Does anyone else get creeped out by all the big spiders in the Nara parking garage??? Our family makes a dash in and out each time we park. I try to park under lights that are out because they don't have any spiders! Can they fumigate or something? Or would that be against some cultural norm???

Polly,

Little on the same subject, I live off base.. Boy oh boy there are these HUGE spiders that I see in around this time of year! Me and my wife were actually just laying in bed, and we looked up, and there was a HUGE 8" spider crawling right over our bed.. Usually we see small ones from time to time, but you have to imagine they grow in dark dark corners of your home. Under cabinets, on top of cabinets, etc... One day, they decide to venture off into your home and walk around. So far this year, we have had to kill about 20 atleast. We purchased some special spray... 1 or 2 shots, and they are out for the count.. Still a little creepy though.. Not really sure about the parking garages.. Japan has a really big problem with spiders, and due to the climate they try to get into cooler climates, like garages and homes. Anything out of the heat.. Even if they did a bomb, or fumigate the place, it probably wouldnt help. They would probably return. We have done a bomb in our house atleast 3 times in the past 5 years, and it didnt help. They still come back year after year.. I will try to take some photos next time I see one, and upload it..

If I saw an 8" spider in my house I would be moving out!!!! OMG!!!
I had to ask our Ombudsman about the bugs here in Yokosuka a while back as I was worried about my son playing out in our yard and not knowing what was out there with him! I have seen huge wasps, and I mean HUGE, a lot of dragon type flies and these spiders which are yellow and black, are these what you are talking about? These are actually harmless and are called Banana Spiders, but are everywhere, the mainly live in bushes and plants and sheds! But she did tell me about these things called Mukade, and these are sometimes as big as 4" and are like centipedes, and are reddish in color, DO NOT TOUCH THESE! These give a nasty bite and you will require medical attention! She also told me she gets jumping spiders in her house and I nearly freaked out! This country is overrun with weird creepy crawlies!!!!!! I have had a problem with Ants and keep a big can of Raid in my house and a couple of flying things, but mainly I am paranoid about keeping out insect screens shut all the time and do get frustrated with my boy who constantly leaves the doors wide open, but he's two, he doesn't know any better!!!! YUK!

I know what you mean about the huge wasps.. Behind our house we had a couple huge trees with flowers.. They like to fly around all day on them.. I bought this special wasp spray that shoots like 15 feet.. So you dont have to go near them, you just aim and shoot.. Works well.. I went out on a Saturday and shot down about 5 or 6.. They didnt come back for a while.. Your right about Japan having a lot of creepy crawlies.. I have never been one for bugs. I actually hate them! I did read up about the spiders and yes they are harmless but still freeky when they grow in size like we have seen them. My wife gets freaked out when she sees a spider in the house now, because when we were just laying in bed, we saw that shadow of a spider, and it was hard to go back to sleep that night.. Imagine waking up, with an 8" spider next to your face.. Not pretty.. Good thing I got it before it dropped on us..

Oh holy cow! We lived off base for 8 months and I STILL talk about the spiders we saw! I honestly believe they wear lipstick and have tax identification number's. They are ENORMOUS and I swear they can talk.

Yes, I'm sure the ones in the parking garage are banana spiders. There's just so many of them and we've watched them grow over the summer! Will the cooler weather send them packing????

Polly,

I think they will slowly start to move on once the cold weather starts to hit us.. I havent seen to many spiders in the winter time. The same goes for ants. Ants also for some reason hit us in the summer time only...

First phrase I learned once I found out I was moving to Japan: kumo gah kireides (or something like that). I don't like spiders!

I haven't seen the huge banana spiders, but there's one heading into Chilis that I named Fred. That sucker is HUGE and I swear I saw it swoop down and steal somebody's buffalo wings on a carryout. He was still there two weeks ago, up in the tippy top corner below the door.

Freakin' spiders, man.

I went by Chilis today and there are now TWO there. Fred and Fozzie Bear. They are the size of pie-plates, people. One hissed at me and threw a red 1985 Air Jordan at me. I think it was mad because I was too far away from it and it couldn't swoop down and steal my chips and salsa.

Seriously, I need to take a picture of these monsters.

Godzilla's got nothing on these kumos.

Also, I just realized the original poster was talking about Nara parking deck. That in Ikego? I wanna go there and see them. I loathe spiders, but some sick part of me wants to see them and get creeped out by them. How twisted is that?

