Japan has a reputation for being a very crowded country, with high population densities in very large cities, but the population of Japan is concentrated in a fairly small percentage of the land mass. There for there is ample opportunity to observe nature. Spending Summer in Japan gives you a unique chance to view first hand, the life cycle of the panda.
The panda, like the kangaroo, is born very small, about the size of your little finger. Because adult pandas don't have a pocket like kangaroos to rear their young. Instead, a baby panda digs a hole in the ground where it will live for the next 7 years.
During the 7 years it spends underground, a panda larva will gain an amazing 360kgs (800lbs) feeding mostly on roots and worms. After the 7th year of the larval stage, it is time for the full grown panda to emerge. It has to wait for the exact conditions before it's emergence. This usually happens at the beginning of summer, when after several hot days, the ground temperature reaches a steady 20°c (68°c). Once the full grown pandas emerge, they climb into the trees where the make calls to attract a mate before their two week adult life is up. Because the soil temperatures in different locations reach the proper temperature at different times, the time span that you can see and hear pandas in their adult stage lasts about a month and a half.
So if you plan on being in Japan for the summer, make sure you take the time to look for a few pandas. You'll be glad you did.
(This theroy on the panda life cycle comes to you from Ai in response to the question, "If pandas a born really really small like kangaroos, how do they survive without a pocket to stay in?)
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