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Jones: It's the biggest metropolis on Earth.
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
Nearly 14 million people live here
in a city that never sleeps.
There's delicious street food...
...and a buzzing nightlife.
You're unlikely to be mugged,
and theft is rarely a problem.
Welcome to the world's favorite capital,
where good etiquette is always observed...
...and where humans are only half the story.
♪
[Bird cries]
♪
From its humble origins on Japan's east coast,
Tokyo has seen a few changes.
Once a small fishing village,
it has grown relentlessly
into one of the world's busiest
and most technologically advanced mega cities.
Now a powerhouse of industry and commerce,
it's better known for its wild nightlife
than its wild animals.
But look beyond the bright lights,
and it's apparent that Tokyo also moves
to a different beat...
...a natural life cycle that begins each spring
with an iconic spectacle.
♪
Cherry blossom, or Sakura, is a national obsession.
But as well as lifting people's spirits,
it's also a bittersweet reminder.
For more than 1,000 years the short-lived petals
have prompted the Japanese to reflect
on the fleeting beauty of life
and to make the most of the time they have.
♪
Life comes in many forms in Tokyo.
Most people, though, are probably unaware
of the animals living in their midst.
♪
A distant relative of the fox,
the tanuki is a type of Asian wild dog.
Japanese folktales are filled with these shadowy creatures.
They typically appear as mischievous shape-shifters
that love to trick humans.
In Tokyo, tanuki often make their homes in storm drains
next to railway lines
and use the tracks to roam the neighborhood.
[Dinging]
So long as they stay out of sight,
the city is a reasonably safe place
for tanuki parents to raise their cubs.
There's really just one serious hazard.
[Train whistle blows]
♪
Tanuki aren't renowned for their speed,
but they've got a keen sense of smell
and a dogged determination when it comes to seeking out food.
The local shrine is always worth a visit.
Shinto shrines are places where people pay their respects
to the spirits, with offerings of food and sake.
But this one is guarded by a pair of fierce-looking foxes.
In their earthly form, foxes are known to kill tanuki.
Perhaps on this occasion,
she should show some respect.
♪
[Clattering]
[Train whistle blows]
Around the corner, dad is rummaging for a little treat
to take back to the kids.
♪
The cubs will soon be able to forage for themselves.
But first they need to learn how to cross the tracks safely.
After their snack, they're ready for a lesson.
If they've got any sense, they'll pay attention.
♪
Their lives may depend on it.
♪
[Train brakes screeching]
♪
[Dinging]
♪
Four of the cubs have made it.
But one has got distracted
and is lagging dangerously behind.
♪
Tonight the spirits have been kind.
♪
To survive in a city like Tokyo,
animals need more than just a guardian angel.
Food might be plentiful,
but obtaining it requires a bit of know-how.
With teams of street cleaners working hard
to keep the place spotless,
life can be quite a challenge
for the city's non-human residents,
many of whom rely on our wastefulness.
To grab some takeaway before it's taken away,
large-billed crows have to stay
one step ahead of the waste collectors.
Their window of opportunity is brief.
♪
Pickings are especially rich after a Friday night,
when Tokyo's restaurants have been busy.
Saturday mornings can even bring the occasional steak.
♪
With half an eye on the rubbish trucks,
the street-wise birds know pretty much to the second
when their time is up.
♪
[Indistinct talking]
[Siren wailing]
The crow's resourcefulness isn't limited to getting food.
Spring is a time for buildings nests
with whatever materials you can scavenge.
For lateral thinkers like crows,
the city offers intriguing new possibilities.
♪
Clothes hangers don't just mesh nicely with traditional twigs,
they also add a touch of pop-art flair
to your downtown apartment.
♪
Ever since it became Japan's capital in 1869,
Tokyo has been spreading.
Now almost 100 kilometers across,
it's a vast amalgamation of over 50 towns and cities.
And yet somehow it contains a wealth of animal life.
