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Hyakumeizan Challenge

Welcome to the website for the Hyakumeizan Challenge, 'Japan's 100-Mountain Trek', a trek undertaken by 3 young men named Tom Fearnehough, Paul Briffa, and Ben Davies in 2001. They set out from England for Japan in early February, and returned on 19 December 42 weeks later that same year after having climbed 98 of an intended 100 mountains and having walked 6986km (4341 miles) from the south to the north of Japan to "clear a path to a safer world" by raising money and awareness for Adopt-A-Minefield(UK)™, and for the Association for Aid and Relief (AAR - Japan).

Message from the team

Being able to share our trip with so many people around the world has been a great experience for us, and we hope that you have enjoyed following and sharing it with us, or if you have only just discovered it for the first time, then that you enjoy it now.

Minefield Adoption in Afghanistan

The money raised by all the sponsors of the expedition in the UK was passed on to Adopt-A-Minefield who through the United Nations demining programme have used it in two areas. Part of the money was used for the adoption of the Afghan Technical Consultants Team 7 in Afghanistan. This is a mobile team of deminers and helped fund their clearance efforts in Ward-10, Kabul, and Lagmani village in Charikar district for two months. You can read more about their efforts here. Money was also used to clear a minefield in the village of Ou Chrey, Cambodia, allowing about 150 families to live more safely. Thanks to all who have helped this become possible, and to all those who supported us with the trek.

Plans for the site

Though the trek is now finished, we hope to be able to maintain this website as the expedition section and diaries may prove to be helpful to anyone searching for information on the Hyakumeizan mountains, mountaineering, hiking, or travelling in Japan. We hope too that it will also continue to encourage you to donate money to our nominated charities so that they can continue to fund the clearance of minefields and help the recovery of landmine survivors. Their contributions help to save lives, allow children to play freely outside, and enable people to rebuild their homes and to safely cultivate their land.

Past Tense

We rely on your indulgence of the inevitable fact that as you explore the site you will encounter much written in the present or future tenses that is now in the past. We hope that this brings the expedition to life, and makes it still as vivid while you read about it as it was for us when we experienced it then.