Photo/Illutration Hiroaki Futagami touches the water at the mouth of the Shinanogawa river in Niigata Prefecture in September before starting the Nagano Prefecture leg of his challenge to run along riversides up to the highest peak in all 47 prefectures. (Provided by himself)

While some hard-core mountaineers have climbed the highest mountain in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, no one else has gone about it quite like this.

Hiroaki Futagami, 51, decided to climb the tallest peak in each prefecture by starting at the ocean, touching seawater at a river’s mouth and then running alongside that river all the way back up the mountain the river had sprung from--taking the route that water flows down the mountainside to the sea in reverse.

Futagami who calls himself a “professional water current runner,” completed his quest on Sept. 23 after seven years and 48 summit attempts--and he's not slowing down.

“I'll run along the riverside until the end of the world,” Futagami said.

STRANGE FLIGHT OF FANCY

The idea for this challenge, which he calls “Zero to Summit 47,” first came into Futagami's head eight years ago while looking at a mountain map. He imagined the flow of rainwater down the slopes and the route it would travel to the ocean.

Thinking in reverse, he decided that it would be fun to climb a mountain by running along the riverside as long as possible before ascending the summit on a regular climbing route.

As he examined the highest mountain in each of 47 prefectures, studying how rivers form upon them and flow into the sea, he discovered that no one else had done this before.

Futagami decided that he would be the first.

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Hiroaki Futagami poses for a photo at the top of Mount Oku-Hotakadake in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, in September to mark the end of his challenge. (Provided by himself)

He allowed himself to take eight days at most for each trek, and set three additional rules for his quest: he must run along a river from its mouth at the sea to the mountaintop without going around; he could use no other form of transportation than his own legs; and he could use regular running gear, but not special climbing equipment.

On each ascent, Futagami brought only a 30-liter bag with a tent, a sleeping bag and a few other items.

During the Shizuoka Prefecture leg of his riverside run, he started at the mouth of the Uruigawa river where it flowed into Suruga Bay and ran along the river’s edge all the way to the 3,776-meter summit of Mount Fuji.

Along the way, he would often deviate from regular trails to climb streams.

“I think I made use of my strength that I developed while climbing mountains, streams and rocks,” Futagami said.

It was his second time to climb Japan’s highest peak after the Yamanashi Prefecture leg of his Zero to Summit 47 quest.

JOURNEY’S END

By September, the mountain runner had only one prefecture left in his quest: Nagano, crowned by the 3,190-meter-high Mount Oku-Hotakadake.

He touched the waters of the Sea of Japan at the mouth of the Shinanogawa river in Niigata Prefecture before setting off for the summit, and ran a total of 385 kilometers in eight days.

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Hiroaki Futagami runs along the Ujigawa river in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, in December 2019 during the Kyoto Prefecture leg of his challenge. (Provided by himself)

After seven years, 48 summit attempts (including one failure), climbing 87,774 meters vertically and running a total of 6,230 kilometers--more than twice the length of Japan--his journey had come to an end.

But Futagami said he doesn't feel burned out.

“I actually feel relieved because I have achieved something no one else did before,” he said.

In fact, he has already set his eyes on his next challenge: Climbing the highest mountain in each of now-defunct feudal domains of Japan in a similar fashion and even taking his journey abroad.

LIFE OF A MOUNTAIN MAN

Born in Gifu Prefecture and raised in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Futagami now lives in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, works as an architect and has a family of four.

He developed a passion for mountaineering while studying at Nihon University in Tokyo. At that time, the popularity of mountaineering in Japan was declining, but Futagami found his purpose in life by silently ascending mountains with his fellow club members, ignoring the trends.

He also tried his hand at climbing mountain streams, boating, winter mountaineering and other outdoor activities, and discovered a love of long-distance running. He improved his personal records to finish a full marathon in less than three hours.

He is always on the lookout for new challenges and unique experiences. 

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