If you happen to be looking for directions around Mitaka Station in Musashino, Tokyo you might be in for an eerie surprise. As Google’s Street View camera strapped to a guy’s back passed through the quaint tree-lined path alongside the Tamagawa Aqueduct, it was momentarily surrounded by a group of people standing around wearing pigeon heads.
This is your Throwback Thursday article of the week, your peek into the archives of RocketNews24 featuring articles from back when our site was just getting started. Enjoy this blast from the past!
You can either explore the scene for yourself here, or follow the pictures underneath if you have any accessibility problems.
Approaching the flock you can see an unusual arrangement of people but nothing to strange until one more click and…
Gyaaa!
One more click forward and you’re out of the flock.
Until you turn around and see them staring at you from behind.
Finally, just as the bird people are completely out of sight, the guy appears to have tripped, probably shaken from his encounter.
This team of pigeons was actually made up of writers from the blog Daily Portal Z who caught word that Google’s cameras would be in the area. They wanted to be on Street View but wanted to be easily distinguishable without having their faces blurred.
It’s great that the team got to fulfill their hopes of getting on Street View, but this whole event has highlighted something unsettling about Japan. Giant pigeons masks are way too easy to get around here.
Source: Daily Portal Z, Google Maps via Naver Matome (Japanese)
Pink-shirted multiplying man found in Akihabara on Google Street View
Enjoy the beauty of Angkor in your underpants thanks again to Google Street View
Google Street View catches Russian bear in the middle of snacking on a salmon
Six outdoor Japanese hot springs you can visit right now (with Google Street View)
Navigate your way through Japan’s busiest train stations with Google Street View
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Pokémon comes to McDonald’s Japan for new Happy Meals toys, brings every generation’s starters
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport airlines announce stricter luggage check-in deadline for domestic flights
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store sandwiches with a wild new choc-mint variety
Yoshinoya gets into fancy fish, but is the cheap beef king reaching too far? [Taste test]
Toyota Museum’s international retro vehicle parade returns to Aichi this autumn
Is covering your entire upper body with cooling strips enough to fend off Japan’s summer heat?
Coco’s Japan is very confident in their chilled ramen, but should they be? [Taste test]
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever gacha capsule toys, featuring iconic menu items as plush coffee charms
7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?
7-Eleven Japan now offering baked-in-store pizza by the slice with two very different topping sets
Starbucks Japan opens new store inside historic seaside quarantine station near Tokyo
Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box
Live-action Princess Mononoke is coming to streaming as a live event, previews look amazing [Video]
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Tour Akita Prefecture from the back of an Akita Inu Dog with Google’s adorable doggie Street View
Sumo Wrestlers Greet the World From Tokyo on Google Maps
Japan’s “Underground Temple” now up for virtual touring in Google Street View
Scope out which love hotel to take your next date to right now in Google Street View
Google Street View captures hilarious before-and-after of person cycling into a ditch 【Photos】
Hang in there, Baby!: Cat clinging to wall in Tokyo caught on Google Maps
Google’s Street View takes privacy to a whole new level in Japan【Photos】
Want to be in I Am Legend? Website uses Google Street View to show cities after the fall of man
Google Street View now lets you tour the glowing samurai, dragons of the Nebuta Matsuri festival
Google Street View sighting in Yamaguchi Prefecture amuses Japanese Twitter users
Google Street View captures view from top of Mt. Fuji, negates only reason to climb it
Japan dominates the list of most visited Google Street View locations in Asia
Spend a day at the zoo on Google Maps
Google to Photograph Street Views of Evacuated Town in Fukushima
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street