Why this 54-year-old Japanese is considered one of Asia’s climbing legends

Surely, his proudest achievement has to be something he’s accomplished, such as the world’s first 8c route or his competition titles. Instead, Hirayama said it was his unsent onsight attempt of Salathe Wall in 1997, which he spent two years training for.

“I fell three times. It still is the biggest memory I have of my climbing career because it was a project no one thought about doing at the time and there I was,” he said with a grin.

“It was a very rich feeling. I still have not gotten over those emotions. It is easy to talk about it now but it was really powerful when I was on that wall. It was an incredible sense of power and energy.”

KODAWARU

The question on every climber’s lips is, why are Japanese climbers so darn good? Whether it’s in urban bouldering gyms, out on the cliffs or tackling competition problems on the IFSC circuit, Japanese climbers seem to cruise up routes with ease, flair and dynamism. Just what is in their chalkbags, so to speak?

“Back when I was the only Asian climber in Europe,” said Hirayama, “I saw that Asian bodies tend to be lighter and can stay on the wall better because we’re not big.” Physical attributes aside, he also credits the Japanese edge to the mind and hard work.

“I see Singaporeans are very disciplined and want to train hard. Japanese climbers also share the same mindset,” he said, adding that “Japanese climbers are very focused, like craftsmen. They like to perfect the thing they do. They like to dig deep to find out what makes something work. To be a top-level climber, you need to have the mindset to explore and perfect your craft.”