September 04

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I Saw Another New Wild Animal In Tokyo!

Posted by on September 4, 2019 in Animals, Why, Japan, Why? | 3 Comments

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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When not being squicked out by the idea of eating a heckin’ huge, beady-eyed turtle, Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Tokyo

For nine years, Tokyo Detective Kenji Nakamura thought his mother’s death was an accident. Then he gets a call, and his life begins to unravel…Read more