Suburban surprise in Tokyo
By Edu Coimbra em 20/12/05

In the land of the Rising Sun, the care with animals is a common practice among citizens. Such routine appears with more emphasis when it comes to pets: we just have to observe the huge population of these animals along the whole Asian continent.

They have plenty of beauty shops, clinics and stores for this specific market – it is possible to find even winter clothing for pets. People walk with these animals embellished with fine clothing and collars from several famous brands like Dior, Vitton and Armani…

I’m a frequent visitor of Tokyo suburbs, where, with my digital camera, I capture the most exotic wonders of the East. This way, I collect images which may call the attention of those who think that have seen everything: there is always something unexpected in alleys, squares, streets and avenues.

And it was on an summer afternoon that one of these unexpected events took place. I was taking a package to my brother – inside, something he is appreciates a lot: huge, healthy and beautiful shrimps.

Over my powerful bicycle, it takes approximately thirty minutes from my home in Umegaoka to my brother’s house. I am an appreciator of the pedestrians walking, the exposed nature in trees, the flowers in display in gardens and the beauty of the parks which I cross during my journey. A truly ecological ride!

Over my “two-wheeled machine”, I crossed shortcuts and alternate routes to avoid the most crowded streets. Suddenly, I ran into an extremely surrealistic sight: stunned and stupefied, I had to stop, jump from the bicycle seat and aim my camera to that monstrous and terrifying picture. No brush would be capable to change that moment of sinister magic into live realism. Believe it or not, but the photos are here to prove my words.

Hidden among the shrubs, a long tail crawled with a challenging corporeal structure. After approaching the animal, I recognized that it was nothing less than a monkey carried by his owner. Held by a collar, the monkey crossed streets, climbed trees and made every kind of mimicking to attract the people’s attention: a rare kind of pet which I never imagined that someone would breed at home. And even more take to the streets.

Its owner, a senior man, had in the hand a small bag to collect the animal’s excrements. Look at his calm and subtleness, contrasting with some people stunned with the view. Even a baby turned the face to that creature, which should be in a zoo.

This was another story about this country marked by sights of intense exoticism and millennial tradition which keeps alive the flame of a past rich on its simplicity. See you next month!


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