It is turning autumn here in Japan. During my two-week holiday in Europe, the temperature has fallen considerably by almost 10 degrees. We now have highs of not more than 25 – 30 degrees during the day and around 20 in the night, and it is also raining quite a bit. This means that the humidity is down (unless it is raining), and it is quite nice to sit at the open window and work. Unfortunately, it also means something else: house guests.
Now that it is cooling down, all sorts of insects are trying to find their way inside. In the two weeks since my return, I have already found and dispatched of three cockroaches… I still find them extremely disgusting, and although I now know how to kill them quickly, I would prefer if I would not have to deal with them ever again…
So, I searched on the internet for tips on how to prevent those bugs. I have now thoroughly cleaned my kitchen (especially under the sink), and I have vowed to wash my dishes every day in order not to leave any food for them around (let’s see how this is working). I also bought smaller trash bags so I can use the lid of my trash can – another way of preventing access to food. Thankfully, I don’t have that much waste anyway, and even so, I can take the garbage out every day, which is a good thing.
Today, one of my friends showed me the top brands of insecticide to deal with roaches; the best thing is apparently boric acid. To be honest, I am a bit reluctant to use it around the house because it is toxic, but if I see another cockroach soon, I’ll get it anyway, they don’t deserve any better.
However, the cutest thing I have found on my search for cockroach prevention was this little “cockroach forecast” for Japan, telling you how likely an encounter is with them: 
The map is interactive, just go there and click away: http://gokiten.varsan.jp/Maybe I should consider moving to Hokkaido? It is much cooler there in general, and they also get decent snow there in the winter…