Big spiders

Hi. I don't like big spiders, and I've read about and seen pictures of some large spiders in Japan. I was wondering about the best ways to avoid them! What sort of spiders do you get indoors? And what accommodation and areas are best to stay in to avoid big spiders? The huntsmen spider concerns me the most, and I've heard it is one of the spiders you can get indoors. What areas in Japan does that spider live in?

Thanks.

I live in Tokyo, and the only spiders I see indoors are tiny ones that you almost need a magnifying glass to see, and those quite rarely. Where in Japan will you be going? I have seen bigger ones in rural areas, but not indoors.

If your afraid of bugs here in Japn the "Japanese HORNET" Is the king of the mushi hill. Most of the spider here won't mess with you unkess you mess with them.
These HORNETS on the other hand can be found in common places. Under bridges, In the park, on a hiking trail. These freakin' things are almost as aggressive as South African Killer Bees. check out this video of Japanese hornet ripping apart a colony of european bees.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vQQk_B4hwEs&NR=1

Same video in english (If you need it) hope you don't if your coming to live here

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JDSf3Kshq1M&feature=related

If you are just travelling, most quality hotels and ryokans (not hostels, pensions and minshuku) are practically insect-less.

On a related note, I try to welcome indoor spiders to my house, because they're suppose to eat the other annoying bugs that I dare not mention.

To Redrum: I�fm not really afraid of all bugs, it�fs mainly big spiders that concern me. Most other bugs I consider them to be more of an irritation than scary. A hornet would bother me though if I thought it was going to sting me! I�fve never been to Japan, so I�fm only planning a trip. if I liked Japan enough after I visited and wanted to move there, then I think I�fd worry more about hornets. I�fve got pets, and I�fd be concerned about them getting stung. Do you know of any sort of repellant you can buy for them that works, and preferably doesn�ft make you smell awful? Thanks for your reply.

To Uco: Good to know. As long as by practically insect less you mean I�fm unlikely to see any, and if I do it would most likely only be something small. Because if I had a room that was bug less accept for one large spider, that would still be too scary for me! And I would like you to mention the other annoying bugs please, incase I�fve not heard about them, and I might encounter one, and be in for an unpleasant surprise. I�fve heard about the large cockroaches and centipedes though, if it�fs them. Thanks for your reply.

To Sira: I�fm particularly interested in visiting Tokyo, so it�fs good to know indoors I�fm unlikely to encounter any big spiders. I�fve not decided exactly where I�fm going yet, I�fve been reading about various places in Japan to help me choose which areas I want to visit, and that�fs when I saw a few tales about big spiders, and decided I better ask about the spiders before I decided on where I should stay. Thanks for your reply.

I live in the Saitama area, and have also lived in Chiba (both not too far from Tokyo) and all I can say is there are BIG spiders everywhere. I don't know how I ended up in this country because I have an upmost hatred for those 8 legged pest! Technically though, if you keep your door closed, and your house clean, you should be spider free for the most part. I've only had one spider in my house since I moved here...luckily my fiancee killed it, but they're pretty hard to find indoors. One word of advice, do not look up at the ceiling when waiting for a train :) I have gotten to the point of publicly bursting into tears and embarrassing my self in front of tons of people because I was truly scared. They love it there...I just try not to look up anymore...About other bugs, most of them in general are HUGE. I haven't really seen hornets around, so I suppose if you don't go to the woods you should be fine. Also, my dog has been adjusting fine to Japan, no bugs have been bothering her, so I think your pet should be fine as well. Just make sure they have a mosquito preventative on in the summer when you're outside.

To Veronica:
Big spiders everywhere! Sounds scary. As do those train stations. I think I'd have to wear a hat whilst I was there, because I�fd be worried about them falling down on to my head! Do you know what the main predators of the big spiders are? Thanks for your reply.

In 10 years in Tokyo and Yokohama, I have not seen the "big spiders everywhere" that Veronica mentions, and I often go for walks in the green leafy parks around where I live. They certainly don't live in any of the buildings I go to regularly. I would be surprised if you saw any in the cities.

I've noticed in England that in areas where the temperature is only slightly higher, you get larger spiders. Also areas where there are more houses with gardens get more spiders, and larger spiders indoors, than in areas that are more built up and where the housing is mainly apartments. I've also noticed spiders prefer older buildings, so in an area where there are more old buildings compared to somewhere that the buildings are more modern, you'll see more spiders, and larger ones. If some of those differences apply to the areas where you two live Veronica and Sira, that would explain the great difference in the number and sizes of the spiders you're seeing. If none of those diffrences apply.... I'm confused!

