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虫の季節
東京では毎年、夏になると都会のどこからともなく虫が現れる。虫に対して日本人は大好きか大嫌いのどちらで、それぞれにうまく尾錠した商売も盛んだが、こと殺虫剤において、日本は世界最大の品揃えだと筆者は言う。
Bug season
When summer approaches, life changes. There is less clothing, coolness and comfort and a lot more air conditioning, handkerchiefs and drinking fluids. But there is also one other big change -- bugs. Every year, the annual arrival of the insects comes as a surprise to me, since during the cold part of the year Tokyo has few insects.
But in the summer, Tokyo becomes filled with insects. Where do they all come from? Were they hiding in the concrete all winter? It's a wonder any of them survive at all amid the huge buildings and pavements, but they do. In fact, they seem to thrive.
Japanese reactions to bugs tend to extremes. People are bug-lovers or bug-haters, and stores make money from both. At the start of summer, stores put out bug-catching equipment. At the park near my home, I love to watch the kids with their nets and small plastic containers leaping into the bushes to capture some little creature. They hold up their insect guidebooks searching for that special variety that no one else can find.
At the same time, Japan must have the largest selection of insecticides in the world. In summer, the front shelves of stores become jammed with sprays, coils and high-tech bug-zapping devices. To keep insects away, you have your choice of smoke, vapor, spray, gel, patches or insect-repelling bracelets, all of which you might need when you go out hunting beetles in the forest.
For one of the creepiest insects that always manage to sneak into my house -- the dreaded centipede -- I keep three different sprays: one that sticks to the outside walls of the house, another that covers the area under the door and window, and a knock-down spray for when the beasts still manage to slither inside the house.
Despite all the protection available, you get attacked anyway. Even in the middle of the city, normally cool and composed Tokyo women will leap out of their seats at an outdoor coffee shop and start swatting away at some bug. This save-me-from-the-bug dance is one of the special features of summer in the city.
Since I get bitten no matter what, I always keep on hand a huge variety of anti-itch and insect bite medicines. There seem to be as many varieties as there are insects. For bug protection and bug bite treatment, no country in the world can compare with Japan.
And yet, despite all the small irritations, the haiku-inspiring call of cicadas, crickets and other song-making insects provides the real soundtrack for summer. These singing insects seem to be making a vocal apology for scaring, biting and bothering us humans. Their summer songs remind us that they live alongside us, and that most things, big or small, come with two sides.
- fluids
- 水分
- annual
- 毎年の
- concrete
- コンクリート
- amid
- 〜の中で
- pavements
- 舗道
- thrive
- よく育つ
- reactions to 〜
- 〜への反応
- extremes
- 極端
- put out 〜
- 〜を店頭に出す
- leaping into 〜
- 〜に飛び込む
- hold up 〜
- 〜を手に取る
- variety
- 種類
- largest selection of 〜
- 最も幅広い品ぞろえの〜
- insecticides
- 殺虫剤
- become jammed with 〜
- 〜でいっぱいになる
- coils
- 蚊取り線香
- bug-zapping
- 虫を電気ショックで撃退する
- keep 〜 away
- 〜を近づけない
- vapor
- ガス
- patches
- シートタイプの虫よけ
- insect-repelling
- 虫よけの
- bracelets
- ブレスレット
- creepiest
- 最も気味の悪い
- sneak into 〜
- 〜に忍び込む
- dreaded
- 恐ろしい
- centipede
- ムカデ
- sticks to 〜
- 〜に塗布される
- beasts
- たまらなく嫌なもの
- slither inside 〜
- 〜にはい入る
- composed
- 落ち着いた
- leap out of 〜
- 〜から跳び上がる
- swatting away at 〜
- 〜をたたき払う
- features
- 風物
- get bitten
- 刺される
- no matter what
- どうしたって
- keep on hand
- 手元に用意している
- anti-itch
- かゆみ止めの
- compare with 〜
- 〜に匹敵する
- irritations
- いらだたせること
- haiku-inspiring
- 俳句を生み出す
- call
- 鳴き声
- cicadas
- セミ
- crickets
- コオロギ
- soundtrack
- サウンドトラック
- vocal
- 声による
- bothering
- 〜を悩ませる
- come with two sides
- 両面がある