Sundry Cobwebs: Crows

I had heard about Japanese crows before. My favorite humor blog even did a story on them: http://www.cracked.com/article_17453_5-diabolical-animals-that-out-witted-humans.html

However, I was still surprised when I first saw one, and shocked when I first heard one. Firstly, they are much bigger than American crows. Their beaks are really long and sharp-looking, and their claws are just… yikes. Then they open those black face-pincers and out comes a throaty Warra! Warra! It’s like that wince-worthy noise Golem makes when he coughs. Except it sounds more like an angry person shouting. It seems monstrous compared to the polite rasp of the American “caw!”

Then there’s the fact that they’re clearly not afraid of you. I noticed that they don’t pay much attention to pedestrians. They’ll reluctantly hop out of a car’s path, but that’s about as good as it gets. At first I found their entitlement quirky--charming, even. Then, my first afternoon in my apartment, there came a loud, low, Warra! Warra! outside my window. I could see a big, black blob through the frosted glass. We Americans often regard such urban wildlife with amusement and curiosity. I mean, who doesn’t like chasing pigeons once in a while? In this state of naïveté, I slid the window open by a few inches. A cold, glittering eye stared back at me. It had the kind of beak that could gauge out your eyes and then come back for some brains. It took a few steps toward the screen, its long, sharp claws clinking on the railing. It cocked its head, considering the food inside the apartment and the screen that protected the food. That screen also protected my face. I felt a little uncomfortable, so I started to hiss and shoo it away with my arms. It didn’t even flinch. I shouted at it and banged on the glass a little, but it just looked at the screen, clearly planning something diabolical. Then it lunged at me and I reflexively shut window, very, very startled.

They're always there, too.  They gorge themselves on garbage in dark back alleys. They sit in flocks up in the trees, watching and waiting. They swoop low over pedestrians, big black shadows croaking their discontent. I haven't encountered any scary people yet in Tokyo, but those god-damned crows...