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“How holy is Sagarmatha, Yuyu,” distinguished German photographer Andreas Stimm asked me as he returned from his seven-week trek in the Everest region. “And how precious silence of the mighty glaciers.”

Two decades ago, we had successfully collaborated on Nepal Trilogy, a 900-page poetry/panoramic photography book in b/w that captured the landscape of Everest, Helambu and Annapurna. Andreas spent a week at my residence, enjoyed Shreejana’s Dal Bhat, (‘a delicious poem’) and left for Helambu. A chance meeting him at the Frankfurt book fair in 2003 has turned into a lifelong friendship that celebrates the Himalayas in an exceptional way.

He took a Pathao cab to Kopan monastery, walked up and through the Shivapuri sanctuary, moved to Chisapani and entered Helambu. He reached Tarkegyang, went up the Ama Yangri Hill but couldn’t go any further to Langtang. Massive snow had covered the Ganja La Pass. He sent me photos of meeting the people we had featured in our Trilogy. “Everything has changed dramatically in two decades.” He thought even my poems on Helambu such as “The Roads are coming” have taken on a prophetic ring. The roads have actually arrived in the pristine valleys and brought with them a maelstrom of civilization—concrete, smoke, noise and greed:

The Himalayan cuckoo

Stops its song eternal, Khapal Pakyo!

And begins anew, changing its timeless refrain

Khapal Pakyo! Khapal Pakyo!

“The fruit has ripened!

The fruit has ripened! ripened…”

“The roads are coming!

The roads are coming! coming…”

(Nepal Trilogy, ‘Milarepa’s Bones’)

Trilogy content has turned into an archival artifact of mere historical relevance. “I can hardly recognize the areas I filmed then,” he lamented.

Laced with a tent, he walked on foot seven weeks 500 kilometers to revive his memories of Nepal he once knew. After Ama Yangri Hill, he walked around holy Panch Pokhari and went down into the Sun Kosi. Further eastward bound, he climbed over the hills from Gauri Shakar Himal, trudged down to Singati in the Tama Koshi valley. Then he walked east to reach Jiri, the former starting point of the classical Everest trek route. He followed the 3-pass route—Deurali, Lamjura La and Taksindu La down to the Everest Dudh Kosi and up to Namche Bazar which seemed as busy as Thamel in Kathmandu. His trek around the Everest loop with the 3 high passes, all over 5000 m altitude (Kongma La, Cho La & Renjo La)  was the culmination of his trek. Over Namche Bazar, he walked out to Kari La pass, where nowadays it's possible to catch a jeep back to Kathmandu.

Andreas seemed shocked. “It’s very very busy,” he said, “and the citadels of silence have been smashed by the advent of roads.” The rocks are being exploded with dynamite to build roads. Giant caterpillars are busy all over, doing the nasty work for the greed of mankind.

“Scores of houses like you see here in Kathmandu have erupted,” he pointed to a cluster of concrete houses in Koteshwor. He believed Sagarmatha region looks more of a fun park than a national park. It’s not the famed way to ABC but a cluster of shanty settlements taking shape along the classical trek route. It’s more of an imitation of the Alps style of climbing infrastructure without any reasonable concern for ecology. Wide concrete passages with fancy railings have been constructed for people to come and walk confidently on the ego trip to the highest mountain in the world. This human ego, (that it’s there) is the most notorious thing one can imagine causing havoc on the world’s most delicate terrain.

“Material that has gone into Everest with the roads is very sensitive,” he discerned. Plastic windows, ceiling material that can stay there forever, plastic is running all over the area and there’s no treatment plant to control waste. In fact, in Europe, the traditional Nepali way of building mountain houses is becoming a popular practice. But sadly, the old style of building houses without the use of concrete and steel is getting outdated in Nepal. At higher altitude, the ultra violet rays are extreme. They destroy plastic that spreads with the intensity of a malady, polluting air and water. Himalayan silence is at stake as the advent of the internet has added its own senseless clamor in the quiet canyons.  It gets worse with helicopters coming in and out of basecamp all the time.

“You can book a helicopter in a national park like you can book a taxi in Kathmandu is horrifying. Its instant booking details can be found in most of the Lodge menus. In a European national park, this sort would be unacceptable.”

“How holy, after all, is Sagarmatha, Yuyu? And how precious silence of the mighty glaciers.”

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Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa concluded her one-day official visit to Nepal against the backdrop of global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, tensions in the Middle East, and the escalating rivalry between the US and China in Southeast and South Asia. 

