Mushroom Picking-Linked Fatal Accidents on Rise in Japan

October 19, 2018

Nagano- Japan is seeing an increase in the number of deaths related to mushroom hunting, after extreme summer heat and heavy rain produced a rich crop of the seasonal delicacy this year.

Many hunters, mainly elderly people, tend to go into remote areas deep in mountains with steep slopes to look for mushrooms, and they face a high risk of falling down as they keep their eyes on a limited area around them.

Police have called on mushroom pickers to avoid steep slopes and make sure that their relatives are informed in advance of areas where they plan to go to look for mushrooms.

According to the police department of Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, a total of 20 people got lost in mountains in the inland prefecture while hunting mushrooms between the beginning of August and Monday, with the number already topping last year's 12. Of them, 13 died after falling in mountains or for other reasons, up from three last year.

In the central prefecture of Yamanashi, four people have died this year, up from one last year. Three people died in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate. Most of the victims were in their 60s or older.

"The number of deaths is increasing faster than usual," an official of the Iwate prefectural police department said.

With the fungus-picking season continuing through the end of October, police are concerned about a further rise in the number of fatal accidents as the environments conducive to mushroom growth involve risks.

The Nagano police department and other sources pointed out that mushrooms generally grow well in moist soil, where hunters can easily slip.

An increasing number of hunters venture deep into mountains as mushrooms in flat areas at the foot of the mountains have already been picked.

Many of them tend to keep locations with plentiful mushrooms secret, even to their family members. Some act alone after entering a mountain in a group, ending up losing contact with other members, sources familiar with the situation said.

An official of the Nagano police department's mountain rescue unit is calling on hunters to take a mobile phone and warm clothing with them when entering a mountain.

The official is also asking hunters to surely tell their family members beforehand where they will go to pick mushrooms so that rescue operations can be conducted quickly if they get lost. Jiji Press