Both places that Veronica mentions have some quite rural areas, so might have some spiders around. Tokyo and Yokohama cities though are very built up, and other than cockroaches and mosquitos, you don't see a lot of bugs.

It really depends where you are going, but I don't think this is a particularly spidery nation. Australia, on the other hand...

Well, my home where big spiders seem to eat all the you-know-whats is in the middle of the City of Yokohama. We have loads of ants, ladybugs, dragonflies, various butterflies (our neighbor kid is breading them on citrus branches I gave him), stinky bugs, pretty bugs, red bugs and blue bugs, not to mention the grasshopers and occasional mantis.

But again, you won't see them inside shopping malls or hotels.

...If you plant things, they will come.

You must have a nice garden, Uco- I lived in Hodogaya for quite a while and only ever saw cockroaches and one mukade.

Since this is the main issue, I should add that while there are tons of insects in my tiny garden, in the five years of living here, the only times I've seen cockroaches in my premises is about once in one or two summers. Worried, I did place roach traps inside my house, but there is no trace of them around the trap. Lizards and geckos must be preventing them as well. I need more dragonflies though, so that they will eat up the mosquitoes that often last here up to November!

Wish I knew you sooner, Sira. We would've lived in neighboring wards. I live near Route 1.

My new apartment building was built on the site of some rice fields (as many are) most if not all of the ''wildlife'' decided to stay around it seems. We've got snakes that poke their heads out from small holes in the concrete near the door (on the outside) ond the biggest spiders I have ever seen.I mean BIG, with there legs streached out these things would cover your face easily. You know you have big spiders in your apartment when you hear a thump as they jump off the wall and hit the floor. So fast and would scare the living daylights out of anyone not matter how manly you think you are. These ones do need to be killed or relocated (if ya got the balls to catch them) for they can hurt when they bite. They smaller to fist sized ones should be alowed to stay around for a while to keep the other insects in check.

I must have lived very close to you, Uco, I lived in an area between Route 1 and the Shuto Kosoku- Setogaya-cho.

To Sira, when you have a fear of something you are looking for them EVERYWHERE! Maybe that why I notice them so much.

Just to clarify, because what one person might think of big the other might think of small. Anything the size of a quarter or bigger to me is big, and that's just because where I'm from spiders run really small. In my defense most of the spiders I see here are the nasty ones with big butts and creepy little legs. The normal ones are sometimes green or other weird colors that freak me out...*shivers* on top of that spider webs are everywhere...and I'm sure you cannot deny that. Since she's just coming to visit she will probably be in the city and not see them as much, but if she lives here (as she said she might plan to do) she has a much bigger chance of living in the suburbs...so yeah...lots of spiders there....

The only time I remember seeing really big spiders was at our summer home in Oiso. It was out in the country and it was a really old house. When I used to lift up the wooden cover to the well out back, I would see these big spiders, that looked like a cross between a Tarantula and a Wolf Spider. A couple of times, I saw them on the ceiling inside the house too. They were big, but didn't seem so aggressive. For what it's worth, there are Black Widow spiders all over my yard and garage here in the States.

Spiders are everywhere.

Hi, the biggest spider I have ever seen was last winter in Germany in my parental home. We dont really know where they had come from all of a sudden. My Mom was guessing it might be curse or so... Well, I believe it was due to the new shutter that destroyed their homely abode.
I am living in a leafy cottage in Japan, in Toukyou. And as it is, it was hot Japanese summer this time and my aircon went out of order. In dead of night, when I was dead asleep on my futon on the floor I felt something dropping from the ceiling. Well, I am not sure whether that was spider or something else, I brushed that thing aside and continued to sleep. I woke up the next morning to discover the room floor strewn with black bugs, obviously harmless and small spiders. The air con was repaired and I was advised to treat the ceiling and walls with a spray that would prevent insects from intruding into the room. Even if I dont really need the air con now a days during night time, I do keep it on for some time to cool the room, this helps to keep the space free of pests. Just in front of the washing lines on my balcony a really big spider has now spun its cobweb. It goes on hunt every night, but I have decided to leave it there and leave it untouched as long as its activities are confined to that space among tree leaves.

I think for the most part if you stay in a large city you will encounter few spiders. Anywhere outside of a large city expect to find spiders (or just a lot of bugs in general). I have to say that I am not a fan of spiders, and definitely I have seen one too many large spiders for my tastes (of course I am on a sub-tropical island, so they may just grow large here). I haven't had any problems inside my apartment, but I ignore any spiders I see other places. I really get creeped out when I can see all the eyes!!!

But if you're just visiting Japan you really have to go out of your way to find large spiders, just avoid any wooded areas.