Bandaka Group. The members of the Japanese R.C.C. II* Expedition were Shigeo Yasukawa, leader, Shiro Shirahata, Takeshi Ishii, Hiroshi Hotta, Gaiki Ohashi, Kunio Nagasawa and myself as deputy leader. Our advance party, Ishii and I, arrived at Kabul on July 3 and applied for permission to enter the Wakhan, but when refused by the Afghan government, we changed plans to climb around 22,450-foot Bandaka from the Munjan Pass, attempting the northeast ridge. The whole party left Kabul on July 16, traveled by car and truck through Kunduz, Taluquan, Faizabad and Jarm to Fazaratesaid. Starting on July 23, we walked first along the Anjuman River through Aulegeself, Rovert, Madan, Roisewalshue and Palwara villages, over the Nawashawer Pass, through Iskazele, Razele, Keron and Willy villages, over the Willy Pass, through Magnol village to the Munjan Pass. We pitched Base Camp on the pass at 12,650 feet near the English Manchester party on July 30. On August 1 we established Camp I at 14,500 feet below the northeast ridge of Bandaka, but on August 4 we gave this up, having climbed only 500 of the 4000 feet of the steep ice face. On August 6 Shirahata and I made the ascent of Koh-i-Sefe (16,800 feet) with the Manchester party, camping that night on top. This was east of Base Camp. Meanwhile the others took loads to Camp I at 13,500 feet near the right Munjan Glacier, southeast of Base Camp. On August 9 Yasukawa and Shirahata climbed Koh-i-August (16,470 feet) northeast of Base, while the others went to Camp I. On the 10th Hotta, Ishii, Nagasawa and Ohashi climbed Koh-i-Munjan North (17,717 feet). On August 11 Yasukawa and Shirahata climbed Koh-i-Quatre and Koh-i-Kiba, two peaks on the ridge that runs parallel to the Munjan River east of it. From Camp II at 16,075 feet on the Munjan Glacier, all except Yasukawa on August 13 climbed Koh-i-Munjan (18,143 feet), highest peak in the Munjan range. On August 15 Shirahata and Ishii made the second ascent of Koh-i-Hololgek ( 16,800 feet), due east of Camp I. The English had climbed it on August 8. We left Base Camp on August 17 and walked along the Sanglich River through Sanglich, Iskator to Zebak. We traveled by truck from Zebak through Balack, Faizabad, Taluquan to Kabul, where we arrived on August 22.

Ken Aoyagi, Japanese Alpine Club

*This stands for "Rock Climbing Club No. 2.” The first club was dissolved before the second war and after the war we organized R. C. C. II.—K. A.