[I DO have an agreement with the spiders of the world, all 281 billion of them. If you leave me alone, I leave you alone. If I see you outside my apt., I nod in your general direction and hope you don't make eye contact with me and try to kill me. If you are in my home, I kill you, your spouse, your children, your relatives--including distant ones you occasionally email--everyone I see. I burn the whole village down. So far it has worked, but I live right by the gate and I've yet to see a spider in MY tower]

Well, two spiders showed up by the two entrance doors to Nara Heights ....OOOOOOOOO! That was too much. It's bad enough having to avoid them in the parking garage. So I called housing to ask that those two new ones be removed. Guess what?? Two hours later they were gone!! Wooo Hoooo! Thanks housing!

Polly,

Thats great to hear! Housing gets a BZ for their rapid customer support!

I guess i'm the only weirdo here but I love the huge spiders! The furry longlegged centipedes, and rhinoceros beetles too. And aren't the seahawks cheeky? The wildlife here is awesome.

I would compare the spiders at Nara to teeny tiny flees. I will not set foot out the backdoory of my townhouse. It faces the jungle, and I have huge centipedes, Geigi Geigi, Mammoth spiders, lizards, the occasional snake, and racooons that are scared of nothing. I love Ikego, but detest the townhouse I am. I pay $5,000 + dollars to leave with my kids for the Summers. Unfortunatly the Centipedes and Geigi Geigis don't restrict themselves to the outdoors......I find them in my bedroom in the laundry baskets, and even in my sheets. I wish they had a photo upload button, I would let you see my photo gallery of Unwanted Houseguests.

Softballwidow,

Feel free to upload any of your photos to the albums under the PICS section. Under Japan Random I made a new album called "Japan Creatures"

http://www.yokosukabase.com/pics/al...3-776.aspx

Here is a picture that was added for a spider on Ikego..

Thanks Adam....aww yes.....that's the big boy that was waiting on my porch when i came back from the states in late August. Believe it or not we didn't kill it.....I had no desire to clean up the result of a squished spider that big. My husband was home for once, and transplanted him back to the "jungle". Of course I made him take this picture first.

huge centipedes! hope not having them inside my house i've seen 3-4 going back to asuka heights last time and its so creepy!

Do these spiders make it up in the high rises? I am terrified of spiders ! Does the base sell any bug sprays that kill them?

Yes they do I live on the 2nd floor and we have had one HUGE spider on our balcony!

Can't believe this post keeps getting top billing. Get over it fellow gaijins. Just ignore the tiny critters and don't be a prisoner of your own mind and unfounded fears.

We live on 7th floor facing the south and west. I feel this is the reason we have not seen too many insects. We are facing the street and not the hillside. However, my friend who lives on the 8th floor of a tower, not facing the hillside, came home to a giant spider one day. That was one time a few years ago. They have lived there about 5 years (DoDs teacher). So, being up high and facing away from a hillside will improve your chances of staying bug free but not eliminate them. We had a few of those big water bug roach things a few weeks ago. That is a rarity, too.

Softballwidow...luckily, that spider isn't poisonous. They do a very good job of eating other bugs, but they run SUPER fast! Insects will make it up to the towers, but the higher you are, the lower your chance of getting them. I've heard of centipedes and spider nests making it up past the 5th floor...not so fun...

I have been living in Japan in the country in old houses off and on since 1976 and I can tell you a few things about spiders. I currently live on a wooded 1/4 acre in a 80-year-old farm house near Miura.

The large "monster" spiders you see around are "hunter-killers" vice web spiders. They show up in the early spring and depart in late October to where ever. For some reason they do not inhabit my bed room but are every place else. I refuse to kill them because they keep the 'roaches at bay. Some years ago I sprayed a roach and let it lay while it died. A few minutes later a spider was lying next to it, legs all curled up and quite dead. After that I quit spraying. I've use roach hotels for the roaches with some success but the spiders end up dying in there, too, in the quest of easy pray. A few weeks ago I got out of the shower and interupted a spider getting ready to pounce on a roach in my kitchen.

They roam at night and will drop to the floor via their silk so you may have "steamers" lightly greeting you in the morning. These spiders do not attack but will flee in a direction that offers the fastest escape route, which may be directly at you. Nor do they bite humans, sleeping or awake.

Monster spiders (we used to call them benjo spiders) will leave an Alka-Seltzer-shaped silk egg sack where ever they think is safe. I've had them in my kitchen, living room and shower. You can wipe them out if you want but I personally like to wait for them to hatch and watch another process of nature. The sacks will hatch a couple of hundred of the cute little buggers about 3mm in diameter. They spread out in an area about 1m in diameter for a day or two and then they just disappear.

