Hotaru hunting

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June is "hotaru" (firefly) season in Japan. I have never seen a firefly before, and so I was quite excited to join a local group this evening on a firefly hunt around the local paddy fields after dark.

I went to a local community hall around 6.30pm, for a short lecture on fireflies by a retired science teacher. I didn't understand too much of the talk, given that it was all in Japanese, but I did glean that there are two types of Japanese hotaru, Genji botaru, which are the larger and brighter than the smaller Heike botaru variety.

These delicate creatures live around rice paddies and streams. Their larvae need clean water and a plentiful supply of small water snails to eat. Unfortunately their habitats are in decline and so are the firefly numbers. During the lecture they warned us we might not see any during the walk.

When we started out it wasn't looking too promising, but then after about five minutes, we spotted our first Genji, floating amongst the trees. The kids in the group let out shouts of excitement every time the little bug let off a glow. We carried on further around the fields and suddenly came across dozens of the smaller Heike bugs. They were twinkling like little stars in the grass and hedges - a beautiful sight. The kids were all diving down into the ditches and catching the little flies, letting them glow in their hands. I held one for a while, mesmerised by the little glowing light it gave out. A very magical evening indeed!

It is hard to believe, but as of tomorrow, this is my last month in Japan! My flight home is booked for 30 July, and there is much to organise before I go. I'm trying to make the most of my remaining time, and will hopefully hike to the top of Fuji-san during the night on Saturday 14 July, with the aim of seeing the dawn from the top. I'm doing the hike with a group of my friends, so it will be a nice way to say goodbye before we all go our separate ways.

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