Kokichi Akuzawa has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji at the age of 102.
Discussing his triumph with the Associated Press, Akuzawa noted, "I was really tempted to give up halfway through."
He shared that he was able to conquer the tough summit due to the support of his friends and people around him.
The 102-year-old man climbed with his 70-year-old daughter, Motoe, his granddaughter, her husband, and four friends from a local mountain climbing club. The party camped two nights before their August 5 ascent to Japan's 3,776 metres (12,388 ft) peak.
Communicating with the help of his 75-year-old daughter, Yukiko, Akuzawa said that he doesn't take any mountain for granted at his age, adding, "It's better to climb while you still can."
The trip was not Akuzawa's first record-breaking ascent up Mount Fuji. He was 96 the first time he became the oldest person to scale the country's most famous mountain. In the six years since, he overcame heart issues, shingles and stitches from a climbing fall.
Akuzawa spent three months training before the Fuji climb, waking at 5 a.m. for hour-long walks and tackling roughly one mountain each week, mostly around Nagano prefecture to the west of Gunma in central Japan.
When asked if he will attempt another Mount Fuji climb, Akuzawa admitted, "I'd love to keep climbing forever, but I guess I can't anymore."
He further shared that now he can climb Mount Akagi, which stands about half the height of Fuji with a peak of 1,828 metres (5,997 feet).
These days, Akuzawa spends his mornings volunteering at a senior care centre and teaching painting at his home studio.
Kokichi Akuzawa's daughters want him to paint Mount Fuji at sunrise for the next art project that will cover the walls of his living room.
