Currently, animal damage is a problem all over Japan, and in Chiba Prefecture, damage to crops is also severe.
Hamish Murphy moved to this area known as the Mineoka Mountains, which straddles Kamogawa City and Minamiboso City, seven years ago. Originally from Australia, he came to Japan for work 37 years ago. He worked in finance in Tokyo for many years, but discovered Kamogawa River about 20 years ago as a place to spend weekends in search of nature. 
"From the first time I came here, I felt that Kamogawa was a place overflowing with mysteriously positive energy. It has both the sea and the mountains, an abundant water supply, and many Jomon period ruins. Eventually, I came across this mountain, bought it, built a house there, and spent my weekends there. Then, about 10 years ago, I quit my job and decided to study permaculture. At the same time, I began cultivating this land."
The mountain, which covers an area of 33,000 square meters, is an untouched forest with no roads or running water. Following the principles of permaculture, he cleared part of the forest, creating fields and ponds. He has built a diverse ecosystem while minimizing the burden on the environment and making the most of the resources available there. For the past seven years, he has been using his weekend home as a guest accommodation, and he himself has built a small house on the mountain where he lives a self-sufficient life. 
"After I moved here permanently, I started to have more interactions with my neighbors. The person who has helped me the most in this village is also a hunter, and when I was given the meat he had caught, it had a pure flavor and was delicious. He taught me how to butcher animals. However, there are no game butchering facilities in the area, so I couldn't sell the meat. I just gave the meat I caught to my neighbors."
Hamish, who grew up with a mother who was a great cook and frequently hosted home parties, is quite the gourmet. He has eaten a lot of different dishes at restaurants, but he felt that the game meat here was of the finest quality, which is why he wanted more people to try it. 
There is a workshop next to the slaughterhouse, and they currently have four partner hunters.
"With the support of the hunters, we were able to obtain permission and qualifications over the course of two years to operate a wild game processing facility. Now, we butcher and age the deer and wild boar brought to us by the hunters here.
Aging gibier is still rare in Japan, but aging makes the meat softer and enhances its sweetness and depth of flavor. However, if a farmer sets a trap and catches an animal, they may not have the skills to finish it off. In such cases, our hunters will kill the animal. After killing, it is essential to drain the blood in the correct way immediately, as this is a prerequisite for high-quality gibier. It is a lot of work to deal with the animal after it has been caught in the trap, but the animal doesn't go to waste, so it is a mutually beneficial process." 
The aging period is about two weeks for venison and about one week for wild boar. The degree of aging can be judged by the aroma and appearance of the meat.
The venison is aged for two weeks, and the wild boar for about a week, to bring out the best in its flavor. The sausages made with wild game are a speciality item. 
"Gibier, which has roamed the mountains and fields and been raised in nature, naturally has a mild flavor. If it smells bad, it's because the blood wasn't drained properly or the meat wasn't handled properly. I only use seasonings that allow you to taste the true flavor of the gibier. The most important salt I use is saltwater that springs from underground in salt fields at an altitude of about 3,000 meters in the Andes, and is then sun-dried."
He is always looking for ingredients that go well with game, and is a fan of island pepper that he discovered in Okinawa, and black salt that has the scent of Himalayan sulfur. 
They clear the mountains and grow vegetables and herbs to use in sausages, etc. The closer they are to the original species, the more robust they are, allowing them to grow without the use of pesticides or fertilizers.
"I try to use Japanese products as much as possible, and use things like Japanese pepper berries that grow wild in this forest. I grow fennel, garlic, Thai basil, and shiso in the fields, and in the forest I plant kumquats, mandarin oranges, and Nepalese pepper. That's why I call it an edible forest."
Hamish's job also involves cutting down and pruning trees to maintain the forest so that sunlight can reach the ground. He builds homes that return to the earth, using rice husks for insulation, and uses composting toilets to turn excrement into fertilizer for gardens and fields. Maintaining the forest and consuming the lives of wild animals also means that humans are part of nature and are continuing to share its blessings. 
"Animals have sentience, so we need to treat them well. Hunters express their gratitude before killing them. I also blend the unmarketable internal organs with bamboo chips to use as fertilizer, give the bones to a friend who is a ceramic artist who makes bone china, and give meat that is in poor condition and can't be sold to a company that makes pet food. I try to use as much of the animals as possible. I'd be happy if someone would use the leather."
He hopes to continue enjoying life and connecting with people through game meat and music, one of his hobbies. 
The house was built using natural materials based on the idea of permaculture, and artworks by a friend, an artist from Bali, were displayed throughout.
"Kamogawa is not economically rich, but the people who live here are all kind. They live with a spirit of mutual support, helping and caring for each other. Japan as a whole is currently in a recession, with a declining population and a depressed situation, but at this point, the only option is to be reborn. I'm sure things will get more interesting in the future."
We asked the former securities trader, who spoke optimistically about his outlook for the future, about the best way to eat Mineoka game meat. 
"At home, I often make a salad by quickly boiling root vegetables and green beans, then cooling them and combining them with grilled game meat, seasoned with salt, pepper and spices. It's also delicious with a drizzle of cheese or oil on top. My wife makes meatballs with minced wild boar and adds sansho pepper or shimakosho pepper, and puts them in udon or soba noodles with shiitake mushrooms and fried tofu. This is also delicious. You can also grill the minced meat and put it on pizza. I think the best way to eat it is simply to allow the original flavor to shine through."
