14 thoughts to “The Bug Video”

  2. Man those are freaking huge bugs!!!!!!!!!

    Is this a common pet for people in Japan?

    By the way, great to see all the familly is doin’ well and thanks Rich for putting up a new vid.

    Iwas laughing my ass off reading your written comments about the dead bugs.

    Once again thank for doing what you do.

    1. Even though it takes far more time and effort, I enjoy making videos much more than podcasts. After I make them, I watch them over and over.

      The problem is, I need to start making money off them. Our video camera is dying and I need to buy a copy Ulead VideoSomethingOrOther 10 before the trial expires.

    1. I’ve been tempted to give it a lick, but not enough to go through with it. I doubt it’s toxic and it’s probably very sweet. But it is bug food. Who knows want kinds of impurities it’s allowed to contain.

  4. Excellent vid! I just got a wave of nostalgia 🙂 1 because its been so long since one of your vids :p but 2 because I remember when I was small, and my and my brothers spent the summer collecting toads and salamanders (instead of bugs).

    Those are pretty huge, I have only seen bugs like that in zoos, around where I live in the northern states it dosnt get much bigger than grasshoppers. I was reading another blog from japan and he often complained about bugs, gigantic centipedes and other killer crazy insects that didnt even look real, like they were out of some hollywood movie. Are bugs a big problem in Japan at all? Personally I am terrified on spiders, I wonder if you know if there are any types of gigantic crazy jungle spiders around japan? In the northern states they usually don’t get too big.

    1. Like anywhere in the world, the kinds of bugs you come in contact with on a daily basis depends on the climate you live in. Where we live, those big-ass beetles are only found in the woods, and you have to hunt for them.

      In the 16 years I’ve lived here, I’ve yet to see even one “Japanese beetle,” those shiny green bugs that infest the US northeast. Maybe it’s thanks to the enormous spiders we have here. So that answers your question–yes, we have huge spiders. And since I’m taller than everyone else, I often get a facefull of web.

      We also have a lot of mosquitos that breed in the rice fields in our neighborhood. No West Nile Virus though, thankfully.

  5. Hey Richard. Good to see you back into the swing of things. Seriously though, you really should look into installing podpress or something. It’s no longer 2005.

    1. Podpress didn’t work for me last time I tried it. When I upgrade to the latest version of WordPress I’ll try it again. Or, I might just switch to Typo because it runs on Ruby on Rails and I need more experience with the language.

  6. That was absolutely wonderful 😀
    I’m not sure how to say it but it was kind of touching to see everyday relaxed Japanese life. I’d heard about Japanese kids’ obsession with mushi, but that illustrated it perfectly 🙂
    I laughed my arse off at the finale, too.
    Thanks for a wonderful video 😀

    1. Your comment started me thinking. Ever notice that trends in Japan are often described as a “craze” or “obsession?” Not that collecting bugs is a trend… Maybe it has to do with the way the Japanese were depicted during WWII as being a race of little crazy people who do whatever they’re told without question.

      Often when I read what people who don’t live here write about Japan, I wonder if I’m living in a different Japan, or maybe I’m just not very perceptive.

      1. Hmm, I didn’t really mean “obession” in the same way that is usually used for “the latest cool thing” like Pokemon or Tamagochi or whatever. It seems that kids’ interest in those fighting mushi goes back quite a bit (although it seemed recently that the fighting mushi computer games became suddenly popular).

        Coming from a different generation, I hope I haven’t been affected by the WWII propaganda movies.

        What kind of thing do you mean about living in a different Japan? Because it’s actually so normal in real life compared to foreign people’s (i.e. everyone not from Japan) perceptions?
        Whenever I see TV programmes about Japan or articles they only ever mention the most extreme stuff…

        1. Yes, thanks for putting something up! That video was really funny, I remember doing that when I was a child. I cant believe your kids were touching those things, they freaked me out!

  7. Wow! I happened to check my “Herro Flom Japan” subscription and there it was — a cool video about giant bugs, straight out of the blue! Thanks Rich, I always enjoy your vids and this one was almost as good as “Walk to Work”. I know you find it a bit of a strain, but please keep releasing the odd video from time to time!

Comments are closed.