Japan has spent just about all week getting drenched by a pair of typhoons that have decided to leisurely make their way across the country’s skies. Thankfully, there hasn’t been any significant damage in the Tokyo area, but whenever there’s heavy rainfall, you can expect local news outlets to send a camera crew to check on conditions at one of the capital’s major rail hubs.
Last night, a team sent to Shinjuku Station brought back footage of all the things viewers have come to expect from such reports. The camera’s lens capturing soaked commuters caught without an umbrella and concerned travelers watching the display boards for word about whether their train lines were still running…oh, and also a crazed, sunglass-wearing guitarist who insisted on being heard and in-frame.
With Shinjuku’s combination of office high-rises, shopping centers, swanky restaurants, and cheap bars, Shinjuku Station sees an almost constant stream of train passengers coming to or from the neighborhood for work or play (or just to come and gaze fondly at the nearby RocketNews24 offices). As such, it’s a perfect location to show a snapshot of transportation disruptions during a storm, and public broadcaster NHK was on the scene.
Upon reaching the south gate, the correspondent began his report, explaining that water was seeping into the entrance, despite regular baling by station personnel. On the plus side, while trains were running a few minutes late, they were still in service, and as such there was no significant panic or confusion in the station.
At least, there was no confusion until this guy showed up.
▼ Make sure to turn on the sound for the full effect.
And that’s just part of his unabashed grabbing of the rainy day spotlight.
Even as the typhoon was dampening the city, nothing could dampen this man’s enthusiasm for music, and he belted out a passionate ballad for all who cared to listen, and, if we’re being completely honest, also the several times as many people who probably didn’t.
Japanese news programs are fond of adding several graphical overlays to their footage, and when the cameraman couldn’t swing his lens entirely away from the crooning interloper, he at least tried to cover him with the meteorological map that occupies the bottom-right corner of the frame. But as can be seen in the video below, the strategy’s effectiveness was limited, either because the sunglass man is familiar enough with NHK broadcasts to know their on-screen layout, or because his dancing was just too unpredictable for the cameraman to counter for any longer than a few milliseconds at a time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1OyXHT_aJs
In the man’s defense, the southern gate of Shinjuku Station is a popular spot for amateur bands and musicians to set up their instruments and play for passing evening crowds. Given the fact that his act seems much more tailored to getting attention than applause, though, we’re not sure how serious his musical ambitions are, but at the very least, he probably gave everyone who saw him a couple of chuckles to help pass the time while they waited for their delayed trains.
Source: Kinisoku
Top image: Twitter/___parin_ko___ (edited by RocketNews24)