Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (2008) is set in Panem, a dictatorship that rose to power after climate change caused conflicts that led to the collapse of the previous nation. In Panem, the Hunger Games are held as a warning to those who once plotted against the nation, forcing boys and girls aged 12 to 18 from each region to fight to the death until only one remains. The protagonist, Katniss, who suffers from hunger, supports her family with the hunting skills her father taught her and sometimes survives by gathering plants named after herself. While some people are starving, the wealthy are enjoying a plentiful meal, which symbolises our world where hunger and satiation coexist. While Katniss's survival is harsh, there are some interesting points for the reader. Camping has been booming in Japan, and more young people are growing interest in obtaining food through outdoor activities such as gathering wild plants and fishing. The comic titled Golden Kamui by Noda Satoru (serialized from 2014-22) seems to be behind the boom. The story set in the northern part of Japan, Hokkaido at the end of the Meiji era, depicting a battle over gold. “The Immortal Sugimoto,” a hero of the Russo-Japanese War, and Ashirpa, a young Ainu (one of the minority races in Japan) girl survive on wild dietary. The Ainu culture and their former dietary habits depicted in the story have also drawn attention. In the present day, where everything seems to be easily available in developed countries, it will consider how obtaining food from nature is portrayed in children’s literature.
