Ken Noguchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese alpinist
and environmental activist. In 1999, at the age of 25, he became the youngest person (at that time) to scale the Seven Summits
, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. He graduated from Asia University
in 2000, and studied environmental education at Aomori University
. Since then, he has worked on various mountain clean-up projects around the world, including projects at Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji, and Manaslu
. His work has had a notable effect on efforts in Japan, where he has given many lectures to promote better environmental practices.
, so his family moved quite often when he was young. They lived in the Middle East
for some time, including Saudi Arabia
and Egypt
. He did not come home to Japan until he was 4 years old.
He attended St Paul's High School in England
, a boarding school. At the age of 15, he was suspended from school for one month due to a conflict with another student and was sent home to his parents in Japan. At his father's advice, he took this time to travel alone. While traveling, he read a book by world-renowned Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura
. Noguchi was inspired by Uemura to try mountain climbing
, and ascended his first mountain, Mont Blanc
in August 1989.
, in 1989. His first came in December of that year, when he successfully ascended Mount Kilimanjaro
in Tanzania
.
He chose to continue his journey by following the Bass list of mountains in the Seven Summit group (the Messner list features Carstensz Pyramid
instead of Kosciuszko). He ascended Kosciuszko in September, 1992. After scaling Vinson Massif
in 1994, he became the youngest person to have climbed the highest mountains on 5 continents. He captured the title of youngest person perform the feat on 6 continents with his ascent of Mt. Elbrus in 1996. On May 13, 1999, he completed his journey by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest.
The total time from Kilimanjaro to Everest was 9 years, 163 days. Upon completion, he was 25 years, 265 days old, the youngest at that time to complete all seven. Rhys Miles Jones of the United Kingdom
holds the current title, having completed the seventh mountain on May 17, 2006, his 20th birthday. In honor of his accomplishment, Noguchi was selected for the Tokyo Citizens' Honorary Award for Culture in 1999. He detailed his journey in the book entitled , published by Shueisha International
.
Hoping to bring the effort to his homeland of Japan, he gave televised interviews to showcase the problems of Everest. He has expressed his feeling that governments should place a greater focus on environmental education, integrating it into standard curricula. His goal was to inspire others to clean up Mt. Fuji, which collects a large amount of trash as a major tourist attraction. He repeatedly referred to the state of the mountain as a "disgrace" of a national symbol. Continuing efforts are being made to remove litter and sewage from Mt. Fuji.
In 2005, a project began with the goal of cleaning Manaslu
, a mountain that has a long history of Japanese ascents. The project attracted the attention of former Japanese prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto
. He expressed his gratitude to Noguchi for working on Mt. Fuji and his hope for a more environmentally conscious future.ref name="OhmyNews"/>
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese alpinist
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
and environmental activist. In 1999, at the age of 25, he became the youngest person (at that time) to scale the Seven Summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. He graduated from Asia University
Asia University (Japan)
thumb|right|Asia UniversityThe is a private university located in Tokyo, Japan that offers courses in Business Administration, Economics, Law and International Relations...
in 2000, and studied environmental education at Aomori University
Aomori University
is a private university located in the city of Aomori, Japan, founded in 1968.-External links:...
. Since then, he has worked on various mountain clean-up projects around the world, including projects at Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji, and Manaslu
Manaslu
Manaslu , also known as Kutang) is the eighth highest mountain in the world, and is located in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Its name, which means "Mountain of the Spirit", comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul"...
. His work has had a notable effect on efforts in Japan, where he has given many lectures to promote better environmental practices.
Early life
Ken Noguchi was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 21, 1973. His father was a diplomatDiplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, so his family moved quite often when he was young. They lived in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
for some time, including Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. He did not come home to Japan until he was 4 years old.
