A bug's life...

If there is one thing that I have noticed since my time in Japan, it's that there is a plethora of natural beauty and wildlife - especially on an off-the-shore island such as Shikoku. Unfortunately, the wildlife I have seen thus far has consisted of cats, dogs, and insects.

Japanese dogs and cats are a bit smaller than I am use to.

The insects...are larger.

And many.

No wonder Godzilla was able to be born in such a country.

Now, I've gotten use to the cicada, which just might make the most annoying sound on Earth. Ever seen the movie Dumb and Dumber? In it, Jim Carrey's character attempts to replicate the most annoying sound in the world. Well, while nails grating on a chalkboard does have its unpleasantness, being stalked by a bug you can't see but hear in surround sound is definitely worse. And even more unattractive! It's like a giant moth with the tenacity of a cockroach (we have those here too). They tend to live in every single tree in existence and when they die, they fall onto the sidewalk where I run over them with my bike.

Satisfying.

Second, there are a variety of dragonflies and butterflies that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. It's amazing and beautiful and when a butterfly the size of a bird jumps out at you from the bushes, a little scary (I'm not going to lie).


Third, are the spiders.

I hate spiders.

Yes, they're wonderful and support the eco-system and if I ever saw a cockroach caught in a spider's web, I would silently cheer.

However, that is no excuse for how big they are here and how everyone seems to not care that they're EVERYWHERE! On the roof, in my house, even in the schools! I was visiting one of my junior high schools with David (my RA and fellow apartment resident and co-worker) when one of the teachers came up to us trembling and pointed under the desk. Of course I looked, there's a language barrier that seperates me from common sense. Underneathe was the biggest spider that I had ever seen that wasn't a tarantula. I bolted in the other direction and David took a cup to capture it. I caught it on film. Watch the legs:



Fourth are the fruit flies that seem to live in my apartment. I went to a mandatory seminar in a neighboring city for work that lasted two days. When I returned to my house I noticed an increase in the number of said bugs flying around my aparentment. Annoyed and more than slightly tired, I took a shower. Upon my exit into the kitchen, I glanced at the garabage and sighed at the sight of sesame seeds everywhere. I looked closer and noticed they were covered in sauce and pondered what I could have possibly eaten that would have caused such a mess.

Then I remembered: I don't have sesame seeds in my current diet.

I grabbed my glasses to make a final decision on what the hell was going on and it hit me. These weren't sesame seeds: they were eggs. And upon closer inspection - larvae moving around. I nearly vomited everywhere. I prompty ran to the store with my wet hair and purchased cleaning products and poisions. I still have nightmares.

So in conclusion: there are bugs. Everywhere. All the time. Big ones. And sometimes, when you least expect it, they will fall on your head in the middle of a phone conversation, scare you into screaming bloody murder until you realize it's not another spider but a praying mantis, and make for a good story.

It's just like riding a bike kids...

Before I came to Japan, I did not know how to ride a bike. That is not to say that no one ever took the time show me - quite the opposite really. When I was in primary school, my family would take me down to my grandparents quiet neighborhood and attempt to get me onto a bike. I even had training wheels on the bike at my home. However, I never quite mastered the concept of balance and when my grandfather finally let go of the bike and I was on my own...I ran into a parked car.

That officially ended my biking career. Sorry Lance Armstrong.

However, the move to Japan has brought up an exciting new challenge: learn to ride a bike to school or leave the house at 0630 hours in order to get there on time. Realizing it is more likely for me to oversleep than get into a biking accident, I was tutored by a very lovely couple who were visiting my RA (who is conveniently located two floors above me). They took the t me to teach me how to balance and by the end of the first day I could wobbly get 2-3 meters. However, as I decided to practice on my own later that evening, I realized that I did not now how to actually stop the bike. Since the wall was fast approaching (since when do parking lots have walls, honestly?) I used the only available resource at hand - my leg. Details below:


It was pretty intense. Anywho. So now it's about building endurance and getting to a comfortable speed that doesn't allow matronly women to pass me by on the sidewalk.

...

The latest biking accident(s) happened two days ago. I arrive in a neighboring town after spending the evening with friends and I was returning to one of their houses to sleep. There were four of us, two men who were both 6'5"+ and two girls who were 5'6"- and only three bikes. I did not have a bike but since I didn't know where I was going and was obviously female (and therefore weaker?!) it was decided that one of the men would give up his bike. Now, just try to imagine getting onto a bike that is adjusted for a man at least a foot taller than you. That's 12 inches or 30cm!!

Since I couldn't readjust the seat, just getting on proved to be a challenge. I teetered after my two biking companions while the other guy just started walking. I was slowly coming into my own when a sharp turn across the street had the bike skid out from under me and I flew sideways screaming (sorry family), "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

My male biking companion turned around and steadied me back up so I could literally get back on the bike and we started out again. Things were running smoothly (well, I had yet to die) when we came alongside a road that had a very narrow bike path before dropping off into a rice field. A hugh truck was coming and I, being the nervous girl who sometimes leans the wrong way, decided to brake and wait it out. Unfortunately, since I forgot just how high the seat was, I went to put my leg down and it kept going, along with the rest of my body and the bike, straight into the rice patty.

Delicious.