"Mountains, Appetite and Me" is a manga series that has been serialized on the webcomic site Kurage Bunch since 2015. It depicts the mountaineering of the protagonist, Hibino Ayumi, a self-proclaimed solo mountaineer who hates being called a "mountain girl," and the meals she eats at the summit. It's an outdoor gourmet story that will make you want to climb mountains and get hungry while reading it. The dishes are so authentic that an official recipe book has been released, and as the author's own hobby is mountaineering, the depictions of mountain climbing that draw on her own experiences have become a hot topic. In this article, we'll introduce some of the quotes from "Mountains, Appetite and Me" that we feel are the best, ranked according to our own criteria.
10th Place: "It's Better Not to Enter the Mountain Today"
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
While hiking a certain rural mountain in March, Hibino Ayumi was walking along a path through thick fog, wondering if even a fox would make fun of her on a day like this. While she was feeling nervous inside, somewhere deep inside she was excited to try being tricked just once. Suddenly, an old woman who seemed to be a local appeared from the thick fog. She warned her, "It's better not to go into the mountains today." She then added, "Don't look back. Even if you're invited, wait quietly." Then, before leaving, Ayumi, feeling a little scared, continued on. She found a sofa bench along the way and sat down to eat some sakura mochi she'd bought at a convenience store. She decided to head down the mountain after finishing her sakura mochi, and immediately began eating them. However, as she ate each of the four sakura mochi, one disappeared, and when she ate another, another one disappeared. Breaking into a cold sweat at this strange incident, Ayumi decides to head down the mountain and stands up, starting to walk, when suddenly someone grabs her backpack from behind. Ayumi stops, following the old woman's advice to not look back and to wait silently even if invited to go. It's unclear how long she stood there, but after a certain amount of time, the hand lets go of her backpack. Ayumi quickly leaves. When she gets home, she finds two crushed sakura mochi in her backpack. This is a famous quote from a mysterious encounter with an unknown old woman.
9th Place: "Kusauma is only possible with life."
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
While climbing a certain mountain, Hibino Ayumi came across a stream that wasn't supposed to be on the route to the summit. Starting to feel anxious about her near-disaster situation, Ayumi takes a bite to calm down. After finishing her meal and calming down, she uses the knowledge that "if you get lost in the mountains, head for the ridge" to look at the map and somehow manages to find her way back to the hiking trail. However, the following Sunday, Ayumi's near-disaster situation is more shocking than she had imagined, and she stays holed up in her room, not wanting to go up to the mountains. Just as she begins to organize her hiking gear, hoping to distract herself, she discovers that she has little gas left and some cashew nuts that she had left in her pack as emergency food. So she heads to a nearby riverside and starts cooking outside. She makes "exquisite Kusauma Maca-Shew Nut Stir-fry" using fragrant ingredients and cashew nuts. While enjoying it with a beer, Ayumi says, "I am Kusauma only because I am alive." This is a quote from a day when I reflected on my carelessness and lack of knowledge in the mountains, was grateful to be alive, and regained my motivation to climb mountains again.
8th Place: "It's so nice to have friends who share the joy of reaching the summit!"
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
One day, Hibino Ayumi decides to challenge the mountains of Kaikoma and Sengakugaoka in the Southern Alps for a three-day, two-night climb. They decide to use the Nagaegoya campsite at Kitazawa Pass, located between Kaikoma and Sengakugaoka. There, they meet fellow solo climber, Eira Kayama. Both plan to stay the night before on the first day and climb Kaikoma on the second, so they decide to climb together. The two immediately begin their climb to Kaikoma. While wondering whether they should talk or keep pace, they seem to enjoy sharing the spectacular views along the way and the joy of reaching the summit. They chat idly on the way down, sharing the joy of climbing the mountains with someone. On the third day, the two decide to take a different route to Sengakugaoka. While Ayumi rediscovers the ease of solo climbing, she also feels a little lonely, perhaps because she's discovered the joy of climbing with someone. They meet Eira again at the summit and decide to have a meal together. So Ebi says with a smile, "Let's climb together again! It's nice to have friends to share the joy of reaching the summit with!" To which Ayumi replies, "Yes! Let's climb together again!" This is a famous quote that shows that even though she calls herself a "solo climber," she has come to realize the joy of climbing with someone.
