富士山の日フォーラム「日本とネパール～人と自然の物語」 Nepal and Japan: A Story of People and Nature

　富士山クラブ主催の「富士山の日フォーラム」は「日本とネパール～人と自然の物語」をテーマに、2025年2月23日午後1時から東京都港区の区立エコプラザで開催しました。都内や神奈川、千葉、埼玉県などから定員を超える約50人の聴衆が訪れ、終了時間の15時40分まで、パネリストの興味深いお話に最後まで熱心に聴きいっていました。

　このイベントは、富士山とエベレストが姉妹山提携をして10周年にあたることや、ネパールで野口健理事長や石坂政俊理事らが学校建設や災害支援を長年に

わたって実施し、友好関係を深めてきたことから、改めて両国の関係について理解と協力を深めようとの趣旨で実施しました。
第一部の冒頭で野口健理事長がビデオ出演(事前収録)し、「きょう講演するウパカルさんとは、10年ほど前に、富士山クラブの清掃活動で知り合った。岡山から夜行バスで来てくれて、その後も定期的に来てくれて親しくなり、ネパールに日本の文化を取り入れた学校を作ろうということで話がまとまった。きょうはウパカルさんから、このお話をしていただけるということで、楽しみにしています。ナマステ!」とあいさつ。

続いてネパールの出身

でホテリエのターパゴダル・ウパカルさんが「ネパールの教育事情と日本との関わり」というテーマで講演(写真右)。2010年に来日後、岡山の大学を卒業後、岡山市のホテルに勤務するまでの経歴に触れたあと、来日直後に留学のブローカーに騙され、鮨詰め状態での共同生活を強いられたり、職場での差別にも遭い、ラーメン店の深夜までのアルバイトで、過労と栄養失調で道に倒れ、近くの住民に助けられたりした苦労話を明かしました。

　その際、海外で差別を受けた体験をつづった野口健理事長の著書に出会って感銘。2014年に参加した清掃活動で初めて本人に会って意気投合し、親交を深めていったという。ウバカルさんは、野口さんの「一歩一歩、前へ前へ」「置かれた場所で咲きなさい」という言葉に励まされ、野口さんはじめお世話になった人々や日本に「恩返ししたい」との思いから、野口さんとともにネパールでの教育支援を始めたといいます。
ネパールの抱える問題としては、▽貧困問題▽教育の格差▽カースト制度▽海外への出稼ぎ――を指摘。いずれも根が深く、解決への道のりは険しいが、野口さんの言葉を胸に刻みながら「野口さんや助けてくれた日本への恩返しのために、

皆さんの夢を運ぶ一人のシェルパとしてこれからも頑張っていきたい」と決意を語っていました。

　このあとネパールで映画を作り続けてきた伊藤敏朗監督(写真左)が2006年に初めてネパールを訪れた際、「ふるさとに戻ったような、とても懐かしい感じがした」と振り返り、地元の有名俳優と意気投合して翌年、最初の映画「カタプタリ～風の村の伝説」に着手した経緯を明かしました。

３作目の「カトマンズの約束」を撮影中(2015年)には、ネパールで大地震が発生し、脚本も変更してカトマンズの市民のボランティアに支えられながら完成させた苦労話も。その際、被災した女性が「家は壊れたけれど、あなたの映画の中に残っている」という言葉に励まされて制作を続けることができ、人々との絆が一層、深まったと感じた。映画は人を支える力になることを実感した」と述べました。

　第2部では、初めにネパールで25年にわたって学校建設などの教育支援を続けてきた富士山クラブの石坂政俊理事が報告。両国が自然環境や農作物に恵まれる一方で災害のパターンも似ている点を挙げ、「ネパールはもともと家族関係が深く、生活の中に祈りや祭りが溶け込んできた。しかし、最近は多くの若者が都市部や海外に出稼ぎに出たりて家族や地域の連帯感が薄れてきたようだ」と問題提起しました。
　このあと、第一部で講演したウパカルさんと伊藤監督、石坂理事の３人によるパネルディスカッション(写真右)が行われました。ウパカルさんはネパール教育の現状について「詰め込み教育が多く、自由な創造性が発揮できない」と指摘。「海外の技術や教育を学び、それをネパールに生かしていきたい」と抱負。　

　石坂理事は「ネパールの田舎は食べ物も豊富でおいしく、日本と環境は似ている。しかし、ネパールは、若者が一度故郷を離れてしまうと戻ってこない。日本も地方の過疎化や限界集落化、不登校などの問題を抱えている」と共通点を指摘しました。
　伊藤監督は「ネパールでは、長男が米国、次男が英国、三男がオーストラリアで働いているという風で、日本よりグローバル化が進んでいる面もある。一方で、毎晩のようにSNSで家族と連絡を取り合うなどデジタルを通じて家族愛を育んでおり、その面でも先を言っている感じだ。両国で教え、教えられる関係を築いていきたい」と締めくくりました。
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The Day of Mt. Fuji Forum, organized by Fujisan Club, was held on February 23, 2025 from 1:00 pm at the Eco Plaza in Minato Ward, Tokyo, with the theme of "Japan and Nepal: A Story of People and Nature."
Approximately 50 people, exceeding the capacity of the forum, came from Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and other areas, and listened intently to the panelists' interesting talks until the end at 3:40 pm.

