Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei (ç"°éƒ¨äº• 淳子, Tabei Junko, born September 22, 1939) is a Japanese mountain-climber who, on May 16 , 1975, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Early climbing history

After obtaining a degree in English literature from Showa Women's University where she was a member of the mountain climbing club, Tabei formed the "Ladies Climbing Club: Japan (LCC)" in 1969. She has climbed Mount Fuji as well as the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps, among others. By 1972, Tabei was a recognized mountain climber in Japan.

Everest expedition

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and Nihon Television sent an all-woman team to Nepal to take on the challenge of climbing Mount Everest. Fifteen women out of hundreds of applicants, including Tabei, were selected for the expedition

After a long training period, they began the expedition early in 1975 when they traveled to Katmandu. There they found nine local Sherpa people to guide them. They used the same route Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay took in 1953. In early May the women were camping at 6,300 meters when an avalanche struck their camp. The women, including Junko and the guides, were buried under the snow. Tabei lost consciousness for approximately six minutes until her Sherpa guide dug her out. Twelve days after the avalanche, Tabei became the first female to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Later activities

On 28 June 1992 Tabei finished the climb of Puncak Jaya to become the first woman to complete the Seven Summits.

Tabei had a goal to climb the highest peak in every country in the world and continues to work on ecological concerns. Tabei is the director of Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan, an organization working on a global level to preserve mountain environments.

Further reading

• 『エベレスト・ママさã‚":山登り半ç"Ÿè¨˜ã€ï¼ˆå±±ã¨æ¸"谷社,1978年）ISBN 4-635-04705-9
• 『七大陸最高峰に立って』（小学館,1992年）ISBN 4-09-387086-1
• 『山の頂のå'ã"うに』 （佼成出版社,1995年）ISBN 4-333-01706-8
• 『エプロンはずして夢の山』（東京新聞出版局,1996年）ISBN 4-8083-0567-4
• 『さわやかに山へ』（東京新聞出版局,1997年）ISBN 4-8083-0598-4
• ç"°éƒ¨äº•æ·³å­ç·¨ã€Žã‚¨ãƒ´ã‚§ãƒ¬ã‚¹ãƒˆã®å¥³ãŸã¡Women on Everest』（山と溪谷社,1998年）ISBN 4-635-17113-2
• 『山ã‚'楽しむ』（岩波書店,2002年）ISBN 4-00-430803-8
• 『はじめての山歩き:花、木、自然に会いに』（文化出版局,2002年）ISBN 4-579-30397-0
• 『高いとã"ろが好き』（小学館,2007年）「七大陸最高峰に立って」の増補 ISBN 978-4-09-408206-7
• 『山からの贈り物』（è§'川学芸出版,2007年）ISBN 978-4-04-621304-4
• 『いつでも山ã‚':ç"°éƒ¨äº•æ·³å­ã®å®Ÿè·µã‚¨ã‚¤ã‚¸ãƒ³ã‚°ç™»å±±ã€ï¼ˆå°å­¦é¤¨,2008年）ISBN 978-4-09-387776-3

Related books:

• 日本女子登山隊è'—『私たちのエベレスト:女性初登頂の全記録』（読売新聞社,1975年）
• 落合èª"子è'—『女たちの山:シシャãƒ'ンマにæŒ'ã‚"だ女子隊9人の決算』（山とæ¸"谷社,1982年）ISBN 4-635-04136-0
• NHKプロジェクトX制作班編『プロジェクトＸæŒ'戦者たち;6：ジャãƒ'ンãƒ'ワー、飛ç¿"』（日本æ"¾é€å‡ºç‰ˆå"会,2001年）ISBN 4-14-080574-9
• 澤正宏ほか編,木æ'幸雄監修『福島県文学全集.第2期(随筆・紀行・詩編) 第4å·»(現代編1)』（郷土出版社,2002年） ISBN 4-87663-586-2
• 養老孟司è'—『話せばわかる!:養老孟司対談集:身ä½"がものã‚'いう』（清流出版,2003年）ISBN 4-86029-050-X
• 毎日新聞社大阪本社学芸部編『わたしとおかあさã‚"』（é'幻舎,2004年）ISBN 4-86152-005-3
• 日本エッセイスト・クラブ編『カマキリの雪予想：ベスト・エッセイ集;2006年版』（文藝春秋,2006年）ISBN 4-16-368380fu

References

External links

• Seven Summits profile
• 2013: Portrait Painting of Junko Tabei