No. 7: "When I propose to my special someone, I want it to be at a place where I can see a sunset like this..."
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
Hibino Ayumi took a paid vacation and visited the Yatsugatake Mountains for a four-day, three-night stay. Ayumi reached Tengu's inner garden (2,400m above sea level) around 6:00 PM, and was watching the golden sunset over the Northern Alps. Nearby was a group of what appeared to be male university students. One of them muttered, "I've decided ever since I was little that when I propose to someone special, I want it to be in a place where I can see a sunset like this." His male friends, who appeared to be his friends, responded with teasing, "Huh? So you've talked about it already?", "Haven't you been dating your girlfriend for a month?", and "Have you kissed yet?" Ayumi seemed embarrassed and said, "Forget it." Ayumi then vaguely thought, "There's something magical about the mountains that makes you accidentally blurt out wonderful words that you wouldn't normally say down below." These words were drawn out by the magical power of the mountains, and this famous quote made Ayumi realize once again the allure of the mountains.
6th Place: "Clear, Clear, Clear"
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
Hibino Ayumi took paid leave and headed to the Yatsugatake Mountains for a four-day, three-night trip. The Yatsugatake Mountains are divided into North and South Yatsugatake Mountains at Natsuzawa Pass. Ayumi planned to start at North Yatsugatake and head south over three days. After completing the first day, she set out at 5:00 AM on the second. However, at 10:00 AM, she was hit by heavy rain accompanied by thunder and was stranded at a mountain hut. She checked the weather afterward, but it didn't improve, so she decided to stay the night at the hut. On the third day, the weather calmed somewhat, but the rain continued. She left the hut at 9:30 AM and headed for Akadake (2,899 meters), the highest peak of the Yatsugatake Mountains. The weather was still bad, and the surrounding area was shrouded in clouds, making the view completely invisible. At 11:15 AM, she began the final steep climb just below Akadake's summit. Hoping for clear skies, Ayumi took each step. When she looked back, the clouds had completely cleared, revealing a magnificent view. Ayumi couldn't help but cheer, and it seemed the other climbers were cheering as well. Ayumi's thoughts were heard, and they were able to enjoy the magnificent view of Yatsugatake. This is a famous quote.
5th Place: "It's somehow dramatic and fun."
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
I was climbing a certain mountain. At a bus stop near the trailhead, another man got off alongside Hibino Ayumi. It seemed he was also climbing the mountain. The man in question is Usagi Yukio, a solo mountain climber. As they stand at the mountain entrance to begin their climb, Yukio, deciding it would be rude to walk behind a woman, takes the lead. Seeing Yukio moving swiftly, Ayumi decides that Yukio seems familiar with the trail and follows him to avoid getting lost. However, Yukio loses the trail along the way. This leads to Yukio and Ayumi walking together, searching for it. After an hour of wandering around, they finally make it back to the trail and decide to take a break, sheltering from the rain. Yukio then treats Ayumi to "adult cocoa," a mixture of milk cocoa, sliced ginger, and whiskey, and the two relax over the cocoa. Yukio remarks, "Having tea deep in the forest on a rainy day with someone who got lost with me...it's kind of dramatic and fun." Ayumi's heart was taken aback by his words. However, from the conversation that followed, she found out that Yukio was married with children. Although it was only for a short moment, it was this famous quote that made Ayumi feel the excitement of being in the mountains.
