promote local revitalization and Japan–China friendship.
The gathering concluded with everyone looking forward to the second gathering and a future group trip to Sichuan to visit giant pandas.
