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Mountain Views-News SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2025

Mountain View News Saturday, September 13, 2025


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 



[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Til Death Do 
Us Part?” and other books. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or Box 
41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

THIRTY YEARS IN THE JUNGLE: 

Could You Do It?

MR. DARCY

Cat Fans of 
Author Jane 
Austen?

Around June 
30, 6 male kittens 
were born 
to a stray mama 
cat named Jane 
Pawsten. Her boys are all named, of course, 
for some of Austen’s characters. I will feature 
one of them each week, starting with 
Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is undoubtedly one 
of the most handsome kittens ever born, 
according to 
his

foster mom. He has such beautiful uniform coloring of 
his paws and coat and quite the handsome little face. Mr. 
Darcy is a little lover and always looks so soulfully in your 
eyes when you look at him. He loves to play, run, & wrestle 
with his brothers and enjoys all kinds of toys. He will 
grow up to be quite the stunner. To apply to meet him 
and also see all of his brothers, visit https://www.lifelineforpets.
org/gabbis-kittens.html or use the qr code. 

But can you imagine practicing your survival skills, completely living off the land, not for a summer, 
not for a year, but for 30 years? Two men did just that for 28 and 30 years. Both were World 
War II Japanese soldiers who steadfastly held to their orders to not surrender. Though most Japanese 
soldiers preferred death to surrender, there were pockets of men who managed to hide out 
and survive. Two of the more extreme cases were Shoichi Yokoi who was discovered in 1972, and 
Hiroo Onoda who finally came out in 1974. Both Yokoi and Onoda were on different islands with 
different circumstances, and neither would surrender.

All of our modern "survival experts" pale in comparison to what these two men actually did. By 
exploring the details of Yokoi and Onoda, we can learn some practical lessons regarding how they 
met their most fundamental needs and how they overcame their challenges.

SHOICHI YOKOI

On January 24, 1972, two residents of the village of Talofofo in the southern part of Guam were out 
hunting along the Talofofo River when they heard a sound in the tall reeds. They thought it was an 
animal or maybe a child in the bushes, but out came a very old and wild appearing Japanese man 
carrying a shrimp trap. The hunters were started at first, and after a few confused words, they subdued 
56-year-old Shoichi Yokoi and took him back to their corrugated metal home in the jungle, 
about an hour's walk away. Eventually, the police were summoned, and the story of Shoichi Yokoi's 
saga became known.

During WWII, Yokoi had been transferred from Manchuria to Guam, and he served as a sergeant 
in the supply corps. When the Americans came, he and nine other men hid in the jungle. Their 
numbers gradually dwindled to three, and they shared a cave for a while. He knew from a leaflet he 
found in 1952 that the war was over but never gave himself up because "we Japanese soldiers were 
told to prefer death to the disgrace of getting captured alive." Eight years before he was found, the 
other two men died, leaving him alone. How did Yokoi handle the basics necessities of life? Food? 
Water? Clothing? Shelter? Tools? Let's explore, one by one, how he managed to provide these necessities 
in a situation where he had no hope (or desire) of returning to "civilization."

FOOD

According to Yokoi, obtaining necessary food was "a continuous hardship." He described it as his 
single hardest on-going task, despite the fact that food in the jungle is said to be plentiful. His diet 
included mangoes, various nuts, crabs, prawns, snails, rats, eels, pigeons, and wild hog. Though 
he had no salt for flavoring or as a preservative, he boiled coconuts in coconut milk. He built little 
traps and caught shrimp and eel from the river. He put grated coconut into the traps to serve as bait. 
He would then skewer the eel and shrimp and grill them over his fire. Yokoi had fashioned a rat 
trap from wire, based on a design that was formerly very common in Japan. Yokoi's trap measured 
about 10 by 6 by 4 inches, and just the slightest touch of the bait causes the lid to shut. He said he 
liked rat meat, especially the liver. However, he added that he could not afford to be concerned with 
whether or not he "liked" any of the food he obtained. He ate it all. On one occasion, he caught a 
wild pig and became ill. Apparently, he hadn't cooked it well enough and he experienced severe 
stomach pains for a month.

CLOTHING

Reporters who saw Yokoi's clothing were amazed. They were unable to determine from what sort of 
materials they had been made. He even had home-made buttons! His clothes were made by beating 
the bark of the pago tree into flat pieces of fabric. The pago tree is very common in the mountains 
of Guam. He then beat pieces of brass in order to create a needle shape, and gradually drilled holes 
in his sewing needle using an awl. His thread also came from the beaten bark of the island's pago 
trees. He wove cloth from the beaten fibre, and sewed the pieces together to make a total of three 
"suits" during his 28 years on the island. By the way, Yokoi had been a tailor before the war, a craft 
that served him well. His 3 sets of pants and shirts were hand-made and then he would constantly 
repair them to keep them serviceable. On each of his shirts, he made outside pockets for carrying 
things. His pants even had belt loops! And he took plastic from a flashlight and fashioned buttons, 
button-holes and all. He manufactured one belt by weaving the pago fibres, and onto the belt he had 
a hand-made buckle that he'd fashioned from wire.

SHELTER

Yokoi lived in different shelters during his 28 years. One of his shelters was a small house made 
from rushes he collected. He also lived in a hole that he dug under a bamboo grove. Yokoi said that 
he chose that particular site because it was well hidden and because the ground is more solid under 
a grove of bamboos. Officials had reported that it was nearly impossible to see the opening to his 
cave even when you were right next to it. The entire cave was dug with a trowel that Yokoi fashioned 
from an old cannon shell.

The inside of this cave, even at its highest point, was still just slightly more than three feet tall, 
which meant that Yokoi always had to squat. Inside, he had a toilet hole so well designed that it 
would flow off naturally to the river below. Keep in mind that the interior of this cave was pitch-
black, so Yokoi had devised a coconut shell lantern which burned oils. He had fitted the cave with 
a ventilation hole, and kept bamboo leaves on the floor.

HEALTH

Doctors who examine Yokoi after he was found said that he was fine both physically and mentally. 
Though the two hunters who initially discovered Yokoi thought he was much older than 56, they 
did report that he seemed quite strong for his size. Apparently, he remained healthier in the jungle 
than most folks do in front of their televisions and behind the wheel of their smog-belchers.


Pet of the Week


Meet Eeyore, a gentle guy searching for 
safety, patience, and peace. This 5-year-old 
gray pit bull came to Pasadena Humane as 
a stray and has been slowly learning to trust 
again. While he hasn’t yet felt ready to emerge 
from his Hundred Acre Wood (his kennel), 
Eeyore has shown incredible softness with 
familiar people. He loves to greet those he 
loves with tail wags, gentle kisses, and a love 
for head scratches. Oh, and don’t forget the 
hot dogs! His journey is unfolding one small, 
brave step at a time, and each breakthrough 
is a testament to the loving dog beneath the 
uncertainty.

Eeyore will need a quiet, low-traffic home 
with patient, understanding humans who 
can go at his pace. While he’s not ready for 
too much just yet, he is ready for kindness 
–for someone who will sit with him, offer
treats, and celebrate every small win. In the
right home, with time and care, we believe
Eeyore will blossom beautifully.

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog 
adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, 
and age-appropriate vaccines. 

Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos of adoptable 
pets at pasadenahumane.org.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for 
your pet. 

Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by 
phone calls or email.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com