The Sound of Summer is Coming

ENTRY

2020.07.15

カテゴリー：ブログ

Hello everyone,

Are you tired of all the rain yet? Don’t worry, the rainy season is almost over. Summer will begin next week, and we might hear a familiar sound. What’s that noise? Soon, the cicadas will start chirping all over Japan. The height of summer here comes with the loud noise of cicadas on every tree. If you get close to one it’s really quite deafening. Did you know that they aren’t annoyed by their own sound because they can turn off their own hearing? Sometimes they hang out just outside my house, and I have to close the window just to hear the TV! They aren’t here yet, but at this time of year we begin to anticipate their arrival. The first time I saw one it was quite scary, like a fly but ten times bigger. I was surprised to see kids trying to catch them in the park. They jump around a tree with a net and collect as many as they can. I’m not a fan of insects, so I don’t think I’ll start that hobby. They also leave a spooky shell behind when they shed their skin. You’ll hear a loud crack when you step on it. But I soon realised they don’t come near people or into houses, so unless you climb a tree they won’t bother you. There aren’t any cicadas in Ireland. However, in summer you can sometimes here some crickets at night. They aren’t nearly as big or loud as cicadas though. Like them or hate them the cicadas or a special part of summer here in Japan. It wouldn’t be summer without their distinctive sound. The last songs can be heard in September, and then we know autumn is coming. When will we hear the first chirps this summer I wonder?

Alan

みなさん、こんにちは。アランです。

もう雨の日にはうんざりですね。でも心配はいりません。もうすぐ終わります。そして来週には夏がやってきます。夏の音が聞こえてくるかもしれません。何の音でしょう？せみです。せみが日本中で鳴き始めるでしょう。木の高いところでせみは大きな音をたてて鳴きます。ちかくにいくと、その鳴き声は爆音です。実はせみは、自分の音は聞こえないそうです。時々、庭にせみがやってくると、私は家の窓を閉めます。今年はまだやってきていませんが、彼らがくる予感がしています。初めてせみをみたとき、はえのようなのに、その１０倍の大きさなのでとても怖かったです。公園で子供達が捕まえようとしているので驚きました。アイルランドには、せみはいませんが、夏になるとコオロギの鳴き声がきこえまが、せみほどうるさくはありません。ともかく、虫たちの鳴き声で夏を感じ、鳴き声が終わるころには秋がやってきます。