A 102-year-old Japanese man has set a brand new report by turning into the oldest to summit Mount Fuji.
Kokichi Akuzawa started his ascent on Aug. 5 alongside along with his 70-year-old daughter Motoe, his granddaughter and her husband and buddies, in line with The Related Press.
Akuzawa informed AP he’s impressed that he climbed so properly, sharing that it’s higher to climb whereas he nonetheless can.
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“I was really tempted to give up halfway through,” he mentioned. “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.”
The 12,388-foot-high mountain is the very best in Japan and was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage website in 2013.
Kokichi Akuzawa, a 102-year-old Japanese man, has set a brand new report because the oldest individual to climb Mount Fuji. (AP Picture/Hiro Komae)
Akuzawa overcame coronary heart points, shingles and a climbing damage. Three months earlier than the summit, he started coaching by waking early for lengthy walks and climbing one mountain every week, in line with AP.
This isn’t the primary time Akuzawa has set the report. He climbed the mountain when he was 96.
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“Mount Fuji isn’t a difficult mountain, but this time was harder than six years ago. Harder than any mountain before,” Akuzawa mentioned.
Mount Fuji is 12,388 toes excessive, making it the tallest mountain in Japan. (Akuzawa household courtesy photograph by way of AP)
The mountain was a spot of pilgrimage and is now more and more widespread amongst hikers.
In 2023, greater than 220,000 individuals climbed the mountain between July and September, in line with the BBC.
“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,” Akuzawa added. “I’d long since passed my physical limit, and it was only thanks to everyone else’s strength that I made it.”
“People who climb mountains, people who paint — if they can create something whole on that path, that’s the most fulfilling thing,” mentioned Awkuzawa, pictured right here. (Akuzawa household courtesy photograph by way of AP)
The mountain’s mountain climbing trails are formally open solely from July to early September, though there isn’t any penalty for mountain climbing low season.
“People who climb mountains, people who paint — if they can create something whole on that path, that’s the most fulfilling thing,” Akuzawa mentioned.
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