Each summer Japanese kids go to neighborhood shops and fancy department stores and come home with their very own stag beetles. Some have giant pincers; others have horn-like mandibles. Hundreds of thousands of these beetles are imported from China, but they are also native to Japan. The real diehard beetle lovers raise them from egg to full size which can take years.
We are raising 13 Kuwagata larvae which grow up to have a pair of large pincers that look capable of cracking opon a peanut. One of the preschool families was kind enough to dig dozens of larvae out of their compost pile for all the kids. (Luckyyyy!)
All they do for months and months is eat dirt and poop. Everyone once in awhile we have to replace the soil, otherwise they won’t have anything left to eat except sh–econds.That’s what Reia and I did today, as you can see above. Click the pictures to see them full size!
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No thanks. This is quite close enough for me.
Andrew, wonderful photo series here! i’m sure that your daughter and her friends will be happy when the kabutomushi (i assume) emerge.
Thanks. Also, kabutomushi are actually the ones with giant horns out the front, and these (kuwagata) are the ones with large pincers. I like kuwagata better (don’t worry about them pinching me).
Hi there, I’ve been following your blog for awhile now–Love it because I am so interested in Japanese culture and I”m teaching myself it.
Love an inside look–your daughters are all beautiful.
May I ask WHY all the kids do this? School project? Cultural? Fun?
Thanks so much for your blog!!
They don’t all do THIS, but when they do it’s for fun. Usually kids who like bugs just get a fully grown one in July and it dies by September. Kids who live on the outskirts of the city can walk into the woods and catch them. But the typical Japanese varieties are smaller than the ones you can buy.
When we first came to Japan and I saw these beetles, I thought, “We’ve got to get one for Reai.” We bought her a giant beetle when she was 2, and she liked it (except not when it crawled on her leg). Her preschool (an odd one really) encouraged looking for bugs. She picks up and holds giant preying mantises, catches cicada (and I’ve got a picture with one on her cheek), and still stops every time we walk by a dead bug to see what it is. I’m proud of her every time. Well, I encourage it. Life is full of opportunity, you’ve just got to engage it starting with the simple things.
Oh, and thanks very much. I’m glad you enjoy it.
Thank you for replying!!
And just so you can get a little picture behind the name, I’m 20 from CT and in college to go teach. Going to Japan is one of my dreams and I guess I’m living vicariously through your blog for now 
I watched the video you posted on Christmas day with your girls, it was so funny having them talk in english at the beginning and then “bam” as soon as the presents were opened it was a rush of excited Japanese (and I heard a few “kawaii’s” 
)
Have a wonderful day!!
Nice photos! I stumbled upon your website, in search of info on stag beetle larvae. How long did it take for them to become beetles? We have two and hope they will successfully transform into beetles.
It took a long time, like a year… During that time we had to maintain the soil (as you can see in the pictures above). My wife and daughters know more about it that I do, but you can surely find more information online. Good luck.