A great deal of Japanese kids (and many adults) are obsessed with bugs.  Out here in the countryside kids can pretty much get any kind of bug they want by taking a short hike into the hills.  For kids in the city who cant make the trek to the countryside, popular bugs can be picked up at the local pet shop (as with everything else over here, if it is a rare bug or a good looking?!? bug prices can get ridiculously high).  

The most popular bugs to collect are definitely beetles with big horns on their heads.  At first I put the homepage up without a picture of these things but I lucked out and had the neighbourhood kids come by with a whole bag full the following Monday so I updated the page with a picture.  The beetles are called "kuwagata" in Japanese.  After the picture session the kids were eager to go out into the bush and get the really big ones because now is the best season for the things.  I asked them about the fascination and the need for kids to carry a plastic bag full of these things around with them.  Their response: they are cute, cool and fascinating.  I can't wait to see the big ones. 

Most of the bugs we see at home are here in Japan too but the humid weather brings other varieties that I haven't seen at home before (including cockroaches - yuck) 

I don't know the names of the two on the left.  Click on any of them for a bigger view.