Tokyo baby panda debuts, melts heart of fans

TOKYO -- Tokyo's new baby panda debuted formally Tuesday, melting the hearts of hundreds of lucky fans who managed to obtain zoo tickets, many wearing panda-themed clothes.

Xiang Xiang, which means "fragrance" in Chinese, was born in June at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo to its resident panda.

The zoo and its neighborhood have celebrated the female panda's healthy growth, especially after the death of a days-old baby five years ago.

"Kawaii (cute)!" screamed many visitors, their voices filling the panda house during the 2 1/2-hour viewing session, as Xiang Xiang crawled on the ground, followed its mother Shin Shin, climbed a tree and played with bamboo branches.

The visitors held up smartphones trying to capture every antic of the slow-moving baby panda during their less than 10 minutes of viewing time.

Giant panda cub Xiang Xiang, left, is pulled by her mother, Shin Shin, on Tuesday at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. Xiang Xiang, or "fragrance" in Chinese, made its debut Tuesday in a limited public viewing for fans.Kyodo News via AP

Many visitors decorated themselves or their children with panda motifs on hats, scarves and shoes and jackets, or wore black-and-white jackets.

In and outside the zoo, panda goods of all kinds went on sale, including stuffed panda dolls, cookies, sweet buns and bread. Some shopkeepers wore panda costumes.

Only 2,000 people were allowed into the panda house, with tickets distributed through a lottery. Zoo officials said Xiang Xiang's public appearances will be limited for now to minimize the stress.