Posted September 4, 2019 by Jonelle Patrick3 Comments Animals

I Saw Another New Wild Animal In Tokyo!

There I was, drinking in the serene green at the Kiyosumi Garden…

(Where, I might add, the herons on the far island were prancing around doing the “my genes are better than yours” dance)

…when I nearly stepped on this.

It’s a Northern Chinese Softshell turtle, and if Wikipedia is right, this one is setting the standard for maximum bigness

It’s (weirdly) classified as “invasive” (because China) and “threatened.” Which shouldn’t surprised me, after hearing what Japanese visitors talk about at the aquarium. In these here parts, this unlikely snack is better known as suppon.

Seriously, does this face look even remotely edible to you?

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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!

3 thoughts on “I Saw Another New Wild Animal In Tokyo!” ›

It doesn’t look tasty at all but it does look cute. It makes me sad they would attempt to eat this thing. It’s beautiful and no doubt it took ages to get to this size. What is wrong with people! 😦