We arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday and headed straight to the rural villages in the Northeast, where we're hoping to do some fieldwork next March. 

Here are some images of how the villagers use the termite mounds found throughout the area：

November marks the final days of Autumn and the first days of winter in Japan. There are no fireworks, but the Autumn leaves are stunning, and it`s also the beginning of a new year in the world of the tea ceremony. 

..But, just when Japan is (arguably) at its most beautiful, I`m leaving!

I`m going to Zimbabwe for the next couple of weeks, where the rainy season is just beginning. In my very limited experience of African rural life, the first rains prompt events that are not dissimilar from the autumn harvest in mountainous Japan: Mushrooms emerging overnight on the forest floor, and all sorts of social insects coming out in their hundreds.. 

Back in two weeks!

On November 10th, we held an entomophagy event, with 26 guests and 9 staff...

It was great! Everyone who came was really nice, and we made A LOT of Italian food with insects (including 18 pizzas, with no leftovers! There was a bit of leftover pasta and salad, but people took these home as souvenirs...)

Finally, I wanted to give everyone something to take away but decided in the end to hold a lottery - everyone received a silkworm chrysalis, and inside one chrysalis I put a picture of a giant hornet. The person who opened their chrysalis to find the giant hornet would receive a 750ml bottle of giant hornet liquor.

By fortunate coincidence, the person who had the giant hornet picture was an 8 year old girl. Why is this fortunate? Because, after drinking 10-year-old hornet liquor for the first time just a few days ago, I can confirm that in 10 years time the alcohol in this bottle will be delicious, & comparable to a good Scotch - with added hornets. By this time, she'll be 18, which is the legal drinking age in the UK. So - all's well that ends well.

If you would like to try some of these Italian insect recipes, let me know! I've uploaded the event recipe booklet below, but if you are a non-Japanese speaker and would like to know more about cooking with insects, please email me at charlotte.payne@gmail.com.

On November 3rd, about 1000 people gathered in Kushihara to celebrate the wasp harvest...

The whole festival was brilliant, but my favourite part was definitely helping to take the nests from the hives, one by one (130 hives in total!)

After the festival we spent a few hours taking wasp larvae out of the nests and cooking them...