Rei Banno, a sixth grader in the city of Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, has spoken of her experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, in September at the age of 11.
"I saw a view I had never seen before, and it made me like mountains even more," Rei, now 12, said in an interview.
She started climbing Kilimanjaro on Sept. 3, accompanied by her mother, Naomi, 49, and guides. Late at night on Sept. 6, they set off for the 5,895-meter summit, relying on the light from their headlamps. Rei thought she was getting closer to her dream with each step.