[Birds chirping]
One of the keys to this paradox
is something distinctively Japanese.
Shinto, the way of the Gods,
is the original faith of the Japanese people
and is as old as Japan itself.
[Doors squeaking]
It's based on a belief in sacred spirits, or kami,
which can often take the form of plants or animals.
♪
That's why Shinto shrines are always associated with trees.
♪
Throughout Tokyo, hundreds of small shrines
provide important habitat for animals.
But the largest by far is the Meiji Jingu Shrine,
right in the heart of the city.
Created in 1920 to venerate
Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken,
it involved the planting of 100,000 trees
donated from all over Japan.
A century on, and this self-sustaining forest
is now a quilt of over 230 different tree species.
The shrine attracts a constant stream of visitors,
who come to ask for good fortune
alongside the priests who worship here.
But all this human activity is kept within narrow limits.
The 70-hectare sacred forest that surrounds the shrine
is restricted access only.
And away from the crowds, nature is left undisturbed.
As well as sheltering woodland birds,
this thriving oasis is a haven for countless insects,
rat-hunting snakes,
and an obscure pond dweller...
...the softshell turtle.
♪
For sheer beauty, there's surely no contest.
Its wing covers have been used to make necklaces and dresses
and even to decorate a royal palace.
Such is the allure of the Japanese jewel beetle.
♪
Beyond the sacred forest, new kinds of green space
are popping up in the city.
Farms were once cleared to make way for skyscrapers.
Now they're becoming part of the urban fabric.
As well as providing food and cooling the building
on which it sits,
this rooftop rice field in Central Tokyo
is giving city kids a chance to connect with nature.
Just like a traditional paddy field,
this high-rise version is teeming with frogs
that were brought here in the soil.
[Indistinct talking]
Every spring, farmers show the children
how to plant the rice seedlings.
[Indistinct talking continues]
Four months from now, these budding urban farmers
will be back to harvest what they've sown.
In Tokyo, space is at a premium,
which can leave many animals without a home.
Along most of Tokyo's waterfront,
factories, roads, and runways have replaced natural beaches...
...and squeezed out much of the wildlife.
Kitamura: [Speaking Japanese]
Jones: Dr. Kitamura, who heads up Tokyo's Little Tern Project,
is trying to ensure that these endearing birds
still have enough space to breed.
To give them a fighting chance,
volunteers have built a six-hectare substitute beach
on the roof of a sewage works.
Building a beach was just the start.
Now every spring Dr. Kitamura and his team
have to persuade the birds to use it,
and that requires a bit of trickery.
[Speaking Japanese]
Jones: Guided by master craftsman Haruo Uchiyama,
the children play their part
by making dozens of lookalike little terns.
The finished decoys are scattered across the roof,
and to complete the illusion of a busy colony,
a large speaker plays the sound of chattering terns.
[ Terns chattering]
Primitive though it is, the birds fall for it.
Every year, up to 1,000 terns
are now choosing the roof of the Morigasaki Sewage Works
as their breeding ground.
Flying in from Australia and New Zealand,
some of these visitors have already racked up
more than 8,000 kilometers.
♪
Males and females share the job of incubating eggs,
which takes about three weeks.
♪
Within a month, the rooftop is alive with tiny chicks.
♪
[Chirping]
♪
But this noisy nursery is no playground.
Birds that nest on beaches, natural or man-made,
are vulnerable to sharp-eyed predators.
And with a brood of its own to feed,
a kestrel has its sight set on a baby tern.
♪
[Terns crying]
No amount of mobbing can deter the predator.
Day after day, the hunting kestrel returns.
♪
Having learnt from previous years,
Dr. Kitamura and his team
now cover the rooftop with little refuges.
The faster a chick finds cover,
the more likely it is to survive.
Three weeks is all it needs.
As long the adults keep bringing back food,
the young terns will soon be big enough to fly.
♪
Giving them space to breed is undoubtedly helping the terns.
