Stories that land

Komiya-chan Takes on Mount Fuji

Komiya-chan of Runner's High made the long climb to the top of Mount Fuji one summer. Once there, it was time for a photo and some lunch.

A comedian climbs Mount Fuji

In this story, Japanese comedian Komiya-chan of Runner's High recalls a summer climb up Mount Fuji. The hike begins at the Fifth Station, a trailhead you can reach by road, with mountain huts along the route to the summit.

We made it to the top

I'm Komiya-chan from Runner's High.

I climbed Mount Fuji one summer. From the Fifth Station to the summit, it takes five or six hours.

If you think it'll be easy, you're in for a pretty rough climb.

We got to the top and figured we'd take a picture. So I stripped naked and put on my backpack. I mean, I'm a comedian.

Then, while we were eating lunch, clouds started rolling in. Rumble, rumble. Here came the rain and thunder.

“This is bad. This is bad. Grab your stuff! Let's get to a hut!”

We ran into a mountain hut.

“Good thing we got here while the rain was still light.”

“Yeah. Good thing!”

But after that, I don't remember a thing.

Not a thing.

I asked my friends later. Apparently, the instant I stepped into the hut, there was a rumble of thunder, and lightning traveled through the ground and hit me.

They said I went—BOOM!—flying about ten feet.

I was unconscious for about an hour. People did all kinds of things to help, getting my breathing steady and keeping my airway open.

I heard, “Are you okay? Komiya-chan, are you okay?” Luckily, I was okay.

I've heard the odds of a person getting struck by lightning are one in a million.

A one-in-a-million guy. That's me.

An illustration of a wide-eyed man in a knit cap, white T-shirt, and khaki pants surrounded by yellow flashes of electricity. His clothes are blackened as if scorched. Behind him, three men recoil in shock against a stormy gray sky.

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