There are hundreds of species of spiders in Japan. Banana spiders abound outside building their webs acrossed paths where humans transit. Not dangerous but the webs are a bit of a pain in the butt. I've found that busting their webs (the stringers attaching the main body) helps them move along. It usually takes two or three times before the get the hint and move on. That doesn't mean another won't replace the first one later but after a while the word gets around and they quit building there. The large ones are female and if you look closely you can see little, teeney, tiny ones in the web which are the males, which will be eaten after mating. Banana spiders around well into December and return in the early spring as the weather warms.

Please don't get the impression that I like spiders; I don't! But because nothing gets rid of them I've learned to live with them and enjoy having them around. It also provides an opportunity to teach the kids a bit of nature.

Gary

[quote]
Posted By Rotsa Ruck on 07 Nov 2009 03:15 PM
Can't believe this post keeps getting top billing. Get over it fellow gaijins. Just ignore the tiny critters and don't be a prisoner of your own mind and unfounded fears.

[/quote]


Hmmmm....unfounded fears? Countless poisonous centipedrs in my bedroom (1 in my sheets), my neighbor getting bit on her face while she slept, and my other neighbor being told by the hospital ER corpsman to come to the ER after being bit by centipede. I have a lot of reasons in my 3 years to be frightened.

P.S. I'm not scared of trains (Just the Japanese, Cross-dressing men who quote shakesphere to me while on them). lol

Gary,
Could you please tell me what the spider is that is tiny, looks like a crab with front pinchers, and horn-like protrusions on their backs? It was the coolest looking thing...I think it was black or brown and the horns were orange-reddish. I wish I had my camera nearby before it took off. I was living off base at the time, and it was in my sink/laundry room.

Wow, you guys are funny! I grew up in Hawaii and if you want to complain about creepy crawlies move there! We have cockroaches that are apparently huge by mainland standards (I thought all cockroaches were that big) that we call B-52's for the reason that when you try to kill them (Hawaii method=rubber slipper) they fly right at you. I also thought flying was what every cockroach did until I witnessed a mainland couple scream bloody murder and run for the hills (this being the door that leads into there house from the garage). But I think the huge cockroaches here (I've only seen squished dead ones) are the same type/size as what we have in Hawaii. As for spiders there are cane spiders in Hawaii (they were/are commonly found in the sugar cane fields) now these are huge spiders that go anywhere, including your car or shower. You can look them up online, I saw a guy who had one on his face because it was his pet. I'm not sure but I don't think they are poisonous, not that I care considering how huge and creepy looking they are. We also have color-coded centipedes. These I think are also in the mainland. For those who don't know I mean they come in different colors and that's how you tell how poisonous they are, though I would run away anyways because I don't care about how much poison they have I care that they bite and it hurts like a son-of-a-gun! Oh and softballwidow I think my friend ran into that same cross-dressing Shakespeare guy.

Kendra....that's funny about the cross dressing guy. I guess I'm not that special, he must serenade every English Speaker he sees.

Also, this is one of the Multiple reasons why I have no desire to ever get orders to Hawaii. I'm from Washington State, and I've never experienced creepy crawlies there like I have here. I didn't even see my first coackroach (outside of the zoo) until I was 24, and went to Texas for the first time.

Now that's funny, Washington was the first place I moved after Hawaii (Japan is my second.) Where I lived it was apparently a requisite to get one of the evilest looking spiders I had ever seen (not as bad or big as a cane spider though) at least 3 times every summer. Usually, for some odd reason, they had to live in the master bath, though one did end up in my wash (dead) underneath my clothes (it wasn't there when I put the clothes in the washer.) But apparently in two occasions the spiders were suicidal, the first was in the trash can next to the toilet so I sprayed a mother load of raid on it then quickly tied it up and (at 3 in the morning) took it outside and put it in the trash can. The second was even more suicidal and a hell of a lot scarier as he was in the toilet! Not a good surprise at 2 or so in the morning. At least that one made it easy to kill but I've always checked the toilet since. But yes no cockroaches were a blessing living in Washington though I think you guys did something to your ants and mosquitoes as they are all humongous!!! Where as we have a ton of small ones.

This is one thread I could have done without reading! LOL I am NOT looking forward to living with these spiders. I am deathly afraid of all spiders big or small.

Ive read some 'natural' ways to keep spiders/bugs away from your house (spraying vinegar to rid ants, eucalyptus leaves/baking soda for spiders). Has anyone tried anything similar? I have a soon-to-be crawling baby and am not the biggest fan of chemical sprays etc. Not to mention, they smell horrid.

