Appendix: Mountains and Food

The items prepared for the 17 mountaineers are as follows: one koku (unit=180 liters) of rice, three to (unit=18 liters) of mochi (Japanese rice cake), 200 pairs of waraji (straw sandals), three sheets of waterproof cloth, "dozens of dried bonito", an iron pot, a saucepan, miso, soy sauce, and salt for food, and one sword, four pistols, and two hunting rifles for self-defense. This is the record of an expedition to search for the water source of the Tone River in 1894, a mountain climb for research and study as seen in Chapter 1.
It's interesting that there were a lot of straw sandals available instead of hiking boots. Also, it is interesting that many weapons were brought in, whether is a measure against wild beasts or onibaba (ogress) which were said to inhabit mountains at that time. However, what I want to focus on here is the bonito. Of course, even today, one of the joys of mountain climbing is to have a good meal after good exercise. There are a variety of foods from instant foods to hot pot dishes, but it seems that only a few people bring their own bonito to make soup stock.
What kind of food did the climbers in this article eat in the mountains? We tried to find descriptions of food, focusing on the material we've presented so far.

Enjoy wild game meat in Ezochi at the end of the Edo period

MATSUURA Takeshiro, Kusuri Nisshi (久摺日誌) [特1-73]

Upon the start of his travels with the Ainu, MATSUURA made eight promises. One of the promises was "When we find prey, half of the guides chase it." The promise suggests that they relied on hunting for meals during their travels. When the Ainu arrived first, they made a hut out of tree bark and treated MATSUURA to deer and Japanese dace. It may be difficult to climb a mountain enjoying game and fresh fish in modern times. However, hunting was not always successful. This diary depicts the days of heartbreak caused by food shortages.

Food for long-term stays at high altitudes

NONAKA Itaru, Fuji Annai (Corrected reprint) (富士案内（訂正再版）) [88-192イ]

As he was going to stay for a long time, he "brought as many kinds of food as possible." Rather than simply trying to endure the harsh environment, they devised ways to prevent the diet from becoming monotonous. This is a progressive approach that can be applied to today's space food. Even so, the harsh environment at the summit of Mt. Fuji amazingly caused even sake (Japanese alcohol) and soy sauce, which contain alcohol and salt, to freeze due to the low temperature and low pressure.

Portable food in Japan and the West

SHIGA Shigetaka, Nihon Fukei Ron (日本風景論) [45-67]

This book introduces pemmican, a portable preserved food made from dried meat and animal fat. As we saw in Chapter 2, SHIGA's mountain climbing skills are mainly translated from foreign books, so we think this is also the case. On the other hand, the facts that biscuits and mochi are listed together, and that rice, not bread, is listed first in "essentials" are probably unique to Japan.

The brand preferred by Westerners

Weston, Mountaineering and exploration in the Japanese Alps, J. Murray, 1896 [特38-0181]

（The full text is available in the Internet Archive.）

Published in England, this book recommended curried fowl, cocoa, and instant soup dissolved in hot water to Western readers, listing specific manufacturers. Also, "A handful of raisins may be put into the pocket" is mountaineer-like practical advice. Even in modern mountain climbing, it is recommended to eat nuts and fruits in small pieces as an energy food.

Canned food: Technology and distribution development

KOJIMA Usui, Nihon Sansui Ron (日本山水論) [99-106]

Since the air pressure is low and rice is difficult to cook, this book recommends the use of canned foods, which may be similar to the use of retort foods in modern mountain climbing. The development of technology and distribution can be seen in the sentence, "Canned food has recently become widely available, and even in the mountainous areas, where people gather to live, you can usually find it." It says, "You must not drink alcohol when you climb in the snow," but we wonder if it is prohibited in summer mountains. Although in fact, a drunken stupor is dangerous in any mountain.

Students' lunch box

UCHIBORI Takeo and SHINGYOJI Kichitaro, Kogai ni okeru Kaigo Kyoiku Shisetsu no Jissai (校外に於ける会合教育施設の実際, lit. The practical side of meeting educational facilities outside school) [259-339]

This document is from 1915, when school climbing became popular. In the section on "climbing practice," it is explained that you should bring water and meals in case of a sudden change in the weather. You can understand that climbers need sufficient preparation. They say, "Onigiri (rice ball) is the best," which might make some people miss their lunch boxes for school excursions.

Overprepared?

KAWAHIGASHI Hekigoto, Nikutarete (煮くたれて) (collection of essays) [692-102]

Also in 1915, the haiku poet KAWAHIGASHI Hekigoto, who appeared in Chapter 3, carried out a daring weeklong expedition across the Japanese Alps, where he hired seven laborers to bring a large amount of food into the mountains (Tozan Mukashibanashi (登山昔話, lit. Old tales of mountain climbing) in Nikutarete). He was amazed that HASEGAWA Nyozekan, a journalist who accompanied him, was planning to bring a large amount of heavy canned foods. He called HASEGAWA "overprepared," but then added sake for himself to the luggage.
According to Nihon Alps Judanki (日本アルプス縦断記, lit. the Japanese Alps Traversal Records) [363-222], the luggage was as follows: five to (unit=18 liters) and four sho (unit=1.8 liters) of rice, three kanme (unit=3.75 kilograms) of miso, four cans of beef, four cans of salmon, two cans of katsuo denbu (mashed bonito), three cans of fukujinzuke (yellow pickled radish), three cans of laver boiled in soy sauce, two cans of boiled beans, one can of peaches, three cans of condensed milk, four cans of chocolate milk, two cans of ham, one can of sea urchin, four kins of biscuits (about 600 grams each), 23 boxes of caramels and two kins of candy drops. KAWAHIGASHI and others laughed saying, "It's like going to the mountains to eat." One dried bonito, one bag of kelp, and one can of dried small sardines also appeared in the luggage, and he never failed to bring one bottle of umami seasoning, invented at the end of the Meiji period.
However, HASEGAWA got sick while climbing the mountain. Although he had prepared a lot of canned food, he ended up eating only rice porridge. The laborers called him "porridge master."

In this way, the food differs depending on the age and origin of the climber, and the scale of mountain climbing. However, everyone seems to have a common desire to eat as the most delicious food they can in the mountains. Why don’t you think about the mountains, food, and the soup stock vital to that food? (The Kaleidoscope of Books (17) Dashi culture of Japan and discovery of umami (in Japanese), introduces materials related to dashi and umami, which are essential to Japanese food.)

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References