By TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
July 29, 2016 at 10:00 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
* * *
ICHIHARA, Chiba Prefecture--The Ichihara Elephant Kingdom zoo is popular for its elephant show. Seven Asian and African elephants show off their wide-ranging entertainment skills as they play soccer, dance and draw paintings.
But one that draws oohs and aahs from the audience is striding over a trainer as he lies on his back on the ground.
A large, black body of an elephant closes in, with ominous music being played in the background. The mammal comes to a stand just before the trainer and makes sure the position of the trainer with its trunk before raising its left front leg. The animal bares its belly to the camera held by the trainer, and also the soles of its big feet.
There is a close call when the elephant’s right front leg brushes the trainer’s leg, but its hind legs step over the trainer without hurting him.
Two Asian elephants perform this, each weighing about 3 tons.
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II