A 102-year-old hiker has become the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji in Japan. It is the country’s highest mountain, making this a real achievement.
Japanese native Kokichi Akuzawa was honored with the distinction. The 102-year-old hiker hiked Mount Fuji with his 70-year-old daughter, Motoe, and his granddaughter, as well as others. According to the Associated Press, Mount Fuji has a peak of 12,388 feet. It took them two days to reach the peak.
“I was really tempted to give up halfway through,” Akuzawa told the AP. “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. […] It’s better to climb while you still can.”
102-Year-Old Climbs Mount Fuji
Thanks to not giving up, Kokichi became the oldest person ever to climb Mount Fuji. But it turns out he was just beating his own record, which he set at 96. The centenarian overcame health issues and trained for three months to complete the climb.
“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.”
Of course, Kokichi has been mountain climbing ever since he was young.
“Whether you liked studying or not, you could enjoy the mountain just the same. Intelligence didn’t matter up there. We were all on equal footing and moved forward together,” he explained.
Guinness World Records officially recognized the accomplishment. However, he said that he would never hike Mount Fuji again. He’s officially putting that to rest with the latest climb.
“If you ask me next year, maybe you’ll get a different answer, but for now, I’m happy with that climb,” he added.
AloJapan.com