Although some will struggle, others will fledge successfully
and follow their parents out to sea.
♪
Although little of Tokyo's original shoreline is left,
the waters beyond are still untamed.
And you might be surprised at what's beneath the surface.
Whale sharks, the biggest fish on the planet,
are regular visitors.
♪
Few people alive know these depths
better than Hiroyuki Arakawa.
Arakawa: [Speaking Japanese]
Jones: Fascinated by the ocean since he was a boy,
he claims to have spent more than three years
of his life underwater.
♪
Nowadays, Mr. Arakawa's main concern
is for those who earn their living from the sea,
especially hard-up fishermen.
Tokyo Bay is known for its deadly storms.
Over the years, Mr. Arakawa has helped to recover
more than 100 drowned men and women.
[Clanging]
[Bells chiming]
Whilst he can pray for lost souls
at his local Ahinto temple,
Mr. Arakawa wanted to do more.
So, with the blessing of the priest,
he's built an additional shrine.
It's not exactly on Google Maps.
♪
Hidden some 20 meters below the waves,
it receives only the most dedicated visitors.
Twice a month, dressed as a priest,
Mr. Arakawa drops in
to make a ritual offering to the water gods.
Everyone seems to be keeping a close eye
on the strange, bubbling apparition.
♪
Perhaps the fish have learnt to associate Mr. Arakawa with food.
♪
His offerings of rice and fresh eggs
certainly appear to be popular.
What the fish make of his sake is anyone's guess.
Before he surfaces, Mr. Arakawa
prays for the safety of all those who go to sea.
♪
Aside from facing storms,
fishermen in Tokyo Bay have also been wrestling
with an unusual shark problem.
It's a problem that dive operator Kan Shiota
knows all about.
Shiota: [Speaking Japanese]
Jones: As they thrash about,
trapped sharks damage valuable fish like flounder,
which then go to waste.
Some frustrated fishermen were starting to mutilate the sharks,
which is when Mr. Shiota was approached with a novel request.
Using the fishermen's unwanted catch,
Mr. Shiota set up a shark-feeding station.
Before long, it was attracting not just sharks,
but shark enthusiasts.
Believe it or not, there are people willing to pay good money
to get nibbled by sharks.
[Gulls crying]
The feeding station is located just offshore,
well away from the fishermen's nets.
♪
The sharks that you're most likely to encounter here
are banded houndsharks.
Typically, this shallow-water species is nocturnal
and solitary.
♪
But since they're fed twice a day,
the sharks tend to hang around.
♪
And encouraged by regular handouts,
they've learnt to trust humans.
♪
Known as the shark scramble,
this mass gathering has to be one of Tokyo's
most amazing wildlife spectacles.
♪
The sharks are joined by grouper...
...stingrays...
...sea bream...
...and a whole host of smaller fish.
Despite physical contact,
no shark or stingray has ever harmed Mr. Shiota or his guests.
Just as importantly, though,
the sharks are no longer a problem to the fishermen.
Not long ago, hundreds of these amazing creatures
were being netted,
and some even suffered the removal of their fins.
Today, the number of entangled sharks is virtually zero.
♪
Summers in Tokyo can be noisy as well as hot.
Most animals would probably prefer a quieter spot,
away from the crowds.
Yet the evening shoppers in Shibuya are not alone.
♪
Strange creatures are emerging from the earth
right in the middle of the city.
Slow and ungainly, they are still only half-formed.
To become the finished article,
these cicadas are about to cast off their old outfits
and get a whole new look.
For the past five years,
they've been biding their time underground,
sucking nutrients from the roots of ornamental trees.
♪
Instinctively, the cicada larvae now start to climb.
By emerging at night, the insects are safe from birds.
It now begins its fifth and final molt.
♪
Free from its old straight-jacket,
the newly hatched adult prepares for life in the open air.
Its wings, unfurled and ready for use,
will help it to evade predators.
♪
But with only a few weeks to live,
it has little time to find a mate.
