Junko Tabei

Hello! My name is Junko Tabei. I was born in a small town in Japan on September 22nd, 1939. When I was a little girl, some people thought I was small and not very strong, but I had big dreams! When I was 10 years old, my teacher took my class on a trip to climb a mountain called Mount Nasu. Up on the mountain, I could feel the cool air and see the whole world spread out below me. It was so exciting! That day, I fell in love with climbing. I knew in my heart that I wanted to climb many more mountains and see the world from the very top.

As I grew up, I kept climbing whenever I could. Sometimes, men would tell me that mountain climbing wasn't for women, but I didn't listen to them. I knew that girls could be just as strong and adventurous as boys! So, in 1969, I decided to start my own climbing club just for women. We called it the Ladies Climbing Club. Our motto was, 'Let's go on an overseas expedition by ourselves.' We all trained together, helped each other become stronger, and shared a very big dream: to climb the tallest mountain in the entire world, Mount Everest.

In 1975, my friends and I traveled all the way to the giant, snowy mountains called the Himalayas to climb Mount Everest. The journey was very difficult and freezing cold. One night, something scary happened. A huge avalanche—which is like a giant, fast river of snow—slid down the mountain and buried our camp while we were sleeping. We were all trapped, but we worked together to help each other get out safely. I was determined to keep going. A few days later, on May 16th, 1975, I took the very last steps to the top. I was standing on the summit of Mount Everest! I was the first woman ever to reach the top of the world.

Climbing Mount Everest was just the beginning of my adventures. I wanted to see the world from the top of every continent! I kept climbing, and by 1992, I had climbed the tallest mountain on all seven continents, becoming the first woman to do that, too. The mountains gave me so much joy, so I worked hard to help keep them clean for everyone else to enjoy. I lived to be 77 years old, and I spent my life climbing for as long as I could. I hope my story reminds you that no matter what anyone says, you can follow your dreams and climb any mountain that stands in your way.