Sunday 31 July 2011

Visitors in the garden...

Had ourselves yet another BBQ yesterday.
Only 6 people though, so nice and relaxing.
A Japanese friend who lives in England came with her England and Japan family and we cooked and ate and laughed in the late afternoon/early evening.


Okaasan went out at 12.30 immediatly after lunch to avoid the incoming visitors.
By 7.15 pm she still hadn't come home. I felt guilty and worried about her staying out again to escape the social pressure of meeting guests at the house.
I nagged Yujiro into calling her cell phone.
She was at her usual place: the counter of the Seicomart convenience store down the road, eating a riceball.
He coaxed her into coming home.
She looked so tired, poor thing, I steered her straight into the kitchen and fed her raw squid, soup and melon...gave her some friendly chat etc. She looked tired.
I feel we have to be very careful about too many visitors and BBQs here....because she stays out for hours and hours to avoid it all. She is healthy etc for walking, but still - 81 years old and seven hours out. It's a long time.


The friends left. We cleared up the BBQ and went inside, leaving charcoal burner and boxes on the front doorstep.


About 8.30 pm I heard a sound.
Looked out and saw this late visitor!!!


A North Fox in the garden! This is 6 subway stops from central Sapporo.
Obviously drawn in by the smells of meat and burnt marshmallows.
I'd heard from a student that there are foxes in the park near here, and the big cemetary. But never expected to see one on the doorstep.

And then I realized Popo and Chichi - the young stupid cats Who Know No Fear - were down in the garden too. I raced downstairs with Yujiro just in time to see Popo chase the fox....it ran a few steps and then turned round and growled at him. Popo backed up to the lawn in surprise (none of the local dogs do THAT on their walks past the house on leads), Yujiro grabbed the hosepipe and we gave the foxy visitor a wet farewell. 

4 comments:

  1. Wow, that is really a city fox! I didn't know they had penetrated so far. Thank goodness you were there to help the cats defend themselves. I don't think a fox would eat a cat but a bite would certainly not be a good thing. They are not scared, which is scary in itself, hey?!

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  2. UK foxes have been known to attack and shake cats haven't they? Popo is far too young to appreciate the danger he was in...the nighborhood dogs just amble past when he chases them up the street...this was WILD Hokkaido 3 feet away!!

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  3. Red foxes are very cute, but be careful! They are natural hosts of Echinococcus!!!

    We encountered them in Biei the other day, but I'm a bit suprised that they are living in the center of Sapporo, too!!

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  4. Wow, that is close to be seeing a fox. I've seen one run across the road down here but we live in the wilderness. Glad your cats have attitude and wont take shit from no fox.

    It's a shame okaasan feels she has to go out every time you have visitors. Why can't she just hole up in her room?

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