Penguins at Otaru Aquarium in the Hokkaido city of Otaru started their winter routine of taking a walk three times a day on Dec. 12, but what was unusual this year was that they toddled over a green lawn rather than snow.
Visitors cheered and took photos with their smartphones as 13 gentoo penguins walked three laps of a 77-meter course on the first day of their "Snow Walk" as the aquarium opened for its winter operations.
"They were cute and amusing," said 6-year-old Shizuku Mori, who was among the visitors with her parents and looked fascinated by the birds.
During the seasonal operations through Feb. 28, the aquarium is open seven days a week and has South American sea lion and dolphin shows as well as those for seal feeding.
Visitors are asked to keep a distance from each other in watching the shows to prevent coronavirus infections.
More from the Hokkaido Shimbun:
Students' mosaic of gutted Shuri Castle displayed in Hokkaido
Hokkaido restaurant surprises customers with giant pumpkins
Sapporo readies iconic "Sasara" snow-clearing tram
