And it promises to be crunchier than your breakfast cereal.

We’ve been told that bugs are the food of the future. They’re a cheap, high-protein alternative that could very well solve food problems, provided you have the stomach for consuming the little beasts like we do.

And when it comes to bugs, none is more popular in Japan than the Japanese rhinoceros beetle (kabutomushi). Often kept as pets, enthusiasts may breed and even pit them against others in bug wrestling matches.

This beloved beetle recently made its way into the menu of one izakaya (Japanese-style pub) in Yokohama called “Rare Beast Pub“. Like its namesake, the establishment serves all manner of oddities from sea turtle eggs to scorpions to bear meat. The Japanese rhinoceros beetle is one of the quirky items found there, and served as a pair with slices of lemon, it will satisfy even the most hardcore of thrill seekers.

▼ Nothing like a pair of giant bugs after a day’s work.

https://twitter.com/noge_chinjuya/status/895261500142608384

The tweet reads:

“Edible Japanese rhinoceros beetles are here! Bred just for our Yokohama’s Rare Beast Pub, these antibiotic-free rhinoceros beetles are the first of its kind in Japan! It’s scorching hot at Rare Beast Pub even during Obon. Be sure to drop by!”

Comments from Japanese netizens were mixed:

“Imagining the innards of a beetle creeps me out more than cockroaches.”
“I actually want to try this, it looks seriously delicious.”
“I just want to know what the taste is like.”
“I bet this is juicier than cockroaches, I’m going to try it.”
“It’ll probably taste like soil.”

Given the izakaya’s reputation for serving exotic meats, the rhinoceros beetle actually seems tame in comparison to some of the other items on their menus:

▼ Sea turtle eggs

https://twitter.com/noge_chinjuya/status/889802775336333312

▼ Whale testicle sashimi

https://twitter.com/noge_chinjuya/status/887665692870189056

▼ Edible Axolotl

https://twitter.com/noge_chinjuya/status/882981960481624064

▼ Coral reef snake

https://twitter.com/noge_chinjuya/status/870256836414287873

▼ Worm pudding

https://twitter.com/noge_chinjuya/status/864445379986636802

And if you still fancy a walk on the even wilder side, perhaps supplementing your diet with some bug sushi from the Tokyo Bug-Eating Festival might just do the trick.

Store information
Chinjuya (Rare Beast Pub) / 珍獣屋
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Chu-ku, Noge-cho, 1-45
Harbor Kosan Building 3, 2F
神奈川県横浜市中区野毛町1-45港興産ビル3号館2F
Open: 5 p.m.-11 p.m. (reservation required)

Source: Twitter/@noge_chinjuya
Top image: Wikimedia Commons/Gombe