Gary, I also live on a large property (by Japan standards, anyways) in Tsukui. From your description, I think we have many banana spiders adorning our persimmon trees in the front yard. I have a rhinocerous beetle collection and we also have visits from the furry, long-legged centipedes. My husband was bitten by a 3 inch centipede called Mucade (sp?) that was lurking in his shoe during the workday. His toe swelled up gossly huge and he had to go to the emergency room. He was given shots for the swelling and pain, but it wasn't serious (but he is a pretty big guy). If my 3 year old was bitten, it would probably be a different story.

I was bitten by a Black Widow when I was younger, so I developed a very big case of arachnophobia. Even Daddy Long Legs would send me running to the other side of the yard!

While on my house hunting escapade with my agent, he showed me this huuuuge 4 BR house with a front AND backyard, not far from the base. Being raised outside and with an all-around love of nature (sans spiders), I immediately wanted to check it out.
As soon as he jiggled the first window's storm cover back, a HUGE spider came running out, into the house, and made a beeline for me. I froze! The agent did a "ugh, not again" noise, and merely stepped on it with his house slipper. I'm pretty sure it squeaked as it died.

Bye bye, big house with a big, pretty yard - helloooooo house with no trees, plants, or grass. Just concrete.

I still get a spider...actually, an average of one per day during the warmer months. They're usually small and black. I've only gotten one monster, and it was one of those big hunter ones that eat the roaches. I only killed it because I didn't know what it was exactly at the time. (Mind you, it took about 15 minutes to kill the sucker with regular old American bug killer. I think it laughed at me.)

The night before I left for deployment, my boyfriend and I were cuddled on the couch watching a movie. The lights were off, and the only glow we had was from my TV. All of a sudden, we see this black mass the size of our military ID cards moving up from behind my TV, onto the ceiling. I jumped up to get the light, and my boyfriend who benches 350 screamed, and stayed on the couch.
It ended up being the biggest roach I've ever seen in my life - we finally got it off the ceiling, and it escaped under my sliding doors, out the back. Hopefully that's where it came from in the first place!

Since that incident, I've decided to stop killing these hunting spiders. No matter how bad I get the jitters, or how loud my boyfriends screams, it's one heck of a lot better than seeing a roach make a break for it with a whole chicken..I'm sure it's quite capable of doing so.


Some tips I've found that worked and to keep in mind for your own sanity:

- the gas station on base sells indoor/outdoor bug killer...I used this to spray a perimeter around my house, windows, etc. - it kept the majority out, whereas when I first moved in, I thought I was in a horror movie...spiders/bugs everywhere!

- spiders are more afraid of you than you are of them. ((my mantra, actually))

- there's never more than one spider in your house at a time. they're pretty territorial.

- they usually never venture upstairs. i've lived in my house for a little over a year now, and have yet to see/run into one.

- try to keep things off the floor...sheets you've just taken off the bed, bags, etc. especially if it's for a period of time. you won't want to see what's under there when you pick them back up.


As for something more organic, a solution with about 80% warm water and 20-30 drops of essential peppermint oil works for a perimeter spray, indoor and out. In some weird way, shape or form, spiders despise the smell of peppermint.


Next time we have a giant spider episode, I'll be sure to post a video: Spider Makes Guy With Two Tattooed Sleeves Scream Like A Girl , haha!

I never would've thought of peppermint - thanks for the tip!!!

I used to have wolf spiders in my house here in Ohio, I thought they were huge at the time. Now they look tiny compared to the photos of the ones Ive seen there. I will be screaming as loud as your boyfriend when I see one Im sure!

Your post had me laughing, if I see a roach make off with a chicken I will pass out and not have to worry about the spiders!

Not spiders but beetles. They live in the loam of wooded areas and are prized pets during the summer months. Check out Homes' pet section in the summer.

Remind me NOT to go camping.

Hopefully I leave Japan in two years having conquered my fear of bugs.

HAHAHAHAH I WANNA SEE A ROACH MAKE OFF WITH A CHICKEN!!! I WANT A PICTURE OF THAT! XD

I really wish I hadn't ran across this post. We just got here in November and I am not looking forward to bugs!!! I have a few questions: 1. Are they poisonous? What is the proper name so I can look it up? 2. Will they bite animals? I have 2 cats, that will think the spider is a play toy. 3. Does the peppermint work? I am deathly afraid of spiders and will lose my mind if I see something that big in my place. I will kill them if they come inside. I don't bother them outside. I have used most anything in the states, enough hairspray and they fall so I could step on them.

