Polar bears in Akita

Polar bears in Akita

AKITA, Japan - Polar bear Miruku (R), 13 months old, receives a snow cake at Oga Aquarium Gao in Oga, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Jan. 26, 2014, during a ceremony before her departure for a zoo in Hokkaido. At left is her mother Kurumi.

Polar bear cub

Polar bear cub

AKITA, Japan - Photo shows a female polar bear cub and her mother at Oga Aquarium GAO in Oga, Akita Prefecture, on May 1, 2013. The aquarium unveiled the cub, born in December 2012, to the public the same day.

Polar bear cub

Polar bear cub

AKITA, Japan - Photo shows a female polar bear cub and her mother at Oga Aquarium GAO in Oga, Akita Prefecture, on May 1, 2013. The aquarium unveiled the cub, born in December 2012, to the public the same day.

Polar bear cub

Polar bear cub

AKITA, Japan - Photo shows a female polar bear cub and her mother at Oga Aquarium GAO in Oga, Akita Prefecture, on May 1, 2013. The aquarium unveiled the cub, born in December 2012, to the public the same day.

Mayor stands in as Canadian polar bear at aquarium opening

Mayor stands in as Canadian polar bear at aquarium opening

AKITA, Japan - A polar bear greeted visitors at the July 13 opening of Oga Aquarium GAO in Akita Prefecture -- not the real one that should have arrived from Canada, but Oga Mayor Issei Sato clad in a polar bear outfit as a ''temporary stand-in.'' Sato had promised that if the polar bear, a main attraction of the new prefectural aquarium, failed to arrive in time for the opening, he would put on the outfit ''as a performance.'' ''It's hot,'' Sato said when asked by reporters how it felt. ''I hope a real bear gets here as soon as possible.''

Baby seal at Japan aquarium

Baby seal at Japan aquarium

A 2-month-old spotted seal eats fish at Oga Aquarium GAO in the city of Oga, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on June 12, 2015. The aquarium is soliciting from visitors until the end of the month names for the female seal born April 15. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baby seal at Japan aquarium

Baby seal at Japan aquarium

Photo taken June 12, 2015, shows a 2-month-old spotted seal at Oga Aquarium GAO in the city of Oga, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The aquarium is soliciting from visitors until the end of the month names for the female seal born April 15. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Mayor stands in as Canadian polar bear at aquarium opening

Mayor stands in as Canadian polar bear at aquarium opening

AKITA, Japan - A polar bear greeted visitors at the July 13 opening of Oga Aquarium GAO in Akita Prefecture -- not the real one that should have arrived from Canada, but Oga Mayor Issei Sato clad in a polar bear outfit as a ''temporary stand-in.'' Sato had promised that if the polar bear, a main attraction of the new prefectural aquarium, failed to arrive in time for the opening, he would put on the outfit ''as a performance.'' ''It's hot,'' Sato said when asked by reporters how it felt. ''I hope a real bear gets here as soon as possible.'' (Kyodo)