You cannot write about Tokyo zoo romance without addressing the Panda Effect . For over five decades, the giant pandas (initially Ling-Ling and Kang-Kang, and now Ri Ri, Shin Shin, and baby Xiang Xiang) have been icons of fertility and domestic bliss.
In a country where direct expression of love is often avoided, the zoo offers a buffer. You aren't confessing your love to your partner; you are confessing it to the polar bear, who happens to be listening. And somehow, that makes all the difference. You cannot write about Tokyo zoo romance without