Tokyo Tanuki

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Yomiuri: 1,000 tanuki thriving in central Tokyo
Tanuki living in central Tokyo have been generating interest this summer, with animal researchers estimating that about 1,000 of the nation's indigenous raccoon dog eke out an urban existence in the capital's 23 wards...Takumi Miyamoto, a 41-year-old researcher of nonprofit organization Toshi Dobutsu Kenkyukai, which studies animals in urban areas, began investigating tanuki about 10 years ago...When Miyamoto requested information about tanuki in Tokyo via the Internet, 191 locations in the 23 wards were reported. The animals were most frequently reported in areas rich in greenery, such as the Mejiro district in Toshima Ward and Shinjuku Gyoen Park in Shinjuku Ward. Tanuki are often seen in bushes along railways on the Inokashira and Seibu Ikebukuro lines -- areas that are not often approached by humans. One reason that the raccoon dogs are able to thrive more easily in urban areas is the smaller number of stray dogs--one of their natural enemies--than found in rural areas...The reclusive creatures thrive in one particular area in the heart of the capital -- the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward. The palace covers an area of about 115 hectares, 25 times that of Tokyo Dome...A report estimated that up to 14 tanuki reside inside the palace grounds...more...

Remember: don't feed the tanuki.

[Midwinter]

I'm not sure if thriving is the right word for there being only 1,000 tanuki in Tokyo.

[IkemenTommy]

I wonder which is a bigger problem Tokyo faces.. the 1000 tanukis or the shitload of homelesses under such places as Shinjuku's JR overpass.

[Greji]

I'm not sure if thriving is the right word for there being only 1,000 tanuki in Tokyo.

The garbage available in Tokyo provides that thriving is not even a question.

I went over to my hobby's mansion the other evening and in the parking lot three tanuki's came charging across from the trash receptacle room and on out toward parts unknown. One was quit large so it could have been a parent with two large cubs(?). But any way, they're here. They say there's a lot of them in Hibiya Park although I've never met anyone that claims to have actually seen one.

[Kagetsu]

I did see one in Mejiro once, though I didn't realise Tanuki were Raccoon's.

They're everywhere in Miyajima once the lights go out. Even albino ones.

[pheyton]

I did see one in Mejiro once, though I didn't realise Tanuki were Raccoon's.

They're everywhere in Miyajima once the lights go out. Even albino ones.

Dude, we may have seen the same one. I lived in Mejiro and some dude had one chained up on his property by the Oedo sen station. Scared the shit outta me when I passed by it cause I had never seen one and didn't know WTF it was.

BTW, the best ramen I ever had was in Mejiro across the street from the Oedo station. My wife says it was probably the best she had ever had too. I wonder if it is still there. I'm gonna try and go there when we go back in Dec. Maybe the Tanuki will be there too?

[Kagetsu]

If you're back there around Christmas, I'll join you. ^_^
Yeah, that was the one, saw it last August... though I didn't see it's face, it was just curled up.

[Marked Trail]

I did see one in Mejiro once, though I didn't realise Tanuki were Raccoons.

While they're raccoon-like and fill the same ecological niche, Tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus) are a subspecies of the raccoon dogs (which are neither raccoons or dogs and often mistranslated as "badger")
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Raccoon_Dog

[pheyton]

If you're back there around Christmas, I'll join you. ^_^
Yeah, that was the one, saw it last August... though I didn't see it's face, it was just curled up.

Wow. LOL I was just checking on Google Street view to see if he was still there. Some damn truck is blocking the view though.

As for the ramen shop, sadly it looks like it has moved on. That's ok though, there are a thousand other tasty ones with big, fat, butta cubes drenched in a miso base.

I'd love to grab a drink with any FGs that can meet up around Dec. I promise to leave my politics in the US.

