The First Weather Station on Mt. Fuji
New Horizon English Course 3 (Shōwa 56) pg. 38-41
| The First Weather Station on Mt. Fuji | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 323 |
| Book | New Horizon |
| Grade | 3 |
| Year | 1981 |
On February 16, 1895, a man started climbing Mt. Fuji alone. His name was Itaru Nomaka. He was thinking of building a weather station on the top of the highest mountain in Japan. He had a very hard time on the way. He had to fight against the snow and the wind. At last he got to the top. He was the first man to climb Mt. Fuji in winter.
After he came down, he asked some mountain guides to help him. With their help he was able to build a small weather station on Mt. Fuji during the summer of that year.
A month after Itaru started working in the weather station, his wife Chiyoko came to help him. He was surprised and told her to go back home. "I want to help you. I can at least cook for you," Chiyoko said.
"No, you must go home," Itaru said. "You should stay at home. Taking care of the children is more important. The work that I'm doing here is a man's work. I can do it without your help."
But his wife did not change her mind.
Itaru found that his work was very difficult. He had to get up every two hours at night. He recorded the temperature, air pressure, wind direction, and so on.
Soon Chiyoko learned to do part of her husband's work and began to help him. Then the cold winter came, and they were all alone at the top of the mountain.
In December Itaru became sick. They did not have much food to eat. Some instruments broke down, because it was very cold. But they never gave up. They went on with their weather observation. Finally, on December 22, their friends came to save them.
Today, few people know about the work Mr. and Mrs. Nonaka did on Mt. Fuji. But, thanks to them, a permanent weather station was built on Mt. Fuji in 1932.