He attended St Paul's High School in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a boarding school. At the age of 15, he was suspended from school for one month due to a conflict with another student and was sent home to his parents in Japan. At his father's advice, he took this time to travel alone. While traveling, he read a book by world-renowned Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura
Naomi Uemura
was a Japanese adventurer. He was particularly well known for doing alone what had previously been achieved only with large teams. For example, he was the first person ever to reach the North Pole solo, the first ever to raft the Amazon solo, and the first ever to climb Mount McKinley solo.-Early...
. Noguchi was inspired by Uemura to try mountain climbing
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, and ascended his first mountain, Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
in August 1989.
| Seven Summits timeline | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mountain | Date | Age |
| Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:... |
December, 1989 | 16 |
| Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia... |
September, 1992 | 19 |
| Aconcagua Aconcagua Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the... |
December, 1992 | 19 |
| McKinley Mount McKinley Mount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton... |
June, 1993 | 19 |
| Vinson Massif Vinson Massif Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about from the South Pole and is about long and wide. At the highest point is Mount... |
December, 1994 | 21 |
| Elbrus Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia... |
January, 1996 | 22 |
| Everest Mount Everest Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point... |
May 13, 1999 | 25 |
Ascending the Seven Summits
Noguchi began his quest to scale the highest mountains of each continent, the Seven SummitsSeven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
, in 1989. His first came in December of that year, when he successfully ascended Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.
He chose to continue his journey by following the Bass list of mountains in the Seven Summit group (the Messner list features Carstensz Pyramid
Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid is the highest summit of Mount Carstensz in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua province, Indonesia . Other summits are East Carstensz Peak and Ngga Pulu...
instead of Kosciuszko). He ascended Kosciuszko in September, 1992. After scaling Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about from the South Pole and is about long and wide. At the highest point is Mount...
in 1994, he became the youngest person to have climbed the highest mountains on 5 continents. He captured the title of youngest person perform the feat on 6 continents with his ascent of Mt. Elbrus in 1996. On May 13, 1999, he completed his journey by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest.
The total time from Kilimanjaro to Everest was 9 years, 163 days. Upon completion, he was 25 years, 265 days old, the youngest at that time to complete all seven. Rhys Miles Jones of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
holds the current title, having completed the seventh mountain on May 17, 2006, his 20th birthday. In honor of his accomplishment, Noguchi was selected for the Tokyo Citizens' Honorary Award for Culture in 1999. He detailed his journey in the book entitled , published by Shueisha International
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
.
Environmental work
During Noguchi's Everest climb, he was surprised to find that the mountain was in desperate need of cleaning. In an interview, he remarked, "Before going, I always saw images of beautiful Everest on TV. I thought it would be like that. But once I got there, I found litter everywhere." After completing the climb, he organized a group of climbers to begin removing litter. The team succeeded in removing approximately 8 tons of garbage, including over 400 discarded oxygen containers. He returned to Everest in 2001 to continue cleaning the mountain and it was reported that 1.6 tons of litter was removed, including 84 empty oxygen containers.Hoping to bring the effort to his homeland of Japan, he gave televised interviews to showcase the problems of Everest. He has expressed his feeling that governments should place a greater focus on environmental education, integrating it into standard curricula. His goal was to inspire others to clean up Mt. Fuji, which collects a large amount of trash as a major tourist attraction. He repeatedly referred to the state of the mountain as a "disgrace" of a national symbol. Continuing efforts are being made to remove litter and sewage from Mt. Fuji.
In 2005, a project began with the goal of cleaning Manaslu
Manaslu
Manaslu , also known as Kutang) is the eighth highest mountain in the world, and is located in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Its name, which means "Mountain of the Spirit", comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul"...
, a mountain that has a long history of Japanese ascents. The project attracted the attention of former Japanese prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto
Ryutaro Hashimoto
was a Japanese politician who served as the 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister of Japan from January 11, 1996 to July 30, 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politics until scandal...
. He expressed his gratitude to Noguchi for working on Mt. Fuji and his hope for a more environmentally conscious future.ref name="OhmyNews"/>