Junko Tabei

Hello! My name is Junko Tabei. I was born in a small town called Miharu, 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, in 1949, my teacher took my class on a trip to climb a mountain called Mount Nasu. The moment I stood on that peak and looked out at the world below, I felt a spark of joy. I fell in love with climbing and knew that I wanted to climb many more mountains.

As I grew up, I never stopped climbing. I went to a university in Tokyo and joined several climbing clubs to continue my passion. But in the 1960s, it was very unusual for a woman to be a serious mountaineer. Many of the men in the clubs didn't want to climb with me. They thought mountain climbing was a sport for men, not for women. I didn't let their opinions stop me. I decided that if they wouldn't let me join them, I would start a club of my own! So, in 1969, I started the Ladies Climbing Club. Our motto was 'Let's go on an overseas expedition by ourselves.' Our biggest, most exciting dream was to climb the tallest mountain in the entire world: Mount Everest.

It took years of planning and hard work, but in 1975, my all-female team and I traveled to Nepal to climb Mount Everest. The climb was incredibly difficult and dangerous. One night, on May 4th, 1975, a huge avalanche—a giant wave of snow and ice—crashed down on our camp while we were sleeping. I was buried completely under the heavy snow and couldn't move. It was terrifying, but my teammates and our amazing Sherpa guides worked quickly to dig me out. I was bruised and it was hard to walk, but I refused to give up on my dream. Just 12 days later, on May 16th, 1975, I took the final steps to the top. I had done it! I was the first woman ever to stand on the summit of Mount Everest.

Reaching the top of Mount Everest was an amazing feeling, but I knew my adventures weren't over. I set a new goal for myself: to climb the tallest mountain on every single continent. This difficult challenge is called the Seven Summits. I traveled all over the world, climbing mountains in Africa, Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Antarctica. Finally, on June 28th, 1992, I climbed the last one, Puncak Jaya in Indonesia. With that climb, I became the first woman to complete the Seven Summits. As I climbed, I also saw how much trash was being left on these beautiful places, so I started working to help protect the mountains for everyone to enjoy.

I spent my life doing what I loved, and I climbed mountains in over 70 different countries. I lived to be 77 years old. People remember me not just for being the first woman to climb Mount Everest, but for showing the world that you should never let anyone tell you what you can or can't do. I hope my story inspires you to follow your own dreams, no matter how high the mountain seems.