[Catoneinutica]

While they're raccoon-like and fill the same ecological niche, Tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus) are a subspecies of the raccoon dogs (which are neither raccoons or dogs and often mistranslated as "badger")
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Raccoon_Dog

Them boys was big-ballin' back when Kunta Kinte was just a kid.

[Kagetsu]

The things you learn. ^_^ Yeah, I figured they weren't quite raccoons... but for me it'd be like Takachanpoo distinguishing a dolphin/whale from a fish. ^_~

Sounds like a good idea... Always nice to meet new people.

[Taro Toporific]

Them boys was big-ballin' back when Kunta Kinte was just a kid.

[floatl][/floatl]

Tan Tan Tanuki no kintama wa,
Kaze mo nai no ni,
Bura bura

[Catoneinutica]

[floatl][/floatl]

Tan Tan Tanuki no kintama wa,
Kaze mo nai no ni,
Bura bura

Heh - that gal loves them big balls!

-catone
-was that ad PedoBear (tm) approved?

[IkemenTommy]

One of my favorite parts from Forrest Gump:

Forrest: Earl, what's going on?

Earl: Coons are tryin' to get into school.

Forrest: Coons? When racoons try to get on our back porch, Momma just chase 'em off with a broom.

Earl: Not racoons, you idiot, ni**as. And they want to go to school with us.

Forrest: With us? They do?

[GomiGirl]

I saw a tanuki once. It was just off Koshu Kaido near ShimoTokaido station. I was walking to a friends place one night around 7pm and thought, "Damn that is an odd looking cat" before I realised it was a tanuki. He was headed down into a storm water drain.

[IkemenTommy]

I saw a tanuki once. It was just off Koshu Kaido near ShimoTokaido station. I was walking to a friends place one night around 7pm and thought, "Damn that is an odd looking cat" before I realised it was a tanuki. He was headed down into a storm water drain.

You just spotted 1/1000, a rare sighting.

[GomiGirl]

You just spotted 1/1000, a rare sighting.

Indeed. It was a few years ago now but I do keep an eye out for them now.

But I do think that if you tipped Tokyo upside-down and gave it a good shake, all the animals of the world would fall out - well at least one or two of each type. Kinda like from the ark.

Monkeys in Shibuya station, tanukis in Shimo-tokaido etc.

I also saw a guy with a prairie dog once. He had it on a leash and was taking it for a walk. It was his pet. I stopped to have a chat with him about it. But he was pretty clueless as he thought that prairie dogs were native of Australia.

[IkemenTommy]

They're so kawaii

[American Oyaji]

I saw a tanuki in Hachinohe once. I watched it for a while, thinking it was a dog.

It was rather fat and didn't MOVE like a dog, then I saw it in the light and realized that's not what I saw. By the time I ran in the house to tell everyone, he was gone.

[Greji]

They're so kawaii

I suppose if you grilled them just right and used enough shoyu, they'd be okay....

[pheyton]

Cooking sake, shoyu and mirin can make ANYTHING taste fuckin amazing! I wouldn't want to try it with Takepoo though.

My old roomate in Mejiro had a fuckin monkey as her pet. The Indiana Jones kind. Man, that fucker put me through hell. Especially since we had shoji doors. One night my wife, a freind visiting from cali, and I had just gotten home from a club. We were drunk, he was out of his cage and my roomate was afk. It was like a horror movie. As we were climbing up the stairs of death, the monkey attacked! We all freaked cause the fucker was vicious and liked to bite. We scrambled into my room and fought to keep the door closed and the holes he made plugged for about 20 minutes. My genius friend grabbed some of my colonge and got the fucker in the eyes. A lucky shot considering the alcohol and confusion. The monkey decided to throw in the towel and whenever he came by after that night I would just break out the colonge and put his ass in it's place.

Ya, Tokyo probably has 90% of the world's animals locked up in private residences.

[nottu]

[Taro Toporific]

Kaze mo nai no ni,
Bura bura -
... this is the heart (balls) of Japanese anomatopeia.

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