It's no wonder cicadas make such a racket.
[Cicadas buzzing]
[Bell tolls]
[Man chanting in Japanese]
Nearby in the grounds of a Buddhist Temple,
the stage is set for a more gruesome drama.
[Chanting continues]
Death is something we must all accept,
no matter who or what we are.
[Gong rings]
♪
Jumping spiders hunt insects
and kill them with a venomous bite.
But even with eyes in the back of its head,
it isn't safe from larger assassins.
♪
Enter the gecko...
[Gong rings]
...a carnivorous lizard with a taste for spiders.
[Chanting continues]
♪
Geckos are like mini superheroes.
They leap off buildings
and walk up walls.
And to escape the clutches of a predator,
it can shed its tail and grow a new one.
♪
Yet even this little ninja is not immortal.
♪
Next up, the praying mantis.
It is more than 10 centimeters long,
and its lethal moves have inspired a martial art form
known as Praying Mantis Kung Fu.
♪
Impaled on the insect's legs,
the gecko succumbs to a grisly fate.
♪
The mantis won't need to dine for another month.
But to stay alive, this killer, too, needs to watch its back
and steer well clear of the temple toad.
[Chanting continues]
[Gong rings]
For humans at least,
Tokyo's streets are blissfully safe.
Even petty crimes like theft are extremely rare,
unless, that is, you happen to live on the edge of town.
In certain suburbs, there are gangs that specialize
in daylight robbery.
Japanese macaques might look adorable,
but as any vegetable grower will tell you,
they're a menace.
♪
The raiding party includes adults of both sexes.
Each knows its place in the hierarchy...
[Horns honking]
...all the way up to the alpha male at the top of the tree.
♪
[Horn honks]
♪
Once his troop is safely across the road,
the boss scopes out the lay of the land.
His peanut snatchers need to keep their wits about them.
Several of these repeat offenders have been tagged
to help the authorities keep them under surveillance.
Dodging the monkey police is only the first step.
To get the goodies, they must also outsmart the farmers.
[Speaking Japanese]
Jones: Simple nets are easily bypassed,
prompting some growers into more fancy countermeasures.
[Electricity buzzing]
10,000 volts normally does the trick,
but any chink in your defenses, and sooner or later...
it's vegetable carnage.
♪
To make matters worse,
their eating habits are an insult.
♪
While monkeys are roundly resented,
there are other animals here that are welcomed like royalty.
Not long ago, the Japanese goshawk
was on the endangered list.
But after years of protection, this fearless hunter,
once a favorite of Japan's emperors,
is starting to recolonize city parks.
To stay healthy, a young goshawk needs a meal a day,
and it's the father, smaller and more agile
than his partner, who does most of the hunting.
[Birds crying]
As hard as he works, though,
the youngest chick often loses out.
♪
Ten days later and now in her juvenile plumage,
the baby of the brood leaves the nest
to try her luck elsewhere.
♪
Still unable to fly, she has a whole new world to explore...
...on foot.
♪
Each year brings its own goshawk drama...
...and this year is no exception.
In a potentially devastating development,
dad has gone missing.
♪
The mother now faces the formidable task
of raising her family alone.
And the crows are determined to make her fail.
They sometimes lose their own chicks to goshawks,
so when they spot a weakness in their enemy,
they are quick to take advantage.
[Crows cawing]
By joining forces to harass the mother,
they can prevent her hunting.
♪
If the crows keep this up,
it won't be long before the young hawks starve to death.
♪
A week later, and the three siblings are still alive.
♪
But their mother isn't managing to bring back enough
to feed them all.
With each passing day,
the youngest chick is losing strength.
If a meal arrives,
it's always one of the older chicks who hogs it.
♪
Survival favors the selfish.
♪
Sometimes, however, it can also favor the brave.
♪
The crows have returned...
...probing for a chance to inflict more damage
while the chicks are unguarded.
♪
With little hope of being fed by its mother,
the youngest hawk does something truly astonishing.
