Gathering Daiso's bug-catching goods for a parent-child bug-catching showdown! Can we really catch any?

Equipped with Daiso's bug-catching tools, we had a parent-child competition to see how many different types we could find in one hour. Surprisingly, it was the father who was excitedly swinging the net. It's perfect for creating fun memories at the end of summer vacation.

You can gather all the necessary bug-catching tools at Daiso

When it comes to going bug hunting with my child, I had previously relied on whatever tools were on hand. Just holding a single net and walking around aimlessly. If I didn’t find anything, that was it. I reflect that my past bug hunting lacked enthusiasm.

So, I want to seriously equip myself with the right tools and make it a serious challenge. Hence, I decided to make a full purchase of bug-catching goods from Daiso. I planned a challenge with my son to see "how many different types of creatures we can find and catch within a time limit of one hour."

After looking around the store, I chose two extendable bug-catching nets (100cm, 330 yen), two mesh insect cases (220 yen), and one magnifying glass for observation (flower-shaped, 110 yen). The total for these five items came to 1210 yen, which is quite a serious lineup for a hundred-yen shop.

I decided to give each person one set because I wanted the kids to catch bugs using their own tools and abilities given that we were doing it in a challenge format. The net is blue, and the case is mint-colored, both of which were chosen by the children from the shelves, giving them a sense of satisfaction.

I handed the net and case to my son while I held the same items, and we quickly began our bug hunt. My son, gripping the net that extends to about 100 cm, was eager to start swinging it around.

Although we were still on our way to the park, just carrying the tools drew the attention of the catchers. I could tell the atmosphere was different from our usual walks, a bit more tense.

The bug-catching parent-child showdown starts in the local park.

We enter the park and step into a thicket with fallen trees and tree stumps covered in dense vegetation. The sunlight filters through the trees, but the sound of cicadas keeps resonating. We set the time limit to one hour and set a timer on our smartphones. At the signal to start, we each scattered in our favorite directions.

The first thing my son found was a cicada perched on a tree trunk. He pointed and exclaimed, "Over there!" and, holding his breath, carefully approached to catch it.

After that, he discovered insects he had never seen on the tree and was captivated by watching them for a while.

The adults extend their nets up to the high branches and get serious

On the other hand, I as a father found some bug high up on a branch, extending my net to the maximum and persisting. I stretched my arms to just the right height, bending my body as I swung the net up multiple times. Before I knew it, I realized I was the one looking up at the tree most seriously and swinging the net.

My son was watching, slightly exasperated, saying, "Can you really reach that?" and "You're too serious."

The bug I managed to catch in the net after all that effort was a mantis. It wasn't the result I had envisioned, but it's still a fine catch.

As we walked through the thicket, I discovered five beetles on the trunk of a single tree. I didn't expect to see so many at once, so I couldn't help but exclaim. Watching the beetles clinging to the fissures in the tree, my son ran over, leaning his face close enough to the trunk as if he were going to touch it, counting them.

At the base of another tree, there was a large stag beetle. After bringing it home and measuring it with a tape measure, it turned out to be about 6 to 7 cm. When placed in the palm of my hand, it had a solid weight, and my son's eyes sparkled with excitement.

What was the result of the parent-child insect-catching showdown?

An hour had passed as planned, so we lined up our insect cases to check the results of our catch.

Inside my son's case, there were 2 mantises, 2 lizards, and 1 grasshopper, totaling 5 insects. The grasshopper was moving slowly along the inner wall of the net, while the others were energetically moving around.

When I peeked into the father's case, I found 5 types of insects: cicadas, rhinoceros beetles, stag beetles, mantises, and lizards, for a total of 8 insects. They were piled up tightly together, pushing against each other while getting their legs caught in various places on the mesh wall.

On this day, the result was a victory for the father, who was serious about it.

Memories of summer vacation when I could get serious with tools costing 1210 yen

After returning home, I saw my daughter carefully observing the cicada she caught with a magnifying glass. She seemed a bit surprised to see the wing patterns clearly in the round lens, more than usual. The time spent looking at the creatures she enthusiastically caught in the park once more at home became another reward of the day.

Even if I bought the tool as an adult for 1210 yen, of course, the value of this time was worth more than that. Giving my son the same tool as his father and competing under the same conditions made our usual walk turn into a serious challenge. The next time we go bug catching, I want to use the same tool again and make sure I don’t lose to my son this time.

Interview and text by SYURI

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