Photo/Illutration A Sukiya "gyudon" beef bowl restaurant (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Statistics point to the danger of climbing a mountain alone.

Between a solo climber and a climber in a party, the ratio of dying or becoming lost in an accident is said to be greater than 2 to 1. An injury from a fall and heatstroke are among the misfortunes that can prove detrimental to a lone mountaineer.

"Had the victim been with someone else, they wouldn't have died," a mountain rescuer is quoted as saying in the book "Dokyumento Tandoku-ko Sonan" (Document: Solo climbing accident) by freelance writer Osamu Haneda.

If only there had been a partner in the mountain hut whom the victim could reach out to and ask for help. ...

A similar danger perhaps lurks in eating establishments where there is only one person on duty.

One early morning in January, a woman in her 50s who was working alone at a Nagoya outlet of the Sukiya "gyudon" beef bowl chain suffered a fatal heart attack.

The security camera showed that she likely collapsed in the kitchen around 5:30 a.m. It wasn't until more than three hours later that she was found by another employee who reported to work.

I could not help but think, "What if someone had been there to tend to her when she collapsed and called an ambulance immediately?"

Sukiya's one-person shift had come under criticism in the past for making it almost impossible for a worker to take a bathroom break, all the while creating an easy target for robbery.

The criticism resulted in the termination of the overnight solo shift, but not the early morning solo shift. Following the woman's death, the chain also belatedly promised to make changes.

Did Sukiya put profitability above all else and so was reluctant to add staff to the slow hours?

Haneda's book includes an episode of a solo climber who became incapacitated by an injury but was found and saved by another climber who happened to be passing by.

Is it too much to expect such a fortuitous outcome in a big city instead of a mountain?

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 6

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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