Fireflies Are Dancing Everywhere in Yamaguchi-cho

Firefly season has started again this year✨

On the website “西宮山口 山口町で心ごとタイムスリップ” for Yamaguchi-cho, there’s a page called “Firefly Sighting Updates.”

Amazingly, it lists the results of nightly on-site surveys carried out by Mitsunobu Honda, chair of the Yamaguchi/Funasaka School District Youth Protection Council, so you can see the daily firefly activity!

Here it is↓　（The date display on the far left keeps getting cut off, but the top entry is May 31💦）

※Screenshot from 西宮山口　山口町で心ごとタイムスリップ

I had been checking it now and then since mid-May, and on May 27 there were 473 fireflies! Time to go…🏃

So on May 28, while it was still a little light out, I went to the Arima River in Yamaguchi-cho〜😊

There was a sign like this along the river. （So females glow too💦 I thought only males did〜）. Apparently, most of the fireflies you can see in Yamaguchi-cho are Genji-botaru fireflies（from late June to mid-August, Heike-botaru fireflies can also be seen in some areas）.

There were also lots of posters drawn by children. It seems the whole community is working together to protect and increase the firefly population.

It started getting dark. Once the sun went down, it became pitch black in no time…🌌 In fact, local residents cooperate on conservation efforts during firefly season, such as turning off some of the streetlights along the Arima River Green Path.

Ah! It lit up!! Around 19:40, we finally saw firefly lights〜✨ Can you see the two tiny dots around the middle?

After that, their numbers gradually started increasing, and by around 20:30, lots of fireflies were floating and dancing through the air〜😍

Dozens of fireflies kept dancing right in front of us. It was so magical〜! Some even flew toward the riverbank where people were standing, so we could see them up close. I always thought fireflies glowed from their tails, but apparently their abdomens glow. So mysterious〜💫

But my photos are so bad that it’s really a shame I can’t convey how moving it was😥

Everyone, please go see them in person!

The place we photographed this time is around here↓

The address is around 2-chome Kamiyamaguchi, Yamaguchi-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

There is a bridge here called “Mandai Bridge,” but fireflies can apparently be seen not only here, but widely “along the Arima River.”

Finally

According to the Yamaguchi-cho website mentioned at the beginning, fireflies can be seen until around July.

For firefly viewing, Sakura Yamanami Bus stops at Kinsenjiguchi, Kamiyamaguchi, Yamaguchi Center-mae, and Shimoyamaguchi are convenient. （For details about the Sakura Yamanami Bus, click ⇒here）※For reference: Hankyu Shukugawa Station ⇔ Yamaguchi-cho（Shimoyamaguchi bus stop）takes about 40 minutes with no transfers〜.

Please be sure to follow good manners when watching fireflies!