Kabuto Mushi

Japan is home to some truly big bugs. These beetles are common summer pets here in Japan. Kids either find them in the woods or do what we did: buy them in the store. I finally caved in to Ridge and bought him one. Fortunately, we didn’t get the kind with the giant pincers. These are called “Kabuto Mushi”. The helmet of a samuri warrior is called a "kabuto" and this bug's head somewhat resemble's traditional samuri headgear. "Mushi” means “bug”. I’ll post a better picture with Ridge holding the critter later; my camera battery died as I was attempting to immortalize the moment.