Semi
Semi in Japan during July
Semi, cicada, is the unannounced official summer insect of Japan, along the red dragonfly (akatombo) and firefly (hotaru). Semi is nostalgic, semi is sweet. Semi has been the topic in various Japanese novels.
The life of semi is as sentimental as the stories it's featured. They live seven years underground in almost inanimate form, and then suddenly crawl up to earth, leaving their hard shell behind. Looking for partner, they climb to a tree to sing. Then they mate, and die, all within one week.
In autumn, one can find their hard shells everywhere, cracking under footsteps.
Semi is relatively large, harmless insect with two wings. I rarely see them airborne but I suppose they are capable of flying medium distances. There are various breeds of cicadas. There are known to be seventeen year periodical cicada.
Cicada's beautiful sound is a sign of Japanese summer.
It is unwise to bring semi inside the house as it's sound is very loud during night.
