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[1] Kokichi Akuzawa almost gave up during his trek to become the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji at age 102. The achievement was recognised by Guinness World Records after he reached the top in August. “I was really tempted to give up halfway through,” he said. “Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me ... I managed to get through it because so many people supported me.”
[2] Akuzawa climbed with his 70-year-old daughter, Motoe, his granddaughter, her husband and four friends from a local mountain climbing club. The climbing party camped for two nights on the trail before their August 5 ascent to the top of Japan’s tallest mountain, which peaks at 3,776 metres. The trip was not Akuzawa’s first record-breaking ascent up Mount Fuji. He was 96 the first time he became the oldest person to scale the country’s most famous mountain.
[3] In the six years since, he has overcome heart issues, shingles and stitches from a climbing fall. Akuzawa spent three months training before the Fuji climb, waking at 5am for hour-long walks and tackling roughly one mountain each week, mostly around Nagano prefecture to the west of Gunma in central Japan.
[4] Surrounded by relatives and paintings of mountains in his home in Maebashi, about 240km northwest of Tokyo, Akuzawa recalls what drew him to the mountains 88 years ago. While reaching a summit could be magical, it was the people who kept him coming back. “I climb because I like it,” he said. “It’s easy to make friends on the mountain.”
[5] 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, according to his family. Akuzawa once enjoyed climbing solo, but as his strength decreased over the years, he leaned more on help from others. His record climb last month was another test that he passed with assistance. “Mount Fuji isn’t a difficult mountain, but this time was harder than six years ago. Harder than any mountain before,” he said.
[6] Akuzawa has been asked if he will attempt another Mount Fuji climb. “I’d love to keep climbing forever, but I guess I can’t any more. Now I’m at the level of Mount Akagi,” he said, referring to a nearby summit standing about half the height of Fuji with a peak of 1,828 metres.
[7] These days, Akuzawa spends his mornings volunteering at a senior care centre and teaching painting at his home studio. For the senior, mountaineering and painting demand time and dedication, but both offer peace. “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,” he said.
Source: Associated Press, September 8
