102-year-old man conquers Mount Fuji, over 3,700m high

JAPAN - Recently, an old man from Maebashi City was recognized by the Guinness World Records Organization as the oldest tourist to conquer the peak of Mount Fuji, which is over 3,700m high.

According to CNN , Mr. Kokichi Akuzawa set this record after setting foot on the top of Japan's iconic mountain on August 5, at the age of 102.

Photo: Guinness World Records

"There were many times I wanted to give up halfway. Thanks to the encouragement of my family and friends, I was able to complete this challenge," Akuzawa shared.

It is known that the 102-year-old man was accompanied by his daughter, granddaughter and her husband, and four friends from the local climbing club. The group camped for two nights on the trail before reaching the summit.

Photo: Guinness World Records

"I didn't expect that at this age I could still climb so high," the old man said.

Previously, at the age of 96, Mr. Akuzawa also set a record as the oldest person to conquer Mount Fuji. In the past 6 years, despite facing many health problems from heart disease, shingles to injuries from falls, Mr. Akuzawa has never given up his passion for mountain climbing.

To prepare for this year's journey, he spent three months training rigorously, waking up at 5am every day to walk for about an hour and climbing at least one mountain a week around Nagano province, central Japan.

Photo: Guinness World Records

Sharing about his love of mountain climbing that has followed him for the past 88 years, Mr. Akuzawa said that the most attractive thing is not only the majestic scenery but also the friendship that binds him on the journey of conquest.

“I climb mountains because I love it. It is easy to make friends in the mountains,” he said.

Akuzawa was an engine design engineer and then worked as an artificial insemination technician for livestock until he was 85, his family said.

Photo: Guinness World Records

“When climbing mountains, our minds don’t need to work too hard, we just need to move forward together,” Akuzawa shared, revealing that he used to climb mountains alone. However, his declining health forced him to rely on others’ support.

The 102-year-old man frankly admitted that this was the most difficult challenge he had ever experienced: "Mt. Fuji is not a difficult mountain to climb, but this time I found it much more difficult than 6 years ago. I have never felt so weak and slow," said Mr. Akuzawa.

When asked if he would like to take on the challenge again in the future, Mr. Akuzawa smiled and said that he could only aim for "mountains half the size of Fuji near his home."

2 female tourists spent over 100 million VND to hire 24 male escorts to climb the mountain CHINA - Two female tourists spent 30,000 NDT (about 110 million VND) to hire 24 male "assistants" to escort them to the top of Mount Tai.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cu-ong-102-tuoi-chinh-phuc-nui-phu-si-cao-hon-3-700m-2440829.html