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Shibuya rats scuttle along streets in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis【Video】

Oona McGee Oct 13, 2019
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This Tokyo area is now being nicknamed “Rat Land” by people in Japan.

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in Japan last night, after a day of heavy, consistent rainfall that caused rivers to break their banks, creating floods that overtook streets and residences in a number of areas.

It turns out that humans weren’t the only ones battling the elements, though, as the rats in Tokyo were also doing it tough after the typhoon dumped over a month’s worth of rainfall on the city in just one day.

This video — filmed in Shibuya and posted to Twitter by @okamura_0207 around midnight, shortly after the rain from Typhoon Hagibis cleared — gives us an idea of just how many rats were affected by yesterday’s adverse weather conditions. And when they came out after the downpour in search of food and dry land, it was an unnerving sight to watch.

渋谷にネズミ展開してる pic.twitter.com/pkUkRkA7T3

— オカムラ (@okamura_0207) October 12, 2019

The above clip shows not just one, not just two, heck, not just even a dozen rodents scurrying around a quiet street in Shibuya. With the city resembling a ghost town as people bunkered down indoors during the typhoon, it was a free-for-all for Shibuya’s furry residents, who were able to scurry around without any fear of getting in the path of human traffic.

▼ The video was filmed on this street in Shibuya, which is home to a number of well-known restaurants like ramen store Ippudo and sushi train restaurant Genki Sushi.

If that video above wasn’t enough for you, @okamura_0207 was kind enough to provide one more, giving us another angle from which to enjoy the rodent excursion.

pic.twitter.com/7zbXnprmtV

— オカムラ (@okamura_0207) October 12, 2019

With rats of all shapes and sizes coming out to play, netizens were both disgusted and amused at the same time.

“I’d heard that rats come out and move around after disasters, and now I see it’s really true.”
“Escaping the flooded sewerage drains, I suspect.”
“This looks like a group of rats from the country out and about sightseeing in Tokyo!”
“Someone needs to call in the cats!”
“It’s like Tokyo Disneyland for rats.”
“Shibuya is Nezumiland [Rat Land]“

Humans may have Tokyo Disneyland, but the rats of Japan now appear to have an amusement park of their very own: Nezumiland. With a number of recent rat sightings in the area, including these videos showing the rodents partying at a konbini and browsing the racks at fashion retail chainstore H&M, Shibuya now runs the risk of having its Rat Land moniker stick for good.

Perhaps it’s time for the city to call on the Cat Man from Kyushu to come to the rescue with his pram full of felines in tow.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@okamura_0207
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