Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo Page #2

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Kachi-mushi,

as well as the Invincible Insect,

Katsu-mushi.

The samurai warriors embroidered

the dragonfly on their weaponry and armor

as a symbol of strength and courage.

As a dragonfly expresses bravery,

the firefly was often an

expression of unrequited love.

In The Tale of Genji,

written by Murasaki Shikibu,

a Japanese courtesan

at the turn of the 11th century,

the character of Genji relates his broken

heart to the visible light of the firefly:

"Fireflies rule the night,

and it is sad to see them

when at every hour

one burns with the searing flame of love

now lost forever".

Can I give this to them?

It's going to eat the cucumber later.

Mine is still eating.

Now it's finished.

Fruit Stand

Peaches

Beetles

Here's one!

A weird one.

Kimawari...

I can't sell this one.

It stinks!

It stinks...

It's nice, I'm glad we found it.

Kabuto Beetles are usually really high up.

So let's say this is the Kabuto Beetle, you

hook this thing up there and knock it down.

You pull down really quickly, it makes

the Kabuto Beetle dizzy and it falls.

If you do it slowly, they'll fly away.

Kicking the trees is useless for Kabuto

Beetles because they are so strong.

But you can kick trees for

Kuwagata Beetles.

The vibration frightens them

and they let go and fall.

Kabuto Beetles are really strong.

Kicking is useless and my heel

hurts when I do it every day.

Hornets don't fall off the tree,

they hover around the tree.

And if they see you,

they come towards you.

They fly with their butt first

when they are going to sting you.

It's not that scary because

they don't go very fast.

But if they sting you, it's a big deal.

So that is why I always have this plastic

thing, I hit it with this and knock it down.

- So that can be a cage or a weapon.

- Yeah, it's saved me so many times.

There is a hornet behind you.

After we get rid of it, let's look there.

Do you know the Japanese saying?

"It's better not to touch a God".

Insect melody has been

celebrated in Japan

as one of the great

pleasures of autumn.

Just as places famous for cherry blossoms

are still regularly visited by

tens of thousands of people each year,

solely for the pleasure

of seeing the blooming flowers,

so, historically, the people

of Japanese cities

trekked to certain

resorts in the countryside

that were known for the

chirruping choruses of crickets.

Different species of crickets sing in different tones

and each one was prized for its distinct voice.

Certain species in particular were singled

out as representatives of strong emotions

or highlights of a particular atmosphere.

The Japanese regularly celebrated,

through verse,

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