Over the past decade, US-Japan collaboration has significantly intensified, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where both countries share similar outlooks. This has led to increased security cooperation between them and expanded strategic partnerships with India and Australia. Japan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy emphasizes the establishment of a rule-based order in the region for the benefit of the international community. 

Before her visit to Nepal, Minister Kamikawa also engaged in discussions with Sri Lanka on regional affairs. Sri Lanka, which is trying to recover from a deep economic crisis, is in the global spotlight due to its debt problem with China. Japan shares the same position with the US and other democratic world when it comes to containing China’s influence in this region though it is not vocal about it.

However, when it comes to offering development assistance to Nepal, it seems Japan does not have any strategic interests. The case in point is Nagdhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel project on which there is no Japan’s strategic interests and there are other big infrastructures projects like this. Along with robust development cooperation, Japan’s priority in Nepal is transparency in development projects, upholding democracy and human rights. Japan’s Indo-Pacific outlook states that expanding a free and fair economic order in the Indo-Pacific region is one of the key priorities. 

Dr Satoru Nagao, fellow (nonresident) at Hudson Institute, says Japan wants to develop the Indo-Pacific as a stable and peaceful region, including Japan as a regional member.

In an article published on The Rising Nepal, Minister Kamikawa highlighted Japan’s support for Nepal’s democratization efforts and emphasized the shared values of democracy between the two countries. Japan is also launching initiatives like the Women, Peace, and Security Program in South Asia, recognizing the crucial role of women in fostering sustainable peace. 

Overall, the bilateral relationship between Japan and Nepal encompasses a range of collaborations, with both countries expressing commitment to further strengthen ties in various sectors, including development and labor mobility.  On the bilateral front, there is a long-list of collaboration between the two countries as Japan is one the major development partners of Nepal. The Japanese foreign minister has expressed commitment to support Nepal after the graduation from the LDC category.  

Japan is also seeking foreign workers and efforts are underway to hire more Nepali workers. In 2019, the two countries signed a memorandum of cooperation on sending Nepali workers to Japan under the government-to-government modality. Under the deal, specified skilled workers from Nepal will be hired in various job sectors of Japan, ranging from nursing care to manufacturing to hospitality. The minister’s visit is likely to make progress in this area.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha held talks with his Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa on Sunday afternoon. The two leaders reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations and cooperation so far, and discussed various areas of bilateral relations to elevate economic and development cooperation.

The two leaders held discussion on enhancing support and cooperation in Nepal’s major developmental priorities that include agriculture, hydro-power, infrastructure development, connectivity, export promotion, industrial production, foreign investment and tourism sectors.

As the year 2026 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relations, the two leaders also underscored the need to commemorate the milestone with high-level exchanges and various events.

Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the President House in Sheetal Niwas today.

On the occasion, President Paudel said Nepal is very much concerned about protecting the Himalayas and sources of water to save the earth and urged the carbon-emitting developed nations to become sensitive for the climate change impacts reduction, the President's press advisor Kiran Poharel quoted the President as saying.

Stating that Nepal and Japan have close cultural ties since the dissemination of the teachings of Gautam Buddha, the Light of Asia, President Paudel said Nepal and Japan have enjoyed trouble-free relations and Nepal has always realized a higher level of goodwill from Japan. 

Saying that Japan was an important and trustworthy partner for Nepal's socioeconomic development, the President expressed confidence that the areas of cooperation and assistance between Nepal and Japan would further expand.

Likewise, the President said that they should give priority to expanding people-to-people relations and viewed that more Japanese tourists would come to visit Nepal due to the religious and cultural proximity between the two countries and also due to Nepal's natural beauties.

On the occasion, Japanese Minister Kamikawa shared that Japan is also worried about the impacts of climate change and all should collaborate to protect the Himalayas of Nepal and other countries.

She added that a massive revolution was imperative in the technology for the use of alternative energy.

Furthermore, the Japanese minister shared that Japan would extend every possible support to Nepal realizing that Nepal's development and stability was needed for this region.

The Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal has split on Sunday.

After the split of Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal led by Upendra Yadav, a new party has been formed under the chairmanship of Ashok Rai, leader Pradeep Yadav told Annapurna Post, sister publication of the Annapurna Express.

JSP Chairman Yadav is currently on a US visit.

Nine lawmakers stood in favor of Rai.

According to Yadav, nine lawmakers representing in the federal Parliament filed an application at the Election Committee for the registration of a new party.

“I and Rai along with Renu Yadav, Nawal Kishor Sah Sudhi, Birendra Mahato, Ranju Kumari, Hasina Khan and Sushila Shrestha among nine lawmakers filed at the Election Committee for the registration of a new party,” Yadav said.

He said that the new party’s name has been proposed as Janata Samaj Party.