It's hard to imagine the deafening noise cicadas can create until you experience it firsthand. But once you see the size of these things, you'll quickly understand how they manage it.
Coming from the UK where wildlife seems much more tame I was expecting cicadas to be around the size of crickets, which would be the most similar insect we have - in terms of making a racket. They are not at all the same size. They are big boys. Massive boys. Huuuuge. I don't know about you but large bugs freak me out, I'm assuming that is the norm. I mean they're cool and all but if they are close to me and threaten to move closer or if they show any sudden movement crawling or flying in my direction then I'm out. I duck and run.
That famous loud background buzz you hear in the fields and bushes of Japan is not the only sound cicadas can produce. I found this out to my own terror. This particular sound is produced when they are fleeing. Say a person (perhaps myself) gets too close and gives them a fright. Screeeee...! A ghoulish noise out of a horror movie. A feral scream/squeal. Not a sound you would expect from an insect at all.
Despite their constant cacophony, cicadas are an essential part of the Japan experience. Certainly in the countryside. We don't have them in the UK, as I mentioned, though I have heard they invaded America. While we don't have cicadas we do have our own invasive species here. The grey squirrel is the most obvious since they've nearly driven the red squirrels to extinction - now limited to small pockets of the country. Another invasive species in the UK has proven less harmful to the existing wildlife. It is more of an exciting animal to spot too. The Reeves's Muntjac is a type of deer that came to the UK in the early 19th century from China. They now cover most of England, particularly the southeast. So if you're in the countryside, keep an eye out for these little deer munching away on grass and berries.
Back to Japan now. Those I spoke to were surprised to hear the difference in the quantity of insects between Japan and the UK. They are absolutely everywhere in Japan and in vast amounts. I often ploughed through countless little bugs while cycling to and from work, ending up with a bunch on my face and in my hair. They would also find their way into my house much to my annoyance. The number of insects in the UK and in many parts of the world has been declining for a while and continues on a worrying downward trend. This may be good news for bug haters but ecologically it is most certainly bad news. While drawing purely on my firsthand experience, Japan does seem to have a very healthy insect population.
With cicadas, dragonflies, stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles all in plentiful supply, Japan really is a bug lover's paradise. No wonder bug catching is such a popular hobby there. It was even the inspiration for Satoshi Tajiri to create Pokémon.
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