Meet Junko Tabei: More Than a First
Photo Illustration: Humanizing History Visuals. Photos: Jaan Künnap, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Welcome to Humanizing History™! Every month, we feature a central theme. Each week, we dive into different areas of focus.
This month’s theme: Changemakers — More than a First
This week’s focus: Hidden History, a facts-based narrative to highlight someone who changed history
Today’s edition of Humanizing History™ is about 1,000 words, an estimated 3½-minute read.
The Why for This Week’s Topic
This month, we’re exploring changemakers who were “the first” to break barriers — but were also more than a first.
Being first is often celebrated, yet these stories rarely begin — or end — with the milestone itself.
To understand changemakers, we can look at context, obstacles, persistence, and the ripple effect their actions create across generations.
In previous newsletters, we met Jim Thorpe, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, and Ada Lovelace — each a first, yet much more than a single milestone.
Today, we turn to Junko Tabei — the first woman to climb Mount Everest — and explore how she overcame mountain-sized obstacles, again and again.
Early Life: “Climbing Was Her Calling”
Junko Tabei was born in 1939 in Fukushima, Japan, surrounded by mountains, fertile farmland, and the nearby Pacific Ocean. But her childhood was far from frictionless.
Her childhood included the challenges of a country in the midst or the aftermath of World War II — militarism and devastation, shortages, economic hardship, and common social pressure for women to prioritize family over personal ambition.
It was a school field trip that would change Junko’s life. At the age of 10, Tabei and her classmates visited Mount Nasu. The experience sparked a lifelong dream: “The rugged peaks and fresh mountain air would spark something deep within her. She knew that climbing was her calling.”
However, mountaineering was an expensive sport, and Junko’s family did not have money to spare. Despite financial limitations and skepticism from male peers, Tabei pursued her passion.
In college, Tabei joined a mountaineering club and, in 1969, founded Japan’s first all-women mountaineering team. They crafted gloves and sleeping bags from recycled car seat materials, constructed pants from shower curtains, and designed other innovative solutions for a sport that did not readily welcome women or people with modest means.
The Ultimate Challenge: Mount Everest
Mount Everest — standing at 8,849 meters high (about 29,000 feet, or 5.5 miles!) — is the tallest exposed peak on Earth and is often considered the ultimate challenge for the world’s strongest climbers.
Extreme altitude, low oxygen, and severe cold make it physically and mentally grueling.
Even before a climber reaches the halfway point of Everest, the impact on the human body is extreme: “At altitudes above 3,500 meters, our bodies are under incredible stress. Arteries and veins in the brain dilate to speed up blood flow. But our smallest blood vessels, called capillaries, remain the same size. This increased pressure can cause blood vessels to leak, and fluid to build up in the brain.”
In the 1970s, fewer than three dozen known people had summited Everest, and no known women. Many asserted that only men could survive its harsh conditions. Junko Tabei and her team were determined to challenge that assumption.
They trained relentlessly, took extra jobs to fund their expedition, and relied on ingenuity and resilience in the absence of sponsors or modern equipment.
The Ascent of 1975: The First Woman to Reach the Summit
In 1975, four years after submitting their permit application, Junko Tabei and 14 other women began their trek. The team represented various professions, and two were mothers, including Tabei.
With the guidance of sherpas, the team had been climbing for weeks when an avalanche struck camp, burying some of the climbers, including Tabei.
Fortunately, everyone survived, but Tabei temporarily lost consciousness and could not walk for two days.
After she recovered, the team — now realizing that there was just enough oxygen for only one sherpa and one teammate to keep climbing — nominated Junko to press on.
Nearly two weeks after the avalanche, Tabei finally reached the summit.
Standing at the top, over 8,000 meters in the sky, Tabei reflected on the view so few in the world had seen: “The black and white contrast of the mountain is so beautiful.”
While Everest was a monumental achievement, Tabei’s ambition didn’t end there.
She went on to climb over 150 mountains in her lifetime and became the first woman to reach the highest peaks on every continent, including: Kilimanjaro in Africa, Denali in North America, Elbrus in Europe, Aconcagua in South America, Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania, Vinson in Antarctica, and Everest in Asia.
Junko Tabei, More Than a First
Junko Tabei’s achievements surpassed personal glory.
Deeply concerned about the impact of tourism and mountaineering on the environment, Tabei led clean-up projects on Everest, advocating for sustainable practices and inspiring future generations, especially women.
Junko once said that “climbing wasn’t about competition, but about personal growth and connection with nature,” and that she climbed “not to compete with men, but to challenge herself.”
She explained: “I did not intend to be the first woman on Everest. I would rather be remembered as the 36th person to reach the peak.”
In this light, Junko Tabei didn’t seek fame, she sought the expansion of possibility. She didn’t just climb mountains or conquer the geographic world, she overcame the social barriers of limited expectations.
And her legacy endures.
Since her ascent, thousands of climbers — including over 870 known women — have reached Everest’s summit.
When speaking about life, Tabei reflected: “I don’t know how or when I’m going to die. But I’ll look back and think, ‘I had an amazing life.’”
The world physically lost Junko Tabei in 2016, but her spirit perseveres.
What Comes Next?
Changemakers labeled “The First” can be remembered for a single achievement — or for the broader story of context, obstacles, persistence, and inspiration.
Junko Tabei was the first woman to climb Mount Everest and the first to reach the highest peak on all seven continents. Yet her impact echoes far beyond those moments. She opened doors for women in mountaineering, advocated for environmental stewardship, and personified perseverance and vision.
When unpacking her story, consider asking:
What conditions made being the “first” possible?
Who helped — or hindered — along the way?
What did it cost to be “the first”?
How does their story inspire change today?
Being first isn’t an ending. For Junko Tabei, it was an opening — a doorway for others to climb, explore, and literally reach higher.
Her achievements, palpable. Her legacy, elevated. Her inspiration, limitless.
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