Kokichi Akuzawa, from Maebashi, Japan, became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Fuji at the age of 102.
The achievement has since been recognized by Guinness World Records.
According to Akuzawa, he was “tempted to give up halfway through” but he was able to carry on, with the help of his friends and family, who encouraged and supported him.
Akuzawa climbed Mt. Fuji in early August with his daughter Motoe, 70, and his granddaughter, her husband, and a group of friends from a local mountain climbing club.
The group spent two nights camping along the trail before continuing their climb to Mount Fuji’s summit, which rises 12,388 feet.
This wasn’t his first time scaling the mountain. At 96, he completed his first ascent, becoming the oldest person ever to do so.
Since then, Azukawa has battled and overcome a number of health challenges, including shingles, heart problems, and a climbing accident that left him needing stitches.
In preparation for the August climb, Akuzawa trained for three months. He began each day at 5 a.m. with an hour-long walk and tackled roughly one mountain a week in the Nagano prefecture.
An Experienced Climber
Akuzawa began climbing nearly ninety years ago. While reaching a summit always carries a certain magic, he says it’s the friendships he’s made along the way that have kept him returning to the mountains.
His family said he worked as an engine design engineer before later becoming a livestock artificial inseminator, continuing his career until the age of 85.
In his younger days, Akuzawa preferred climbing alone. But as his strength gradually declined, he came to rely on the support of others.
When asked if he plans to climb Mount Fuji again, he admitted he “can’t anymore.” Still, he intends to continue tackling smaller peaks, such as Mount Akagi, which stands at 5,997 feet, about half the height of Mount Fuji.
These days, Akuzawa spends his mornings teaching painting at his home studio and volunteering at a local senior center.
For his next work, his daughters hope he will paint Mount Fuji at sunrise – it would join the existing collection of mountain paintings in his living room.
Akuzawa said he also hopes to paint scenes from Mount Fuji’s summit, a place that holds special memories for him, especially now that he knows he won’t be climbing to the top again.
