In ur station stunnin' ur commuterz

At around 9:45 am I was passing through Shibuya Station on the Yamanote line, blissfully unaware of the commotion going on at the Tokyu line's ticket gates. Fortunately some quick-thinking soul with a video camera was present, and the event was captured for posterity e.g. in this clip hosted by the BBC:

The monkey cunningly resisted all attempts at capture and was last seen heading towards Harajuku, where it presumably is blending in with the cosplay crowds which hang around outside the station.

No doubt this will have been blogged to death by tomorrow, but one interesting snippet which caught my attention was this quote by a Professor Abe of Tama University: "数年前に東京の繁華街に野生のサルが出たこともあり、渋谷に野生のサルが出ても不思議ではない。しかし、人の多い場所に現れたということであれば、ペットとして飼われていたサルの可能性が高い". "Some years ago wild monkeys were observed in Tokyo shopping streets, so it's not unthinkable that it might be a wild monkey. However seeing one in such a crowded place means there's a high probablity it is an escaped pet."

Now, I've seen all sorts of wildlife in Tokyo, including snakes and all manner of worryingly large insects (mainly buzzing around my balcony light), but primates are a new one. I'll be keeping an ear out for rumours of mysterious banana shortages from now on in the hope of discovering my own neighbourhood apes.