The other day, I went to Mount Fuji.

This time, I had the opportunity to participate in "Let's Climb Japan's Highest Mountain, Mt. Fuji: High School Students from Tohoku Climb Mt. Fuji," a project organized by the late Junko Tabei .

Junko Tabei is a mountaineer who has accomplished great feats, including being the first woman to successfully climb Mount Everest and conquering the highest mountains on all seven continents.

Tabei set a goal of taking 1,000 high school students affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake to Mount Fuji, and now her husband and son are carrying on the project, carrying on her vision.

This project is in its sixth year this year.

A few months ago, I got a phone call.

"We will be starting the climb in the early hours of the morning, so headlamps are an even more important piece of equipment, but it will be difficult to get the participating high school students to buy them."

I heard from someone that "emergency flashlights have drawbacks when used in the mountains, so I'm looking for a product that is easier to use and more durable."

"Instead of providing headlamps every year, students who successfully reach the summit this year will have a message engraved on their belts and pass it on like a sash to their friends who will be participating in the project next year."

It was a wonderful project, so I immediately replied, wanting to help for the sake of the high school students in Tohoku.

However, we made it a condition that two of our staff members also wanted to participate as headlamp concierges.

As a result, I was able to participate together with the high school students.

On the first day, we gathered at the fifth station of Mount Fuji around 3:00 PM.

Due to the thick fog, we were unable to start climbing immediately, and in the meantime the guide distributed Milestone headlamps: MS-A2 to each group.

We will teach high school students how to operate the device, from how to insert the batteries to the lock function to prevent accidental operation.

Once the fog cleared, we all set off for the sixth station.

About 20 minutes up from the fifth station, we came across a mountain hut, and the high school students seemed relieved after their long journey.

Dinner came immediately. Everyone was hungry, so they finished their food in no time.

I woke up at 2am. I put on my headlamp with unfamiliar hands. Many high school students were putting it on the wrong way round lol.

With the girls' group

Divided into boys' groups

We will split into a total of seven groups and aim for the summit.

Anyway, it was pitch black, and I had to rely on the light from my headlamp to find my way.

The MS-A2 is an ultra-lightweight headlamp that consists of a main incandescent-colored LED and a sub-white LED and runs on a single AA battery.

They are easy to wear for long periods of time without causing fatigue, and everyone found them very useful. The warm white light produced a beautiful picture even when viewed from a distance.

It was gradually getting brighter around here.

Both the boys' and girls' groups

We climbed with the aim of reaching the top. We saw smiling faces during breaks along the way.

At an altitude of over 3000 meters,

It looked as if the torii gate was overlooking the sea of ​​clouds.

Along the way, we encountered a famous climber of Mount Fuji. This man, like an "ICHI-METER," recorded the number of times he had summited Mount Fuji. The total number was a staggering 1,926!

1926 times means that even if you climb once a week, it will take you 38 years.

Along the way, we all welcomed the last student who was about to retire.

All participants reached the summit safely. It was a wonderful and moving moment.

After a short break...

Along the way, there was heavy rain and thick fog that made it difficult to see ahead, but we managed to descend the mountain safely.

This was my first time climbing Mount Fuji, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for giving me this opportunity.

Thanks again to everyone who participated.