A 102-year-old Japanese man has become the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji, and his daughter, 70, joined for the trek too.
Kokichi Akuzawa nearly gave up while ‘half way through’ ascending the 12,000ft summit – but with the help of four friends, his daughter and granddaughter, he completed the feat.
The climbing party camped for two nights on the trail before hiking to the top of Japan’s tallest mountain on August 5.
Prior to the ascent, Akuzawa spent three months training, waking at 5am to walk for hours, tackling roughly one mountain each week.
And now his latest achievement has been recognized by the Guinness World Records.
‘I was really tempted to give up halfway through,’ Akuzawa said.
‘Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me.’
‘I’m impressed I climbed so well,’ he said, communicating with the help of his 75-year-old daughter Yukiko, who repeated questions due to his hearing issues.
Kokichi Akuzawa 102-year-old (pictured) has become the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji, and his daughter, 70, joined for the trek too.
Kokichi Akuzawa nearly gave up while ‘half way through’ ascending the 12,000ft summit – but with the help of four friends, his daughter and granddaughter, he completed the feat
Prior to the ascent, Akuzawa spent three months training, waking at 5am to walk for hour and tackling roughly one mountain each week
Akuzawa added that he doesn’t take any mountain for granted at his age, saying: ‘It’s better to climb while you still can.’
However, this not his first-record breaking on Mount Fuji, having previously become the country’s oldest person to scale the mountain at the age of 96.
In the six years since, he overcame heart issues, shingles and stitches from a climbing fall.
Surrounded by relatives in his Maebashi home, he also revealed what drew him to the mountains 88 years ago – the magic of reaching the summit.
‘I climb because I like it,’ he said. ‘It’s easy to make friends on the mountain.’
Akuzawa was a capable student and worked as an engine design engineer and later as a livestock artificial inseminator, a profession he held until age 85, his family said.
‘Whether you liked studying or not, you could enjoy the mountain just the same,’ he said.
‘Intelligence didn’t matter up there. We were all on equal footing and moved forward together.’
Akuzawa once enjoyed climbing solo, but with the passing years as his strength decreased he leaned more on help from others.
His record climb last month was another test that he passed with assistance.
And now his latest achievement has been recognized by the Guinness World Records
‘Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me,’ he said
‘Mount Fuji isn’t a difficult mountain, but this time was harder than six years ago. Harder than any mountain before,’ he said.
‘I’ve never felt this weak. I didn’t have pain, but I kept wondering why I was so slow, why I had no stamina. I’d long since passed my physical limit, and it was only thanks to everyone else’s strength that I made it.’
When asked if he would attempt another trek up Mount Fuji, he said: ‘I’d love to keep climbing forever, but I guess I can’t any more.
‘Now I’m at the level of Mount Akagi,’ a nearby summit standing about half the height of Fuji with a peak of 5,997ft.
These days, Akuzawa spends his mornings volunteering at a senior care centre and teaching painting at his home studio.
Mountaineering and painting demand time and dedication but both offer peace, he said.
‘People who climb mountains, people who paint; if they can create something whole on that path, that’s the most fulfilling thing,’ Akuzawa said.
Akuzawa’s daughters want him to paint Fuji at sunrise for the next addition to the depictions of mountain ranges covering his living room walls.
‘I’ve got a lot of requests,’ he said, sparking laughter from the assembled family.
‘I want to paint some scenes from the summit of Mount Fuji, places that hold special memories for me, since this was likely my last time reaching the top.’
AloJapan.com