News On Japan

Crows Pile Hangers on Tokyo Expressway

TOKYO - A large number of hangers have been spotted on an elevated section of the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo’s Shinjuku area, where crows appear to be using them to build nests, prompting concern among nearby residents.

Footage shows numerous hangers placed along the elevated roadway, with crows arriving and skillfully manipulating them with their beaks as part of nest construction.

The hangers are believed to have been brought in by so-called “spring crows,” which become more active during the breeding season.

Residents in the surrounding area reported missing items from their homes, with one saying, “Our hangers disappeared quite some time ago, and we had no idea why,” suggesting the birds may have been taking them from balconies.

There were also instances of hangers falling onto the road as crows took flight, raising the risk of potential accidents if they were to strike passing vehicles.

On April 13th, as temperatures rose to summer-like levels in parts of the Kanto region, spring scenery was also drawing attention elsewhere.

At Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, visitors were seen hurrying through the grounds to catch a glimpse of nemophila flowers now in full bloom.

Many arrived early in the morning to avoid crowds, with one visitor saying, “It’s my first time here, and it’s incredibly beautiful. I want to take lots of photos.”

Meanwhile, in central Tokyo, the warmer spring weather has further energized crows, with more sightings of them actively building nests using hangers stacked one by one with their beaks.

Passersby expressed surprise at the unusual sight, with comments such as “That’s incredible,” and “They actually bring hangers—there are so many of them.”

Authorities are urging caution during this period, as crows become more aggressive and territorial during their breeding season.

Source: FNN

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Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) swept across Japan on June 3rd, bringing record-breaking rainfall, widespread flooding, landslides, transport disruptions, and powerful winds, while prompting Tokyo's first-ever issuance of a Level 4 danger alert under the country's new weather warning system. The storm also exposed challenges surrounding evacuation behavior, as many residents chose not to leave their homes despite official warnings affecting more than 1.6 million people across the Tokyo metropolitan area.

[updated 10:50 p.m.] Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) continued to disrupt transport across eastern Japan late on June 3rd, although many major rail and air services began shifting into recovery mode after the storm moved away into the Pacific, with nearly 900 flights canceled during the day, several regional railway lines still suspended, and operators warning that delays and reduced services could linger into June 4th.

As Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) struck Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd, the storm became the first major test of Japan's newly introduced disaster weather warning system, revealing both the benefits of earlier evacuation calls and the challenges local authorities faced in helping residents understand and respond to the new alerts.

Flooding was reported around the popular tourist district of Oharai-machi in Ise City following the passage of Typhoon No. 6, with some businesses forced to clean up after floodwaters overflowed from a nearby river during the early hours of June 3rd.

A breaking weather alert was issued for the Izu region of Shizuoka Prefecture early Wednesday morning, after the formation of a linear rain band, a phenomenon capable of producing prolonged and extremely intense rainfall over the same area. Authorities warned that the risk of disasters has risen sharply as heavy rain continues to fall, increasing the likelihood of flooding, landslides, and other weather-related emergencies.

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