Japanese with anime voice: episode63
Hello, I’m Sachi.
On the same date as today, 29 May 1953, New Zealand mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people in the world to successfully climb Mount Everest, hence today’s anniversary of their ascent of Everest. It’s the highest mountain in the world. It’s the highest on the planet, with an altitude of 8,848 meters! When the altitude exceeds 8,000m, the oxygen level is one-third of that on Earth and the temperature is always below minus 10 degrees Celsius, making it extremely difficult to climb, let alone sustain life. That’s no wonder. I hear that many climbers have lost their lives while climbing. Climbing Mount Everest is an amazing achievement, but surprisingly it is still a recent event. I thought it was a long time ago. Well, it was a long time ago.
Incidentally, the first Japanese person to successfully climb Mount Everest was in 1970. Furthermore, the first female climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest is said to have been Japanese! That’s fantastic!
Also, I couldn’t talk about it as an anniversary because of the timing of the day of the week this podcast was released, but apparently the recent 26 May has been designated as the day of Hirotaka Takeuchi’s ascent of 14 8,000m peaks. It means that on 26 May 2012, a person called Hirotaka Takeuchi completely climbed all 14 mountains over 8,000 m in height. This is the first Japanese and, moreover, the 29th person in the world to have reached the summit completely. It is amazing, isn’t it?
But what is interesting about this is that they all have success dates in May. The first Japanese to climb Everest was on the 11th, the first female climber to climb Everest was on the 16th, and the first complete ascent of the 14 summits was on the 26th. Does this mean that this is the best time of year to climb, or does it just happen to be the same month? Which is it, I wonder? It’s strange, isn’t it? As an occultist, I get excited when I wonder if there is something behind such coincidences, but if you know the reason, please tell me in the comments section!
There are 14 mountains on the planet that are over 8,000 m high, and because of the severity of the climb, they are unknown territory, and among mountaineers, the ultimate aspiration is to reach the summit in its entirety. There is a famous saying “Why do we climb mountains? Because that’s where the mountains are.” Even if there was a mountain, ordinary people wouldn’t climb it. Why do people go to the trouble of climbing mountains, or why do they want to climb mountains when their lives are at risk? It’s a feeling I can never understand because I don’t want to go to the trouble of going through that kind of hardship myself. Someone else should do it for me.
However, Japan is home to Mt Fuji. Fuji, which may not be a big deal from the point of view of mountaineering specialists, but as a Japanese I would like to climb it one day. I think it’s already been 10 years since I said that. I wonder when I’m going to go. While I’m saying that, I’ll be old in no time, so I must get there soon. I told my partner that I wanted to climb Mt Fuji. He said that climbing the mountain certainly gives you a sense of achievement, but you have to go back the same distance again, not necessarily by helicopter, and when you think about it, you wonder if you can really feel that sense of achievement. When I heard that, I thought for sure. When you reach the summit, you definitely feel a sense of achievement. You feel like you did your best. But right after that, you realize that you have to walk that distance again. I understand. I understand.
In February this year, while filming for YouTube, I happened to meet a group of mountaineering enthusiasts. They told me that every Friday they go to an altitude of 333 meters. After 8,000 meters, 333 meters might not be a surprise. Nevertheless, it is amazing that they go there every week. They always go there except on rainy days. Spring and autumn are fine, but winter is very cold. But if the weather is not rainy or snowy, they go without fail. They’ve been doing it for seven years now. And they are in their 70s. One of them is already in his 80s. I guess because he climbs mountains every week, he looks really young. His legs and back are strong. He also knows how to use a smartphone and even uses social networking apps. He takes photos of flowers, looks up the language of the flower, and posts them along with the date of the climb.
I couldn’t believe he was the same age as my おじじ (ojiji). Oh, おじじ (ojiji) is my dad. My dad suffers from gout and sciatica and walks unsteadily. People who exercise on a regular basis have a totally different youthfulness! By the way, I thought it would be a good experience, so I accompanied him on the climb in March. It was really, really hard. It was very, very hard. And the summit point was not what I expected. When I was happy that I had finally reached the summit I had expected, the person I climbed with told me, “What are you talking about, you’re still a long way from the top, this is only the halfway point.” When I realized that we were only halfway up, I instantly lost my energy. I managed to climb to the 333m altitude point. Of course, I walked the same distance down. But the view was really nice. It was really beautiful. I’m glad I followed them. I’d like to go with them again and see different mountain scenery in different seasons. I’ve uploaded the video on YouTube, so please take a look at my efforts.
