Think mountain climbing is a male pursuit? Try again. It used to be a man's world, but its image is changing due to a growing number of fashionable female climbers right on your trail.
Dubbed "yama girls" (mountain girls), the women are usually clad in trendy tights or leggings paired with short pants or skirts.
A group of six women in their 30s and belonging to a female-only beginners' climbing club recently climbed the 2,291-meter Mt. Asahidake, the highest peak in Hokkaido's Daisetsuzan mountain range.
These women were lively and cheerful, their demeanour a contrast to the stereotypical male climber who tends to remain silent when ascending, his focus on reaching the peak. The yama girls happily chatted about each other's clothing. "[Your outfit] is cute!" one praised. "It fits you so well!" another said.
"I finally decided on this," Yumiko Onoe said proudly. Donning an outfit of a waterproof mountaineering skirt worn over tights, the 37-year-old said she did not cut corners when it came to fashion. "As a woman, I want to look cute even when wearing mountaineering gear."
Akiko Takei, 31, confirmed with a smile: "One of the pleasures of mountaineering is that I can wear brightly coloured clothes that are difficult for me to wear in town."
Bamboo Luna, an outdoor goods shop in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, only sells products for women. Colorful mountaineering outfits and shoes, as well as knapsacks, are just some of the items available. According to store manager Etsushi Tateishi, attaching tiny character goods to knapsacks is a popular female trend.
Tateishi said the majority of the shop's customers are women aged around 30.
"I think these women, who enjoy their urban lifestyle and city fashions, have become interested in climbing because they are in pursuit of a relaxed, natural lifestyle," he said.
The Internet is also changing perceptions of climbing as macho and "hard and dangerous."
MJ Link, a mountaineering Web site for women, opened in April last year. Upon opening, the site was inundated with registrations from women in their 20s to 40s, and it currently boasts about 700 members. The Web site is the initiative of Junko Tabei, the first female to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Tabei also serves as the chair of the Japan Trekking Association.
The site contains much information. For example, it offers seminars for beginners and other opportunities for female-only groups to climb mountains such as the Yatsugatake mountain range or Mt. Tanigawadake, both of which require proper mountaineering equipment. Less conventional are mentions of yoga classes at mountain huts designed to stir women's curiosity.
Member Sachie Taguchi, 41, said she learned about pacing and how to properly walk in the mountains at one of the seminars. "I find it more comfortable to participate in events planned by the site as they are especially tailored for women," she said.
Tabei said changes to conventional mountain huts, where it is common to sleep together huddled in a large room with less-than-pristine toilets, has led to an increase in beginner women climbers, whom she also refers to as "yama girls."
"Today some mountain huts have private rooms and flush toilets," she said.
