Naoko Watanabe, 44, has become the first woman to summit K2 three times and has climbed all 14 of the world's mountains over 8,000 metres. However, she insists her motivation is not records but adventure, happiness, and experiencing new cultures. She plans to return to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan in June with a group of amateur trekkers.
Watanabe, a nurse by training, told the Associated Press in Tokyo: 'I’m just an ordinary person who has happened to achieve records while climbing the Himalayas during my vacations. I don’t consider myself a mountaineer.' She began climbing at age three and has since scaled the Himalayas regularly, finding peace from Japan's stressful conformity.
Her medical background has proven useful during emergencies. In 2011, she turned back 150 metres from Everest's summit due to deteriorating weather, despite her Sherpa's protests. She later lost her sight temporarily but returned safely. In 2013, she successfully reached Everest's summit on a windy day when others retreated.
Watanabe became the first Japanese woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders in October 2024, summiting Shishapangma. She also set a Guinness World Record in July 2024 as the first woman to summit K2 three times. She hopes to climb the Himalayas about 100 times, saying: 'It would be fun if that eventually becomes a record that I set in my own unique way.'
