Tokyo Wildlife

Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. The population is over 12 million. Construction is rampant and concrete rivers dot the cityscape. Yet, wildlife still thrives. Certain varieties that is. For example, this guy is one of Japan's most famous stars. And he tends to hang out in Ginza.



Here is another form of wildlife. My roommate, Syd. See how they seem to be speaking to each other? Speaking lizard tongue is a little known branch of parseltongue. (Whisper... I think Syd might be a dark magician. Many parseltongues are, you know. If you don't know, read Harry Potter.)



Another wildlife variant found only in Japan is the Tanuki. I found a tromp of tanukis during my stroll in Kyoto. The ways to identify a Tanuki are as follows:
1. Large belly
2. Gigantic testicles
3. Bag of money and/or jug of alcohol in hand

They're also quite wiley- known as tricksters here so you should be very cautious when approaching one of these guys.



I'm not sure if Hachiko qualifies as wildlife, since he never budges. So he isn't too wild. But he is one of the most famous denizens of Shibuya station. In fact, an exit is named after him and everyone meets at his feel. Hachiko was a very faithful pet and walked his owner to the station every day. When his owner died, Hachiko continued to visit the station every day. Even now, he faithfully waits for the owner to return.



The last variant of wildlife that I've spotted in Tokyo is at the rock n' roll bar, Bauhaus. The Japanese version of Ozzy Ozbourne, this guy is a true party animal. He's been rocking out to cover tunes for at least 20 years and doesn't show any signs of stopping. Definitely worth a visit and he doesn't bite! Jo, Syd's girlfriend and my roommate, survived to tell the tale.



That's about it for wildlife sightings. Let me know if you spot any worth mentioning here.