BLACKPINK's Lisa Has A Cute Encounter With Viral Monkey Punch In Japan

Travelling often comes with unexpected encounters that make a trip memorable. For BLACKPINK member Lisa, a visit to Japan led to one such unforgettable moment: meeting a viral little star of her own. Lisa stopped by the Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture, just outside Tokyo, to visit Punch, a baby Japanese macaque who has captured hearts online.

Punch, born in July 2025, was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. Zookeepers suspect the difficult birth during a heat wave played a role. With no mother to guide him, Punch struggled to fit in with the larger troop at the zoo's “monkey mountain” enclosure. Videos showed him being swatted by adult macaques and often playing alone. To provide comfort, zookeepers gave him a stuffed orangutan from IKEA, which quickly became his constant companion.

???? Lisa shared photos from her visit to Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, where she went to see Punch, the viral monkey. ???? pic.twitter.com/rkQabS9rho

— Alone (@aloneintroverts) March 7, 2026

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Punch's story captured the hearts of fans worldwide. The zoo even started the hashtag #HangInTherePunch to share his progress. Clips of him carrying his plush toy around, climbing on other monkeys, and slowly learning to socialize spread across social media

When Lisa arrived, she brought her own stuffed toy to share with Punch. She held it up for him, capturing a few adorable photos and videos that she later posted on Instagram Stories. Punch was seen relaxing in his enclosure with his plush friend by his side.

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Punch's fame has dramatically boosted visitors to the Ichikawa City Zoo. On busy weekends, around 8,000 people came to see him, more than double the usual crowd from the same weekend the previous year, as per The NY Times. On Sunday, 5,600 visitors forced the zoo to impose entry limits to manage the crowds. Fans are travelling from across Japan and abroad to meet Punch and his stuffed companion in person.

Over the past few months, videos have shown him climbing on other monkeys, getting groomed, and even receiving hugs from adults, signs that he is finally learning how to make friends. His popularity has even affected the market: IKEA reported a spike in sales of the Djungelskog orangutan toy, particularly in Japan, the US, and South Korea.