In Gifu Prefecture, the largest wasp festival in the country, "Kushihara hebo matsuri", is held annually. "Hebo" is here called two types of black wasps that are not particularly aggressive (therefore, they are easier to catch).
The festival takes place on the first Sunday of November, hornets' nests are brought from all over Japan, the owner of the heaviest one becomes the winner and receives an award.
A few months before the festival, wasp catchers go into the forest and put out wasp bait (fresh fish). Wasps, having eaten fish, return to their nests and the main thing here is to keep up with them and find a hornet's nest. The nest is placed in a special wooden box, where the wasps continue to grow until the fall, they are not touched until the larvae appear.
The tradition of eating wasps in food is gradually fading away in Japan, it is mainly adhered to by representatives of the older generation in the Ena region of Gifu Prefecture, where the village of Kushihara is located, as well as in Nakatsugawa, which is to the northeast.
In Kushihara, wasp breeding is a kind of collective hobby, part of social life.
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It is not surprising, therefore, that in 1993 in Kushihara they decided to keep the tradition and began annually holding a large festival, which is usually covered by national television.
But fewer and fewer people remain interested in wasps, old people die, young people leave for cities.
A local specialty based on black wasps and rice, in a special sauce. At the festival, wasp nests are sold for those who want to cook a delicacy at home, all aspen dishes can be tasted right at the festival: fried wasps, chocolate wasps, fried hornets (a good beer snack), wasps with rice.
Despite the interest in the festival, there is a danger - the tradition will soon fade away, but as long as at least one real wasp catcher is alive, it exists.