Macaques Encircle City

A wild monkey that appeared in Shibuya station in Tokyo on August 20, 2008 and escaped into the city, may now have a partner. A TV station in Tokyo reports more than one monkey is loose in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

On November 6, TBS-TV Evening 5 news in Tokyo reported a macaque monkey had been spotted in Itabashi, Tokyo on November 4 and November 6. Between 7:00 am and 9:00 am November 6 a monkey was seen crossing a road in Itabashi, Tokyo, and a monkey was reported in the vicinity of Shimo-Itabashi Station on the Tobu Tojo line in Tokyo.

According to the TBS report the Itabashi monkey is smaller than the Shibuya monkey. A resident in Itabashi witnessed an animal jumping from wall to wall. "I’m certain it was a monkey because it had a deep red butt," he said.  Shibuya Monkey Timeline

photo: Shimo-Itabashi-Station

Shibuya Monkey Timeline

On August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey ran wild in Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Startled commuters watched as police failed to catch the monkey. TV crews were able to video the monkey chase through the station. The macaque escaped into the city. Video of the chase was broadcast on TV stations worldwide and posted on TV and newspaper websites. The story was reported worldwide.

Media On Alert

On September 9, 2008 a monkey was seen in Tokyo and local media converged on the area. Again, the Shibuya-monkey-spotting was reported extensively in Japan and worldwide. Some reports outside Japan erroneously stated the monkey had been loose for over a month.

On October 6, TBS-TV "Evening Five" news in Tokyo reported a monkey had been spotted in Takanawa, Tokyo and then the newscaster asked if it was the same monkey as from Shibuya station.

On October 9, the NHK-TV  "Newswatch 9"  weekday 9 p.m. TV news report also reported on the Takanawa monkey sightings and the caster asked the same question: is it the same monkey? The newscast also showed photos of the monkey taken August 20 in Shibuya and October 3 in Takanawa, to a primate specialist at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. The scholar compared the attributes of the monkey noses, and concluded the images were of the same macaque.


Aping News!

Journalists in Tokyo were becoming concerned about the increasing number of monkey-sighting reports.

Then, on October 19, the monkeys came to city hall.

The Tokyo Metropolitan government office building complex in Shinjuku, Tokyo, was overrun by hordes of uniformed monkeys. Police immediately evacuated pedestrians and cordoned off the area. Stunned company employees watched as the monkeys were rounded up and taken to police headquarters for questioning.

"This is Japan. We love monkeys here. Why is this happening?", one bystander asked. Another person watching nearby said, "That Shibuya monkey has caused a lot of trouble. It should be caught."

Police suspect the Shibuya monkey is the leader of the insurgents.

It is not known where the monkeys obtained the uniforms.

The Tokyo Shibuya monkey continues to elude police capture. The macaque monkey in the city was discovered at Shibuya train station August 20, 2008. Morning rush hour commuters snapped cell phone photos as the monkey led police on a wild chase through the station. The monkey outsmarted the cops, and fled into the city. On September 5, police said the monkey is likely surviving on rainwater, leaves and berries on trees. (photo above: Tokyo cops are vigilant at this police koban branch in the center of the Shibuya district of Tokyo.)

Tokyo’s favorite macaque monkey has eluded police for one month. The monkey first appeared August 20, 2008, during morning rush hour at Tokyo’s Shibuya train station. The monkey escaped capture and dashed out of the station. Since then, it has been spotted several times. On September 5, police said the monkey is likely surviving on rainwater, leaves and berries on trees.

Lets Japan obtained this exclusive photo. Moments after this picture was taken, the monkey climbed the pole in the foreground, and urinated on the passers-by.

Our Favorite Monkey On The Run

According to an Associated Press September 5, 2008 report, the Shibuya macaque has been loose for "nearly a month"…"since it showed up on city streets a few weeks ago."

As of September 5, the monkey in the city has actually been avoiding capture only 16 days. And it showed up in Shibuya station in Tokyo, not "city streets".

Wild Monkey Leads Police On Chase (SKY News); Wild Monkey Eluding Tokyo Police ‘Driving Us Crazy (AP/FOX News)
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Maka-Waii returns to Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan, August 27 and defies police efforts to catch him. photo illustration: Lets Japan Monkey eludes net-wielding police at a Tokyo station; Memorial To Monkey Who Got Away

Scenes  From The Future

TOKYO, MAY 17, 2022 (LJ) - A statue of the rogue Japanese macaque monkey befriended by many in Tokyo, was unveiled today at Shibuya station in Tokyo.

Nicknamed Maka-Waii, (hat borrower) the female macaque first appeared unattended at Shibuya station in Tokyo on August 20, 2008. After a chase through the station, police surrounded the monkey with green netting, but the monkey escaped the hands of the police, in the process, grabbing a police cap from the head of an officer.

The macaque again dashed through the station, then found her way outside, and, putting on the cop’s cap, smugly sneered at its pursuers and disappeared into the neighborhood.

The monkey was believed to have made it’s way down from Okutama, a mountainous area  about 50 kilometers northwest of Tokyo.

The seemingly tame Maka-Waii, had often been spotted – always with her police hat on her head – around Shibuya station. Although she allowed people to get close enough to feed her, she was never caught. Police finally said shoganai, and Maka-Waii went on to become a tourist attraction and neighborhood celebrity.

In addition to handouts, Maka-Waii apparently lived off discarded food from the numerous restaurants in the area.

In February, Maka-Waii was discovered motionless at the base of a children’s slide in a playground next to the Yamanote line tracks, 500 meters from Shibuya station. She was not breathing. Police began an investigation and eventually determined the macaque was dead, probably due to a head-first fall from the top of the slide  Her police cap was not found.

The memorial bronze likeness of the cuddly monkey is next to Hachiko, the famous dog who continued to wait for his master at the station, long after the owner had died.

The officer who lost his hat in 2008, who was removed from patrol and assigned to a desk position shortly after the incident, says he is still praying for the safe return of his hat.

August 20, 2008:
Monkey amuses commuters at Shibuya station, gives cops the slip

Monkey eludes net-wielding police at Tokyo station

Related: Cat In Hat Can’t Quit

Photo illustrations by Lets Japan.