South student goes to Japan, brothers climb Mt. Fuji

Adam Danni, left, and Derek Setter hiked to the top of Mt. Fuji.

Adam Danni, a junior at Williamsville South High School, showed no fear of heights as he and brother Derek Setter climbed 11,000 feet to the top of Mount Fuji, the highest peak in Japan.

Danni and his parents, Bob and Kathy Danni were visiting Setter, who works in Japan, this past July.

It took the brothers more than six hours to ascend the mountain, where the temperature changed from 85 to 40 degrees.

"The higher you get the more wind, and you don't know where it is going to come from," Danni said. "Sometimes it felt like it would blow you over."

Danni was awarded a walking stick with commemorative stamps for his accomplishment.

"It was very interesting and exciting," he said. "As you go up you get to see the landscaping of Japan, and at certain heights, you are looking into the clouds."

To prepare for the climb, Danni walked and hiked, but this was his first trip to Japan and first mountain climb.

"The best part of the trip was being with my brother," Danni said. "I saw a view you (normally) only see from pictures."

The family also visited Kyoto, which is home to temples and the palace of the shogun. These military leaders ruled Japan from the 14th century to 1867.

Another highlight of the trip was a visit to the Peace Park, Peace Memorial Museum and A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima.

"The museum was very moving and (it was) impressed on (me) the awesome destructive power of nuclear weapons and the need to control them," Danni said.

The South student received his black belt in karate shortly before his trip. He practices with Bill Adam's Martial Arts in Elma.