Junko Tabei was the first woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest. She was also the first woman to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents. When she was a little girl in Japan, her family thought she was weak. But she showed them that she could be strong and brave.

When Junko was 10 years old, she went on a school field trip. The class visited a local mountain. Junko loved it! She started taking climbing lessons.

In college, Junko joined the Alpine Club. She was the only woman in the club. Some of the men did not want to climb with her because she was a woman.

Junko created the Ladies Climbing Club in 1969. She wanted to get more women interested in mountain climbing. She joined a team of women who wanted to go to Mount Everest.

In 1975, Junko climbed to the top Mount Everest. She was the 36th person to reach the summit. After that success, she traveled the world.

Junko’s goal was to climb the highest mountains in all seven continents. She reached her goal in 1992. The last mountain she climbed was in Indonesia.

Mountain climbing gave Junko a love of nature. She went back to school to study science. She shared her love of nature and climbing with students and friends.