On January 1 (Sunday), the radio program “The Deep” (Nippon Broadcasting, every Sunday from 20:00 to 20:20) will be broadcast, in which sports writer Tatsuhito Kaneko acts as the protagonist. Fujitsu Limited, Toyo University OB, former “Mountain God” Ryuji Kashiwabara will appear. Kashiwabara, who won the section prize for the fourth consecutive year in the 5th section of Hakone Ekiden mountain climbing, spoke about his aptitude for mountaineering in the 5th section.
Tatsuhito Kaneko and Ryuji Kashiwabara
“The Deep” is a program that welcomes top athletes as guests and offers the enjoyment of sports and the deepest feelings of athletes. After entering Toyo University, Kashiwabara headed the fifth section of Hakone Ekiden for 4 consecutive years, setting new section records 3 times. He was called “God of the mountain”. After graduating from university, he was active in relay races and retired from active duty in 2017. Currently, while working hard to support the strengthening of Fujitsu Limited’s athletic club, he also performs in performance events. In this show, Kashiwabara was asked about his aptitude for mountaineering and replied that it was a “difference of feelings.”
Ryuji Kashiwabara
Kaneko: You may have heard a lot about it. What is your aptitude for mountaineering?
Kashiwabara: I already have feelings. It’s just a matter of wanting to do it or not. I think for real. I think people’s feelings can be anything. I want to get better! I think there’s a thing called that kind of ambition. No matter how bad a person is, if she has the desire to improve, she can become good. It’s about the possibilities. Even if you’re good, if you go slack, you’ll fall, and that’s the only difference. I really think that’s all.
Kaneko: Is that really all?
Kashiwabara: I think so. Please take a look, Hakone Ekiden. There are so many different types of people who climb mountains, right? There is Mr. Imai, said to be the first generation mountain god (the first “mountain god”, Masato Imai), me and Jinno-kun (the third generation “mountain god”, Daichi Jinno) . It works completely differently.
Kaneko: I see…
Kashiwabara: There is no correct answer. I don’t think there’s really a right answer. People want to give the right answer.
Kaneko: I do. Yes.
Kashiwabara: In retrospect, there’s only one correct answer.
Kaneko: So, I want to win with a player who has that attitude.
Kashiwabara: Sure, I think I have a certain degree of aptitude. I think everyone somehow knows that it’s not zero. But if you ask me if I can climb because I have that aptitude, I can’t climb and I can’t run. Feelings are important there. It’s mental.
Kaneko: The feeling of not losing, the feeling of working hard?
Kashiwabara: The feeling of how much you can repress is also important.
Kaneko: Shouldn’t that feeling win too?
Kashiwabara: Exactly. After all, it will be empty. Too much force and this will lead to brakes. After all, there is how important mind control is.
Kaneko Darren
Kaneko felt like she didn’t talk much about Kashiwabara when he was active. Kashiwabara revealed his feelings at the time: “Besides building a wall, misunderstandings could arise when I spoke, so I protected myself by not speaking.”
Kaneko said: “I have seen many players who innocently answered reporters and television interviews closed their hearts.” I don’t know,” he said to her.
Listen to the podcast here.
