Kokichi Akuzawa, born in 1923, reached the summit of Japan’s highest peak (3,776m) on August 5, after maintaining a near-weekly mountain-climbing routine as part of his training.
Guinness World Records has officially recognised the feat.
“I am six years older than the last time I climbed,” Mr Akuzawa told AFP.
“I have been there and seen the view many times; it wasn’t anything special. I reached the summit last time too.”
Mr Akuzawa’s preparation for the ascent of Mount Fuji, an active volcano, followed a series of health setbacks. He had tripped on a nearby mountain in January, battled shingles, and was hospitalised for heart failure.
“His physical condition worried the family, but he was determined to climb,” his daughter Yukiko (75) said.
On the morning of August 3, he began his climb via the easiest of the mountain’s four routes: the Yoshida trail.
The route involves about 1,470m of vertical gain, and ascent typically takes between five and seven hours.
I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help
To accommodate the challenge, Mr Akuzawa spread his climb over three days, spending two nights in huts along the route.
Despite struggles near the top, he reached the summit at 11am on August 5. He later joked he’d never do it again.
“If you ask me next year, maybe you’ll get a different answer,” he said. “But for now, I’m happy with that climb.”
Mr Akuzawa said in a statement: “It was tough, and it felt a lot different to the last time I climbed it.
“I’m amazed that I made it to the top.”
For the majority of his climb, Mr Akuzawa enjoyed favourable weather, though conditions grew harsher near the summit, with dropping temperatures, thinner air and lower oxygen levels.
On the third day, he felt like giving up, but his daughter Motoe (70) urged him to press on, taking it one step at a time.
“I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help,” Mr Akuzawa said in the statement.
The title of the oldest climber to reach Fuji’s summit has changed hands several times over the past decades. In 1986, at the age of 99, Teiichi Igarashi set the record. In 1994, Ichijiro Araya made the climb at 100 years and 258 days old.
Now, Mr Akuzawa has raised the bar, reaching the summit at 102 years and 51 days.
Mr Akuzawa is a seasoned mountaineer, according to Guinness World Records. In 2022, to mark his 99th birthday, he scaled Mount Nabewari, a 1,273m peak near Tokyo.
AloJapan.com