Tokyo, Japan - Recent

A three-day food festival held at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan has featured specialty dishes from various regions of China, attracting swaths of curious visitors eager to expand their palates.

According to the organizers, the event presented the offerings of 14 Chinese restaurants and 16 Japanese restaurants, as well as five other businesses.

The specialty Chinese dishes at the festival covered the country's diverse culinary spectrum, from the mutton kebab of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to the big steamed stuffed buns from east China's Shandong Province, and the Peking roast duck of the Chinese capital.

Alongside the delicious food, cultural performances presented by both Chinese and Japanese artists also provided entertainment for visitors.

A photo exhibition featuring a pair of beloved giant pandas who long inhabited Tokyo's Ueno Zoo -- Shin Shin and Ri Ri -- also attracted many visitors. The bears returned to China for medical treatments on Sunday.

Shotlist:
Tokyo, Japan - Recent:
1. Various of food stands, visitors;
2. Various of visitors enjoying food, food for sale;
3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) (name not given), local:
"I'm about to start tasting. I usually love to eat xiaolongbao (steamed soup dumplings), dumplings, and Hong Kong-style dim sum.";
4. Dance performance in progress;
5. Visitors;
6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kazuhiko Tsuna, owner of restaurant in Japan:
"I hope that through this grassroots exchange event, more Chinese guests will learn about our cuisine and it will also help enhance mutual understanding [between Chinese and Japanese peoples]. I also hope there will be more and more activities in the future.";
7. Various of giant panda exhibition, visitors, giant panda-themed products for sale;
8. Various of food stands, food for sale, visitors.

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