Bugs in Japan

Bugs are usually at the bottom of the invited guests list for any residence. Japan is home to a rather diverse amount of insects from cute butterflies to large, venomous centipedes normally found only in the recesses of our nightmares. Summertime brings increased insect activity all over the country, which leads to increased insect-human interactions. Feeling a bit bugged out? Look no further! Kind of Creepy, Kind of Neat Some of the bugs you may encounter pose very little threat to humans and either came in by accident or are simply there to hunt the other bugs you may have in your residence. If you have a garden, you may run into the “geji geji mushi,” or the house centipede. Other than being quite fast and rather unseemly in appearance, these bugs are just on the hunt for other bugs and will happily stay out of your house should you scoop them into a bowl of some sorts and flick them back outside. You have probably heard their cries for a few weeks already, but summer in Japan immediately brings the ubiquitous cicadas. Called “semi” in Japanese, these bugs only live a very brief time after emerging from the ground and…