I saw a fly!!!

Could you imagine that such an annoying thing at home could cause such excitement!! Remember it is now summertime in Japan.

Tokyo and its environs seem to be totally devoid of any insect life. Imagine how we felt when this happened! We were out walking the other day when a very lethargic fly landed on my phone. It was like, 'Oh my god, a fly!!' Unlike an Aussie bush fly he seemed happy just to sit there. Maybe he had flown off course...maybe he was also finding city life quite exhausting. That little fly is the only one we have seen. Unbelievable!

About two nights ago Steve called out "A spider!" Quickly I asked, "Is it a big one?" After an investigation, with my specs on, I saw a tiny little spider. I swear it was smaller than a penny farthing. These are the only two insects we have seen. Can you believe it?

As for bird life in the city there is only one bird, unless you count the bird sounds which are played through speakers at all the stations. No kookaburras, magpies, cockatoos or other annoying varieties like starlings and blackbirds. The seagull of the city is the old crow (or is it a raven?). You can hear them 'aaarking' in the trees and overhead. I found an interesting sign the other day when visiting Steve at work in Tsurumi.  Maybe you need to wear an icecream container on your head, complete with eyes, just like they suggest at home to stop the magpies swooping. These signs were attached to fences in many places.

In Kamakura an addition to the crow was the hawk. Down by the beach and at the market these very large hawks were circling around like seagulls. If you can believe the signs they too need to be treated with caution.

We are looking forward to taking a trip out into the countryside to see whether this lack of fauna can be reversed. An upcoming trip in July to Mt Fuji should shed some light on the situation.

For those who are familiar with our home and surroundings in Australia these pictures are for you. This is a view from our front door. I am yet to see other human feet walk along the hallway. No crazy dogs barking at visitors and chasing cars here!!

How funny is that?? The next picture shows the view out of our window at night (obviously!!). You can see where the train line is running towards Shinagawa station and the road which leads to Kawasaki and beyond.

Quite a lovely outlook, in a city kind of way, isn't it? The view from our apartment in Yokohama will be good. Every room has a view, even the loo. Being on the corner of the building and on the 16th floor it almost has 360 degree views. It will be another 4 weeks until we move there though.

A visit to the Epson Centre in Shinagawa gave me a wonderful sea life experience. Not quite scuba diving but a great place to visit. I spent about two and a half hours there and enjoyed watching dolphin displays and sea lion acts. It is best to visit places like this during the week as it is much quieter.

I wonder whether they have flies and more birds in Yokohama. We will have to wait and see!! Sounds like a good mission....spot the bird....spot the fly. You can sure there will be no spots on me!!
Do you know one of the things I miss most?  Walking on grass, even stepping in chook poo!!