My interest in Tokyo’s wildlife began the night I spotted a hakubishin (masked palm civet) in the middle of Shinjuku. It slunk across the street in front of me and defied gravity up the side of a building as if it were a Hot Wheels car rolling up a wall at the hand of a child.
What on Earth was that? I thought. How can that live in the middle of Tokyo? And what else is here? Since then, spotting animals in the city has felt like my own version of Pokémon Go—part nature-watching, part urban mythbusters. Here’s my guide to finding the fluffiest:
More fun adventures await you in JUNGLIA, Okinawa’s ambitious theme park.
Hakubishin
Close-up image of a hakubishin. Photo by Toshihiro Gamo.
Facts: The hakubishin is not native to Japan, but it has made itself at home in attics and abandoned homes across the country. It’s believed to have arrived in the 1940s, possibly via Taiwan. It resembles a large, long cat with strong claws and a bushy tail. An agile climber, it’s notorious for stealing fruit and trash.
Folklore: People often confuse them with yokai (supernatural spirits in Japanese folklore) or tanuki at night due to their sneaky, ghost-like behavior. Hakubishin have been blamed for strange attic sounds or fruit vanishing from shrine offerings, sometimes mistaken as signs of supernatural mischief.
Best places to spot: Rooftops, power lines and alleyways in Tokyo suburbs. I’ve seen them everywhere from Roppongi to Ikebukuro.
Best time to spot: Midnight to early morning, especially in quiet areas.
Tanuki
Tanuki on a mossy hill. Photo by sduben on iStock.
Facts: Tanuki in English is a Japanese raccoon dog, but it’s not a raccoon, and not quite a dog, either. It’s a Japan-native wild canine that looks like a plump blend of fox, raccoon, and cartoon bandit. They have adapted surprisingly well to urban Japan, but remain solitary, shy and cautious.
Folklore: In the Edo period, metalworkers once used tanuki pelts to stretch gold leaf, linking them to wealth and transformation. This also led to Edo prints depicting tanuki with enormous scrotums, which they stretch out and use like Swiss Army tools: drums, fishing nets, wallets, shape-shifting cloaks, etc. Studio Ghibli toned it down, but Pom Poko still shows the magical pouch tricks in full swing.
Best places to spot: Fuchu and western Tokyo’s foothills and forests. I’ve even seen them as central as local parks in Setagaya-ku.
Best time spot: All year round, from late night to sunrise.
Momonga
Momonga on a tree branch. Photo by Satoru S on iStock.
Facts: Japan’s wide-eyed dwarf flying squirrels weigh an adorable 200 grams and can silently glide as far as 100 meters thanks to their patagium, which expands like a flying cape. They can even change direction mid-glide to avoid predators or to land softly.
Folklore: Momonga were once feared as yokai in Edo-period folklore, often being mistaken for nobusuma. These mythical creatures are said to snuff out lanterns, eat fire or suck blood in the night.
Best places to spot: Forestry areas, such as around Mt. Takao.
Best time: Around dusk or before sunrise, but they’re less active in winter as they go into short torpor periods.
Anaguma
Anaguma standing on rocks. Photo by Nzrst1jx.
Facts: The anaguma is a Japan-native badger species with a stocky body, short legs and distinctive facial markings. It digs complex burrow systems and eats insects, roots and sometimes fermented food scraps.
Folklore: Often mistaken for tanuki, anaguma have fewer magical associations and are considered the “spiritless cousins.” There are some tales of anaguma in folklore, though. One tells of missing homemade pots of miso paste. Countryside residents blamed neighbors, then mice, then tanuki. But once a trap was set, it caught a chunky anaguma, its face still smeared with fermented soybean paste.
Best places to spot: Okutama, Hinohara and the wooded outskirts of Tokyo like Ome and Tama Hills. Occasionally seen near farmland or more suburban edges.
Best time to spot: Nighttime year-round, especially at dusk and just before dawn.
Kamoshika
Kamoshika running. Photo by Ken Ishigaki.
Facts: The kamoshika, or Japanese serow, is a shaggy, goat-antelope with short horns and a stocky body. It’s a protected species and hard to spot. They stand motionless on rocky slopes and blend in wonderfully.
Folklore: The serow inspired the Forest Spirit in Princess Mononoke, a silent guardian of the wild. In local myths, it’s sometimes called a “phantom beast,” seen as a messenger between the spirit world and ours, or a protector of sacred mountains.
Best places to spot: Remote mountain forests in Okutama and Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. Rarely seen up close, but sometimes caught on trail cams.
Best time to spot: Early morning or dusk, year-round.
Inoshishi
Inoshishi in a field. Photo by JMrocek on iStock.
Facts: This wild boar can weigh over 100kg, but they are surprisingly agile and fast. They can be dangerous if they’re startled, threatened or protecting their young. The fuzzy piglets are called uribou, which comes from their resemblance to a striped melon (uri), thanks to the tan and brown zebra-like patterns that run down their backs.
Folklore: Symbol of courage and recklessness in Japanese mythology. Boars are zodiac animals and featured in legends like the tale of the Inoshishi Reiken, a boar spirit that guided warriors. Some rural regions still whisper that a boar crossing your path means a spiritual confrontation is coming.
Best places to spot: Forested hillsides around Ome, Okutama and Tama. In winter, they occasionally wander into suburban edges, scavenging for food. I once saw the same family three times in one day around Okutama.
Best time to spot: Early morning or dusk, year-round.
Nihonzaru
Nihonzaru peeking over a shrub. Photo by Wirestock on iStock.
Facts: Japanese macaques, like all monkeys, are smart, social and adapt well. They’re famous for relaxing in hot springs, but they also live around Tokyo’s forests and hiking trails.
Folklore: Monkeys are trickster figures in many Japanese stories, clever but often punished for pride. In one story, a greedy monkey tricks a crab out of her rice ball, injures her when she asks for help harvesting persimmons and is later defeated by the crab’s children and their unlikely allies in a tale of justice and clever revenge. In Shinto, monkeys are also messengers of mountain gods like Sarutahiko.
Best places to spot: Natural areas in Okutama, Mitake, and even higher mountain trails beyond Tokyo’s western edge. I’ve also heard they’ve caused chaos on the American military base in Tachikawa.
Best time to spot: Early morning or late afternoon, spring through autumn. In winter, they retreat to warmer mountain zones.
Discover more about Japanese wildlife. Take a look at our guide on Amami Freediving in the subtropical wilderness.
