Kokichi Akuzawa almost gave up halfway through his record-breaking climb of Mount Fuji at age 102, admitting he’d never felt so weak during a mountain ascent in his 88 years of climbing. Accompanied by his 70-year-old daughter, granddaughter, and friends from his local climbing club, Akuzawa pushed through two nights of camping on the trail before reaching the 12,388-foot summit in early August. The achievement earned him recognition from Guinness World Records as the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji, breaking his own record from six years ago when he accomplished the feat at age 96.
Between his two record-breaking climbs, Akuzawa overcame heart problems, shingles, and injuries from a climbing fall, proving that age is just a number when determination meets proper support. He spent three months training with daily 5 a.m. walks and weekly mountain climbs, though he confessed this ascent was harder than any before and required strength from everyone around him. Now retired from climbing Fuji forever, Akuzawa spends his days volunteering at a senior care center and painting mountain scenes, planning to capture sunrise views from Fuji’s summit as his final tribute to the mountain that defined his century of life. His philosophy remains unchanged after nearly 90 years of climbing: on the mountain, intelligence doesn’t matter because everyone moves forward together on equal footing.
