I’ve been in Japan for over a decade and I’m still not used to Japanese bugs. Insects in England, perhaps with the exception of wasps, are pretty tame to what Japan has. Actually, Japanese mushi aren’t really dangerous, they are just different to what I grew up with, and that makes them an unknown quantity. Perhaps my Australian readers will laugh at these examples, but even the little guys in these photos make me jump back into a defensive position.
Without a doubt, cockroaches make me shiver the most even though I’m regularly chasing them around the house with a can of Goki Jet Pro. These guys though are something of a rarity, at least I hadn’t seen them in my own house until this year. I assume the first is a caterpillar, and the picture below shows some lizardy-type creature that was scurrying across the ceiling before I trapped it in a shoebox.
For the animal rights activists among you, you’ll be glad to know I brushed the caterpillar out the front door, and released the lizard back into the wild (the little playground near our house).
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Have you had the chance to see some of those lovely mountain wasps, yet?
Insects in Japan are certainly something else. Much like bugs in the UK, Canadian insects appear quite tame by comparison 😕
Actually, now you mention it, those wasps were building nests on our roof early in the summer and flying into the upstairs bathroom through the vent. It was pretty scary. I had to spray them and then cover up the vent with coffee filter paper. Until I’m stung by one, I can’t say how dangerous they are, though.
I remember seeing a Japanese commercial for a wasp spray. The spray can looked more like a rifle.
Yeah Canadian bugs are nothing compared to what Japan, and especially Australia has!
The lizard is a gecko – very common in Asia and Hawai’i. They eat the cockroaches so you have a choice – gecko on the ceiling or cockroach.
Awesome, bring on the geckos!