I went on a hike through a forest on Mt. Akagi today and got attacked by a crab. I’m not shitting you.

I stepped near the edge of the trail to examine a tree and suddenly Corey said “Oh! Look out! There’s a… a…” Shock had rendered him speechless.

I looked down to see something brown and spiny running furiously for my ankle. I jumped back to see a crab only about 6cm long, reared up and menacing me with both claws in the air.

For the record, Mt. Akagi is in the landlocked prefecture of Gunma, nowhere near the ocean. There was a stream down the hill from us. I learned later that freshwater crabs are common in certain parts of Japan. Still, I doubt anyone goes for a walk in the woods expecting to get threatened by a crab. Stung by a bee, maybe. But pinched by a crab?