The spiders are not poisonous and do not bite unless provoked.  The big ugly buggers will not come inside (generally) a well-sealed house unless there is a food source, food being roaches.  Generally they like dark, dry places to hang out in.  I've got photos somewhere but don't seem to be able to locate them.

Ok, so what you're saying is my cats will get bitten. They love to chase and play with bugs of all kinds. They love to pull the legs off flying roaches and knock them around. They have also had a fight with a praying mantis.

I just don't want these things in my place. If I have one in my place I will probably scream loud enough for my friends in the states to hear me.

I started that discussion because I was getting creeped out by the sheer number of spiders in our parking garage this summer. I've only had a couple of smaller ones come to my balcony in the 3 years we've been here. We are on the 7th floor of a tower on the sunny side of the building. I just wish maintenance could clear them out when they get so overpopulated!!!

Thank goodness. We are on the 7th floor also, but face near the trees. Hopefully, they don't get up here.

Does anyone know the name of these spiders??

I really don't think these spiders are poisonous. They are like garden spiders, they catch mosquitos, etc... They're just creepy and they hang out over your car in the parking garage.

Spiders In Japan

A good example of the standard ones found in/around Kanagawa. These are completely harmless, but fast as hell and as Gary said will run the quickest route out (which is usually right at you).

Odd...can't link to a photo. Oh well, hit the link below the bad image and you can see the photo. I would upload it, but it is an "All rights reserved, anyone can see" type of photo so not going to break that one.

Wilson, I fixed the link for you.
Yes flickr sometimes acts up when you try to embed, or directly link to the photo.. I understand about the "All Rights Reserved.." Thanks for thinking about that..
Flickr has a protective layer so you cannot directly steal the images, and you will just get a spaceball.jpg..
however you could always printscreen/photoshop/make new image, but you didnt hear that from me..

When I was stationed in a squadron in Atsugi we used to go to Iwo Jima(now known as Iwo To). Having lived in Japan for many years the size of the insects didn't really bother me. Then we went to Iwo Jima and stayed in the barracks there, the roaches there need bribes to give up your bed, then run a racketeering ring to give you protection from the other bugs. I've never seen a centipede the size of a snake before, but they are on Iwo Jima. Spiders make their homes in the trees and bushes and will carry away your smaller friends, beer, lunch, or anything else you cherish. So if you think it's bad on the mainland....the southern warmer parts of Japan are much worse. I feel sorry for those station in Okinawa. Or even Iwakuni, I've seen the spiders there too.

I have no idea I keep my house clean and I keep my windows locked and they still manage to get in my freaking house!!!! Not only spiders but there was this bug that flew and a very long creature. I was like omg i want to go back to Alaska Hardly no big buggss and I cant even go on my balcony cuz there are so many I dont know what to do anymore with that... Lol

OK, it's creepy spider time again! Not as bad as last year, thank goodness! But there are still some creepy spiders hanging around where i would rather they didn't!!! Like on my little van!! One made a web on the rear license plate! I got the can of Raid and took care of it plus a couple of others by the entrance to the building!

Polly,

I agree! They started coming out in my house offbase about 2-3 weeks ago. I have been seeing baby ones, which scares me. That means, the momma just had babies somewhere nearby. We have killed one everyday for the past 3 days. Scary having the newborn on the way. I dont want them surrounding her crib one night..

When we lived in Arkansas, one place we lived had brown recluse spiders!!! We called Terminex. The guy was quite helpful. He explained that spiders are dirty, they don't "clean" themselves so spraying  for them doesn't work. Roaches lick their little feet so when you spray and they walk through the insecticide, they lick it off and die. I asked what we could do. He said 1. kill their food source. 2. spray or squash them directly   3. set out sticky traps for them to get stuck in and die. I hated seeing them in the traps but it was better than seeing them in my drawers or on the beds!!! You have to be careful, though. Our poor cat got one stuck on her foot! It was kinda hard to get off!

A few weeks ago, a spider about the size of a quarter went behind my television.  I tried to snag it, but I couldnt get him in time, and eventually lost sight of him.

All of sudden about 10 minutes ago, my wife's screaming from down stairs.

I go down there and the spider was huge, crawling out from behind the television area.

Here was what he looked like:



Rest in peace little buddy...

little fella compared to one I saw in my japanese house in Sasebo....OMG that one needed to pay me rent...but yes the spiders here are horrible...