I’m originally from Texas where, every summer, like clockwork, the noisy cicadas come out to play. The sound is one of the few, tiny things that I miss about my origin state. In case you don’t know what they sound like, give this video a play:

In summer, the cicadas come out to play all over Japan. The bug above was filmed on Odaiba this year, in August. On our first trip to Tokyo in the summer, the sound was a very pleasant surprise!

If you are new to the sound of cicadas, they can be pretty annoying and loud. If you are from a place that has cicadas every year, the sound can be quite comforting. After a quiet night, with no white noise in hotel room, I had to open the windows and let the creaking, rhythmic sound lull me to sleep.

They are sort of bizarre looking bugs and can get pretty big for an insect. Most anime fans link the bugs to Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind by Studio Ghibli as they were the inspiration for some of the “monsters” in the film. If you haven’t seen it this is a col view of a cicada as a molted shell:

There is a definite split into two camps on cicada noise – one that hates the sound and one that loves the sound. Even people who live where cicadas visit seem to be divided. I am definitely in the “love the sound” camp. Some stores in Tokyo have the sound playing as part of their summer sale displays. It is funny to see confused and irritated people walk by and looking around to figure out where the sound is coming from. Bluetooth speakers are a common way to project the sound indoors.

Do you have these bugs where you live? Do you like the noise the cicadas make or not?