4th Place: "I've Made a True Mountain Friend"
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
When her junior colleague, Taki Sayori, reported that she had registered her marriage, Komatsubara Koiko, a senior colleague, became anxious upon hearing the news and decided to attend a "mountain meetup" with Hibino Ayumi. On the day, 20 men and 20 women gathered to climb Mount Tsukuba. Following the usual mountain-climbing convention format, Ayumi took turns talking to various men. One man caught Ayumi's attention, a man named Kowashi, for various reasons. When Kowashi fell, he stood up on his own without taking Ayumi's hand, and he ate lunch alone, so he didn't seem particularly at home at mountain-climbing events. Kowashi, who had previously failed in marriage, told Ayumi, as she walked next to him, that he wasn't suited to this kind of place and that she should talk to other people. However, Ayumi somehow felt like talking to Kowashi a little more, so they climbed the mountain together. Kowashi admitted, "I don't like mountains, they're exhausting," but added, "But the view's beautiful. I want to show it to my kids," and seemed to enjoy the mountain a little. Finally, the mountain-climbing event ended, and it was time for a couple's session. Kowashi had disappeared, claiming that his child had a fever. In the end, neither Ayumi nor Koiko are successful in pairing up with anyone at the mountain party, and they board the bus home. There, the organizer brings Ayumi a letter he says he received from Kowashi. In it, he writes that he's getting old and had given up on meeting anyone, but that the idea of there being a woman like Ayumi who will talk to him makes him feel a little better, and that he's also decided to take his son and climb mountains here and there. When Koiko, sitting next to him, asks if it's a love letter, Ayumi replies thoughtfully, "Yes... that's right... I've made a spiritual... mountain friend." This is a famous quote that makes you feel that Ayumi has gained another new experience by meeting Kowashi.
3rd Place: "Today, for the first time, I tried mountain climbing...and thought it was fun..."
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
After Komatsubara Koiko was appointed manager of the company, Taki Sayori joined the company as a new employee. However, due to her taciturn nature, Koiko and Hibino Ayumi had difficulty deepening their relationship. So Koiko plans a mountain climbing recreational trip. Four members of the accounting department - Koiko, Ayumi, Sayori, and Hirumura Naoki - head to Mount Takao. They successfully reach the summit and enjoy Kumamoto's local cuisine and shochu, prepared by Sayori. Afterwards, Koiko and Naoki take the cable car down the mountain, while Sayori and Ayumi relax and chat as they descend. After descending, they enjoy a soak in the hot springs directly connected to the entrance to Mount Takao. Sayori was originally a member of the mountaineering club, but had stopped hiking for various reasons. However, after climbing with the four of them, she says with a happy expression, "Today, for the first time, I thought mountain climbing was fun...maybe..." This famous quote shows that the four members of the accounting department have grown closer, and that Sayori has discovered the joys of mountain climbing.
Second Place: "The summit I reach someday will surely be even better than today!"
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
Ayumi Hibino had arrived in Nagano Prefecture to attempt Mount Okuhotaka. The day before, she had made it to Kamikochi and Yokoo, and it seemed like she was doing well, but her stomach wasn't feeling too great. Along the way, Ayumi somehow manages to reach Karasawa Cirque, with the help of over-the-counter medicine shared by a solo climber, a woman named Sauono Maki. The next day, Ayumi finally sets out to tackle Mount Okuhotaka, but her stomach still feels unwell, and while worrying about her stomach, she sprains her ankle. So she decides to turn back to Karasawa Cirque. When she returns and lies down in her tent, a keychain she picked up along the way encourages her, saying, "It was a wise decision to turn back without pushing yourself too hard. Now you can look forward to climbing again. The summit you will one day reach will surely be even better than today!" It's a famous line that seems to cheer up Ayumi, who is crying in frustration.
1st Place: "I was so happy to regain my faith in people."
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
While descending a mountain, Hibino Ayumi encounters Kokuren Nanami, who is traveling by car. Ayumi ends up getting a ride from Nanami to the station, but after hearing about a nearby hot spring, they decide to stop by. After enjoying the hot spring, the two make and eat meat sauce curry. Nanami has extensive outdoor knowledge and seems to enjoy traveling freely, but before she set out on her journey, she had experienced many things that had made her distrustful of people. However, through her travels, she met many people and was able to regain her faith in others. Ayumi even tells Nanami, "I long for a life of freedom like yours, Kuroren-san." To which Nanami replies, "Freedom can sometimes be lonely." This quote captures the weight and experience of Nanami, who has gained so much through her travels.
Mountains, Appetite, and Me - Ranking of Famous Quotes!
Source: Mountains, Appetite, and Me ©SHINCHOSHA
What did you think? This time, we've ranked the best quotes from the outdoor and gourmet manga "Mountains, Appetite, and Me." With "mountain climbing" and "mountains" as one of its themes, this work features many unique quotes. There are many more, so be sure to check them out! Thank you for reading to the end.