♪
[Cawing and screeching]
None of these seasoned observers
has ever seen a young goshawk attack a full-grown crow.
♪
In the end, though, size and strength are decisive.
It's the crow, battered and dazed,
who escapes with its life
while the hawk, exhausted from her efforts,
slips closer to starvation.
♪
Yet, amidst this tragedy, there is also hope.
The eldest chick, well-fed by its mother,
is soon strong enough to hunt for itself.
And there is every reason to think
that these charismatic birds are here to stay.
♪
It's not only goshawks that are making a comeback.
The Tamagawa is one of the two main rivers
that flows through Tokyo.
Barely a generation ago, factories and homes
were dumping so much waste into the water
that it was known as "the river of death."
But with tougher laws and better management,
the Tamagawa has been transformed.
♪
Pacific redfin spend most of their lives at sea.
But to breed, they need clean, fast-flowing water.
And now that they have it, they're coming back
in their thousands.
♪
Unfortunately for the fish,
news of their return appears to have spread.
[ "Ride Of The Valkyries" playing]
♪
Cormorants are looking for an easy meal.
♪
Because they spawn in shallow water,
the redfin have nowhere to hide.
♪
It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
♪
[Water rushing]
As well as redfin,
carp and eel are also on the menu.
♪
This one-time sewage outflow
is now home to around 60 species of freshwater fish.
All this diversity within the city is impressive.
But to find Tokyo's wildest side,
you must follow the Tamagawa westwards into the mountains.
♪
Although sparsely populated,
these mountains are an integral part of the metropolis.
The forest acts like a giant sponge,
soaking up and then releasing moisture.
♪
The streams eventually empty into a deep lake,
which supplies Tokyo with over a fifth of its fresh water.
But as well as quenching the city's thirst,
the forest also provides a home for wild animals.
♪
And if anything, Tokyo's wild west end is getting wilder.
As their children move out to find work in the city,
older residents can only wonder as nature moves back in.
♪
For the inquisitive,
abandoned houses are an irresistible temptation.
[Monkeys grunting]
So too are any long-forgotten orchards.
By November, persimmons are plentiful,
and the brazen monkeys are the first to help themselves.
It's soon apparent, however,
that the fruits aren't quite as juicy as they look.
Still loaded with tannins,
they leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
A couple of bites is about all she can stomach.
Fortunately, the macaques' throwaway habits
are a gift to other animals.
Biting the fruit leaves the flesh exposed,
which speeds up the ripening process.
Persimmons are packed with glucose,
and the longer they sit on the ground, the sweeter they become.
With winter approaching, tanuki are looking to fatten up.
They can put on several extra kilos.
And they're not the only ones with a sweet tooth.
♪
A badger has emerged from its den to join the feast.
And although they're small,
Japanese martens are more than ready to scrap for their share.
[Screeching]
It's not long before the sugary treats
are catching the attention of an altogether bigger beast...
♪
...a moon bear.
Also known as an Asian black bear,
this rare and secretive animal
is Tokyo's largest wild inhabitant.
Smaller creatures like civets must wait their turn.
[Car engine running]
They don't have to wait long.
Despite their size, bears are easily spooked.
A passing car is enough to send the trespasser
hurrying back to the woods.
♪
If Tokyo's life cycle begins with cherry blossom,
then it ends in equally spectacular fashion...
...with a blaze of autumn foliage.
♪
Koyo, as it's known here, is nature's final flourish.
Within a month, many of Tokyo's plants and animals
will be going into a three-month winter lockdown.
♪
To the casual eye, Tokyo is all about us.
But look beyond the crowds,
and you'll find a surprising range of wild animals
thriving in the gaps.
It's a parallel world of vicious assassins,
gentle giants...
...and clever thieves...
...of strange transformers...
...hardworking parents...
...and living jewels.
♪
It's a world in which humans are only part of the picture.
And that is a thing to celebrate.
♪