Naomi Uemura (1941 - 84), the Japanese explorer and mountaineer, became the first person to reach the North Pole in a solo trek across the Arctic sea-ice at 4:45 a.m. GMT on 1 May 1978. He had travelled 725 km (450 miles), setting out on 7 March from Cape Edward, Ellesmere Island in northern Canada.About Naomi Uemura
Uemura Naomi, February 12, 1941 - February 13, 1984) was a Japanese adventurer. He was particularly well known for doing alone what had previously been achieved only with large teams. For example, he was the first person ever to reach the North Pole solo, the first ever to raft the Amazon solo, and the first ever to climb Mount McKinley solo.
While still in his 20s, Uemura had soloed Mount Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. He walked the length of Japan. He was a member of the first Japanese expedition to climb Mount Everest.
Uemura was born in Hidaka, now part of Toyooka, Hyogo, Japan. Shy by nature, he began climbing in college in the hope that mountaineering would increase his self-confidence. He is remembered as not only a gifted climber and a driven adventurer, but also as a gentle, self-effacing man who cared about others. In the words of Jonathan Waterman,
Just as remarkable] as his solo achievements was his sincere modesty and unassuming nature. Another part of his greatness lay in his deep interest in everyone he met.
Like many great adventurers, Uemura gave frequent public lectures and wrote about his travels. His adventure books for children were popular in Japan.
