Tag Archives: tanuki

A Bundle of Cuteness

Posted on Sunday, November 12, 2017 by wildinjapan

Hi blog. This is just a short post based around a single picture. I have been ridiculously busy recently, and the weather hasn’t been conducive to wildlife blogging either – a frequently cold and wet October (with several days of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Suburban wildlife | Tagged raccoon dogs, tanuki | Leave a comment

If you go down to the woods today…

Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 by wildinjapan

The things you see when you don’t have a camera! April 24th I arrive at my school, still tingling from the previous day’s unexplained headache, when I spot movement. Our local raccoon dogs. Two… no, wait, THREE. Sorry about the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Suburban wildlife | Tagged raccoon dog, tanuki | 3 Comments

Tanuki Tales

Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 by wildinjapan

I promised a while back that I would write a piece on the raccoon dog or tanuki, and now seems as good a time as any. This time I want to look at some of the folklore and tales surrounding … Continue reading →

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Posted in Suburban wildlife | Tagged folklore, mujina, raccoon dog, raccoon dogs, tanuki | 13 Comments

Mujina and Mami – the Myth and the Mammals

Posted on Monday, November 28, 2011 by wildinjapan

On the Akasaka Road, in Tokyo, there is a slope called Kii-no-kuni-zaka,—which means the Slope of the Province of Kii. I do not know why it is called the Slope of the Province of Kii. On one side of this … Continue reading →

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Posted in Suburban wildlife | Tagged animals, badgers, civets, folklore, mami, mujina, raccoon dogs, tanuki | 8 Comments

Splitting hairs? An adventure in Cross-Linguistic Naming

Posted on Sunday, November 6, 2011 by wildinjapan

One of the interesting aspects of doing any anything nature-related in Japan is the difference in nomenclature between the English and Japanese languages. Most non-linguists tend to think in very absolute terms – generally along the lines that their language’s … Continue reading →