Special information for foreign friends.(By Sho Endo)

As Japan is slim in shape and expands long from south to north, it is kind of difficult to describe her climate in general. But I might say it is relatively cold for her low latitude. In the farthest north island Hokkaido, it can be as cold as 30 degrees below 0C in some towns in winter. On the other hand in the farthest south islands of Okinawa, it is semi-tropical and would never be under 10 even in winter. Naturally these islands boast various kinds of large stag beetles.

In the central area like Tokyo, it is usually 0 to 10 degrees in the winter. It snows a lot on the western side of Japan because of the seasonal wind coming from north west but it seldom snows on the eastern side where Tokyo is, because the wind is dried up in the course of blowing over the mountain chains.

There are practically no deserts at all in Japan. Because of plentiful rain, Japan is covered with rich green in general. However because of industrialization and development of towns all over, we are loosing a lot of green, too. To make things worse, extreme plantations of needle leaf trees for the past 50 years and developments of golf yards and skiing fields have turned 80% of the natural forests into stupid dull greens that are unsuitable for the rich fauna.

The most important tree for stag beetles would be kunugi (Quercus acutissima Carruth). Kunugi have been cultivated for hundreds of years in Japan. This typical acorn tree is hard and suitable for charcoal and its branches and leaves have been used as fertilizer for rice paddy fields. Kunugi is also the perfect bed for cultivation of our beloved mushroom, shiitake (Lentinula edodes) which is still a big industry in Japan. Because people planted a lot of these trees in old days, the semi-artificial forests of broad leaf trees around villages became very popular in Japan. Some people say that because of this change some hundreds years ago, stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles became abundant in Japan, as kunugi is especially rich in lymph when wounded and suitable for their larvae when decayed. In other words, these beetles may have been much rarer in the original very natural forests where kunugi is not necessarily dominant. The rhinoceros beetle is very much dependent on the compost we make, too. Unfortunately these perfect forests for beetles have been less and less now in the course of industrialization and suburb developments.

It is probably far beyond the imagination of most foreigners how popular these beetles (Prosopocoilus inclinatus and Allomyrina dichotoma are the most popular) are in Japan. It would be no exaggeration to say, practically all Japanese men have the experience of catching, buying, raising or at least longing for these beetles in their elementary school days.

So far I have talked about the beetles for "children". They are popular but most people graduate this fascination over beetles as they grow. But there is another aspect of stag beetles in Japan. Maybe because of our memories of lost good old days when these beetles were abundant, many grown-ups have created a kind of boom for stag beetles over the past 10 years or so.

Naturally there are many people who are interested in foreign beetles. But unfortunately, our stubborn laws prohibit any imports of live herbivorous insects. From the agricultural point of view, it sounds natural and logical in general, but it is clear on the other hand that these stag beetles are harmless to crops. Most tropical stag beetles would not survive the winter and would not be able to prevail in Japan even if they escape the hands of breeders. And even if they prevailed, they would be more than welcome by collectors. It would have positive effects on the economy, too. It seems pretty stupid to divide insects into only two groups, herbivorous and carnivorous when you think of the fact that poisonous insects, spiders, scorpions, snakes, etc. are all imported as pets as long as they are carnivorous.

As I have described the passion over stag beetles in Japan, there is definitely a kind of atmosphere in favor of insects in general compared to Occidental countries. In Japan it is nice and natural to enjoy the songs of crickets just like the chirps of birds. Suzumushi (Comoeogryllus japonicus) is another kind of insect often sold as pet. The hobby of breeding suzumushi is regarded somehow less childish. Collection (not breeding) of butterflies, long horn beetles, etc. is quite popular among entomologists and amateurs, too as in Occidental countries. Because of the climate, Japan is very rich in very many kinds of insects in the first place.

Here is the list of webpages in Japan I know which deal mainly with stag beetles.

e-mail shou-e@ascii.co.jp

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