I have terrible news for those of you who live in Japan and like to wake up after 5am.
This morning, after bringing my daughter to school, I stumbled upon this on the tree down my house:
Yes, the cicada are coming! They’re probably the thing I hate the most in Japan (along with the nationalists/fascists/racists, but honestly, I deal with cicada much more than with those), and this nymph skin is the sign of upcoming sleep deprivation and near surdity for the next month or so.
Let’s brace ourselves…
And a little more above the same tree, most likely the former owner of the empty shell (or one of its siblings):
Finally, cutting down the tree next to my bedroom window last winter wasn’t such a bad move from my landlord.