Photo: PHUNJO LAMA / AFP / Getty Images
Born 22 September 1939 in Fukushima, Junko Tabei, refused to let the judgment of men separate her from her passion. She first discovered her love for mountaineering at 10 years, when her class left Excursion to Mount Nesu. 3
Unfortunately, Tabei was unable to climb much during his teens, as mountain climbing was an expensive hobby and his parents had seven children to support.
However, she did not forget her love of mountain climbing and, after graduating from Showa Women’s University, where she studied English and American literature, he joined several men’s climbing clubs.
Some men welcomed her, others assumed she was only looking for a husband, while others refused to climb with her.
In a short time, she had climbed every major mountain in Japan, including the Mount Fuji. Demonstrating her commitment to the sport and her determination to continue, while climbing Mount Tanigawa, Junko met Masanobu Tabei, another mountaineer, whom she married when she was 27 years.
Tabei established Joshi-Tohan (women’s mountaineering) club in 1969, as a women-only club, Joshi-Tohan was the first such club in Japan . Women now had a place where they could climb together without men. She was breaking traditional Japanese expectations of femininity: being at home and raising children.
Tabei and the Joshi-Tohan club applied for a permit to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, but they had to wait 4 years to get a place on the formal climbing calendar.
There were still many men who did not believe that it was possible for women to reach the top of Everest, many felt that women should focus on raising children. children.
The Japanese Women’s Everest Expedition (JWEE) consisted mainly of working women from various professions, including two mothers. The historic ascent was scheduled for 1975, but the women faced financial obstacles. The expedition was expensive, so Tabei sought sponsorship.
Many companies were unwilling to sponsor such an effort, however last minute funding was obtained from Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper and Nippon Television. Team members were still required to pay 1 .5 million yen (2030572 dollars) to cover the cost of the shipment. Tabei taught extra piano lessons on top of her job, to help raise funds, and kept costs down by making gloves out of her car cover and pants out of curtains.
Despite the financial challenge and in the face of much criticism, in May 1975 started the expedition and attracted a lot of media attention.
Originally the plan was to send 2 women to the top, however altitude sickness meant the Sherpas could only carry enough oxygen for a climber. After much discussion, the team leader, Hisano, decided that Tabei should be the one to continue.
The 16 May 1975, after years of criticism from men, constant determination, financial obstacles, and 12 days after the avalanche that could have ended the expedition in disaster, Junko Tabei reached the top of Mount Everest and in doing so became the first woman to accomplish the feat.
Although she had reached the top of the highest mountain, Tabei did not considered that her dream was fulfilled, her ambition knew no limits. She she continued with mountaineering and successfully completed the 7 summits challenge, which consisted of reaching the top of the highest mountain in each continent. Throughout her life, she completed 44 female expeditions around the world.
Her personal goal was to climb the highest mountain in all countries, of which she achieved the impressive figure of 70.
In her 2012 she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, but she kept climbing . In July she (she she led a youth expedition to Mount Fuji. Three months later, on 20 October 2016, passed away in hospital.
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