Linton Rathgen called up Joe Pournovin one Spring evening in 2010, and said to him if there was one last thing he wanted to do before returning to New Zealand, it would be to climb Mount Fuji. But this was to be no ordinary climb. Linton wanted to do it from the sea - from the lowest point in Japan to the very highest. Joe, known to many of you already for the tremendously successful Tokyo Yamathon event, loved the idea, and the two set about recruiting friends for the epic voyage. There were not many takers, but the first Sea to Summit came into being early one morning of July last year with Linton's recital of the famous Japanese poem from the 13th century anthology Ogura Hyakuninisshu by Yamabe no Akihito, and ended 22 hours later at the summit of Japan's most iconic site.

It was exhausting, and the heat during the day was excruciating, but they made it, and Linton himself will be making the trip all the way back to Japan this year to do it all again. The two are delighted to have onboard to assist them with this year's event, Matt Caesar-Gordon who is co-leading this year's challenge, and very much looking forward to the challenge, and our very own IVG President and keen outdoor enthusiast Kathryn Vigna.

Oxfam IVG

Apart from the Yamathon, Oxfam IVG organises a number of other notable fundraising activities. We hold Awareness Workshops twice per month and welcome people to come and discuss a range of issues, including, most recently, Corporate Social Responsibility, Chronic Hunger in the Developing World, and HIV/AIDS. We are always looking for volunteers to present a topic of interest and would be delighted to hear new ideas. 

We at Oxfam Japan IVG are all volunteers. We give up our freetime because we are passionate about what we do.

Through our event: -

• We raise awareness

• We raise money

• We bring people together

You will be working with a vibrant team, all committed to bringing the best out of Sea to Summit. You will see the drive and determination we have in delivering a successful event. You will see the passion in the way we put others first before our own needs. You will learn from our positive attitude in changing the world one awareness event at a time.

We at Oxfam Japan IVG see the good in doing good and we have a great time doing it!

To the top: Joe Pournovin (left) and Linton Rathgen (third from right), and fellow climbers pose near the summit of Mount Fuji, near the border of Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, on the morning of July 18 2010.