![Shop displaying various goods for taking care of beetles A variety of beetle goods including tree logs and jelly for feeding](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfstQakrqQKbJSnMi_ZuqRvBjvvfV3zFr0c5O7jgbEoKTm3fXkJNI9a91rGLHhrRO4TqG0P4nJ6lUSVkhgfOAw5gpWAba_ap_3t9kbp1mBkZO_UvGCSkmVWeJlRUHVU-Zti_wtvvO21SQ/s320/IMG_1129.JPG) |
Shop displaying various goods for taking care of beetles |
The noisiest insect in Japan in the summer must be the
cicada, but the most sought-after are the different varieties of beetle. In the evenings, you will often see young children accompanied by parents carrying a net, insect box (
mushi-kago/kēsu), and a flashlight (these insects are nocturnal) searching trees for the prized beetles. One trick is to smear sugar-water (
satō-mizu =砂糖水) onto the tree trunks to attract the prized-pets. Once captured, they are looked after carefully and a source of pride to many children; stores sell a whole gamut of insect goods (
konchū yōhin =昆虫用品) from food (jelly) to logs and fly sheets (pictured right). Famous Japanese actor Aikawa Sho (哀川翔) is well-known for his love of beetles and sells a "breeding set" (
shi-iku setto =飼育セット) including maggots (
yōchū =幼虫) for ¥1,420
here! The maggots, incidentally, can be found for free if one is prepared to engage in a bit of digging in the soil at the base of the trees...
![Stag Beetle (kuwagata-mushi) The stag beetle with its deadly looking pincers](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3wzjIaWjZEqOsSMOQ3oOGk2HrVjitgVd6FnPMi4j82XuCmWZGNY_akwHLynTD1fZc8H0_mc35dNaWFGcmTDEUVoM_X554Rhx-fty2xCJvtwBy0wjECgRZpQmGh4cBUGVw2-gd_xfQ4Q/s200/kuwagata.jpg) |
Stag Beetle (kuwagata-mushi) |
![Rhino Beetle (kabuto-mushi) The Rhino Beetle with its long protruding horn](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVld6lXqt2mmc3zko8qUHbykOEhvFtpbBVKPl5Y7ynDGdSi_x6PwGTF9RsZFIcTTYfIxDLObzOiMVcTcO2EpsHRPmJES_bjfzxFCsDSDYJdUSzfpV075NPBzvKb015oVfl9nuomoJBuuQ/s200/IMG_0887.JPG) |
Rhino Beetle (kabuto-mushi) |
In terms of beetle types, the most well known are the stag beetle (kuwagata-mushi), with pincers or "antlers" (pictured left) and the most highly prized rhinoceros beetle (kabuto-mushi) with its distinctive long and short horn (pictured right): the word
kabuto means samurai helmet in Japanese. As the flyer below shows there are a number of variations based around these two main types. For children who capture and keep these as pets during the summer months, a popular pastime with friends is
beetle fighting: typically two beetles are placed on a log and the loser is the one who gets shoved off. This is even enjoyed by adults, especially in Okinawa, where it has become a somewhat problematic form of gambling.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oImgknhFAMA1bffKwuFd1PDTussyHQzzuET3XR82pk8xtSpODUNorwShEaQ0fcv5q_oMwIiXjXpM_RjBQVC8tPBVAZbHh6rOxGmDmzLlOJt-MfHE83C2K-JOxoLeElVDTdRovl7wlLg/s640/beetles.jpg) |
Newspaper flyer for a summer housing fair advertising a Natsu no Ikimono (Summer Animal) exhibition (original here) |