This event was held to deepen understanding and cooperation between the two countries, as it marks the 10th anniversary of Mt. Fuji and Mt. Everest becoming sister mountains, and as Chairman Noguchi Ken and Director Ishizaka Masatoshi have been building schools and providing disaster relief in Nepal for many years, deepening the friendly relationship between the two countries.

At the beginning of the first part, Chairman Noguchi Ken made a video appearance (pre-recorded) and said, "I met Mr.Upakar, who will be speaking today, about 10 years ago during a cleaning activity for the Mt. Fuji Club. He came from Okayama on an overnight bus, and after that he came regularly and we became close. We agreed to build a school in Nepal that incorporates Japanese culture. I'm looking forward to hearing from Upakar today. Namaste!"

Next, Thapa Godar Upakar, a hotelier from Nepal, gave a lecture on the theme of "Nepal's Educational Situation and Its Relationship with Japan." After touching on his career history from coming to Japan in 2010 and graduating from a university in Okayama to working at a hotel in Okayama City, he referred to his hardships, such as how he was deceived by a study abroad broker shortly after arriving in Japan, forced to live in a communal setting like sardines, and faced discrimination at work. He also collapsed on the street from overwork and malnutrition while working part-time at a ramen shop until late at night, and was helped by nearby residents.

During this time, he came across a book written by Chairman Noguchi Ken, which described his experience of discrimination abroad, and was deeply impressed. He met Noguchi for the first time during a clean up event on foot of Mt, Fuji in 2014, and the two hit it off and developed a strong friendship. Upakar was encouraged by Noguchi's words, "Step by step, keep moving forward," and "Bloom where you are planted," and began supporting education in Nepal with Noguchi, wanting to "give back" to Noguchi, the people who had helped him, and to Japan.

He pointed out that the problems Nepal faces include poverty, educational disparities, the caste system, and overseas work migration. All of these are deep-rooted and the road to resolving them is difficult, but he took Noguchi's words to heart and spoke of his determination to "continue to work hard as a sherpa who carries everyone's dreams, in order to give back to Noguchi and to Japan, which helped us."

Next, Director Toshiro Ito, who has been making films in Nepal, recalled that when he first visited Nepal in 2006, "I felt a very nostalgic feeling, like I was returning to my hometown," and revealed how he hit it off with a famous local actor and started working on his first film, "Kataputali: The Legend of the Wind Village," the following year.

While filming his third film, "Promise of Kathmandu" (2015), a major earthquake occurred in Nepal, and he also changed the script and completed the film with the support of volunteers from Kathmandu. At that time, a woman who was affected by the disaster told him, "My house was destroyed, but it remains in your film," which encouraged him to continue making the film, and he felt that his bond with the people had deepened even further. He said, "I realized that film can be a force that supports people."

The second part began with a report by Director Masatoshi Ishizaka of the Fujisan Club, which has been providing educational support such as building schools in Nepal for 25 years. He pointed out that while both countries are blessed with natural environments and agricultural products, they also have similar patterns of disasters, saying, "In Nepal, family ties have always been strong, and prayers and festivals have been integrated into daily life. However, in recent years, many young people have left for cities or overseas to work, and it seems that the sense of solidarity between family and community has weakened."

After this, a panel discussion was held with Upakar, who had spoken in the first part of the session, Director Ito, and Director Ishizaka. Regarding the current state of education in Nepal, Upakar pointed out, "There is a lot of cram education, and it is difficult to express free creativity." He expressed his ambition to "study overseas technology and education and apply it in Nepal."

Director Ishizaka pointed out the similarities between the two countries, saying, "The countryside in Nepal has an abundance of delicious food, and the environment is similar to Japan. However, in Nepal, once young people leave their hometown, they do not return. Japan also has problems such as depopulation in rural areas, marginalization of villages, and school absenteeism."

Director Ito concluded by saying, "In Nepal, the eldest son works in the United States, the second son in the UK, and the third son in Australia, so in some ways it is more globalized than Japan. On the other hand, they are nurturing family love through digital means, such as checking in with their families on social media almost every night, so in that respect too they seem to be ahead of the curve. I would like to build a relationship in which I can teach and be taught in both countries."