One of the pleasures of walking alone is the opportunities to encounter other creatures. On the second day of my Shikoku Pilgrimage I came across this kamakiri, Praying Mantis. All the ones I had seen before were green and I have no idea why this one was brown, Maybe it was old, maybe it was male,.... more info on kamakiri can be found here
This little frog was ensconced in the coin-return lever of a drinks vending machine. I used the correct change so didnt need to disturb it.....
While taking a rest at Fujiidera another kamakiri explored my backpack.
While enjoying the view from my campsite this pair of grasshoppers/crickets/locusts..... having some difficulty identifying exactly what they are. Whatever they are, what they are doing is obvious enough. One of the species, called batta in Japanese, was the inspiration for the kids TV show character Kamenrider. Other sources describe them as Inago, a very popular food source in past times, though still available nowadays, most japanese have not eaten them.
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Inago is still a delicacy in Nagano. Especially tasty when cooked in sugar and soy sauce.
ReplyDeleteHi Ted... you can still get them in Tokyo too, but compared to the old days they are much less common..... so much so that the ones consumed nowadays are imported from Korea and China...
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