Welcome to the rainy season. Welcome to the invasion of insects! Contrary to what most people will tell you, I think the rainy season is the most exciting part of the year in Japan. Believe me, you're gonna see plenty of strange things. Every June, I'm filled with unbridled curiosity of what new, never-seen-before creature is going to come out of nowhere.
No matter how tight you lock down your windows and doors, never underestimate the breaking-and-entering skills of insects. Once, I came home to a large fat centipede lounging on my sofa. He had a beer in his hand and the TV was switched on to NHK's "Kawaii International." There is just no way to prepare yourself for some of the things you'll experience this season.
My neighborhood started preparing for the great insect invasion a couple weeks ago. First, men in jumpsuits came and sprayed chemicals in the forest around the island to ward off the ravenous pine bark beetle. A day later, a woman from the island Women's Club came to collect a donation of one onion plus ¥500 from each resident. The Women's Club would use these donations to carry out evil deeds in an empty warehouse.