So You Think You’ve Heard the Frog’s Croak

You know how some people have collections that dance on the border of obsession? Like the teenage girl who loves pink so much she doesn’t go a day without it being the central theme of her outfit. Or the kid who collects stuffed animals to the point of near-suffocation at bedtime. What about the girl who loves frogs so much that her bedroom is full of frog figurines, and frog t-shirts, and stuffed frogs, a pet frog, and was even nicknamed Frog because of how she jumps when she plays volleyball??? Oh. That was me…

So, I admit it. I had a bit of a frog fetish in my younger years. I expected most of my birthday and Christmas gifts to have some relation to frogs because, well, everyone knew that’s what I wanted. Needless to say, there are oodles of evidence left over from this past time, somewhat forgotten.

Frogs continue to have a presence in my life even though I’ve been cured of the material mania (though the occasional frog-themed gift still presents itself–like it’s some kind of joke or something.). First of all, one of my favorite taiko songs to play is called 蛙 (Frog), written by Stan Shikuma and you get to jump around like a frog when playing it (I love jumping). I can watch frogs forever. I love their dances and their colors.

Recently, with the filling of the rice paddies and the planting begun, frogs have become a part of daily life here. In fact, frogs are a constant by day (watch out for the squashed ones on the road) and audibly a constant by night. Please enjoy a small glimpse of our personal orchestra. There’s a free show every night, so just let us know if you’d like to join us:

In case it won’t play, go here

Another alternative

I didn’t quite capture the dramatic nuance here, but there are moments of silence. That’s the moment when I notice their presence most. And suddenly, miraculously, they start again simultaneously.