Pest Problem in Kabukicho Causes Tourists to Scream Over Mice and Cockroaches

Shinjuku Kabukicho, one of Japan’s largest entertainment districts—once known as the sleepless neon town—is now increasingly becoming a popular tourist spot frequented by many foreigners.

Currently, there have been reports of damage caused by rats and cockroaches in Kabukicho. When a reporter visited the area, they indeed found places where rats scurried around at foot level and cockroaches flew overhead. Many tourists were seen screaming at the sight.

Of course, the authorities are not simply standing by. Around May of last year, the sight of rats swarming over garbage bags in a Kabukicho building’s waste disposal area went viral on social media. As a result, a supplementary budget passed in October included about 12 million yen for countermeasures, including approximately 8.65 million yen for new projects.

However, despite such an expenditure, people working in Kabukicho say they have not felt any improvement. A woman working in a Kabukicho restaurant laments.

“There are many rats that don’t run away even when you make a loud noise with your feet or hands. My friend said that a rat climbed up her long skirt. It’s frightening because getting bitten or scratched might lead to a serious illness.”

Shinjuku Ward is implementing traps and poison bait as measures against rats, but it seems that these have not had a significant effect.

The large outbreak of cockroaches is also a problem. A man working as a “catcher” in Kabukicho says, “A tremendous amount of cockroaches were emerging from the manholes.”