TOTTORI -- A man traveling around the world on foot, pulling a two-wheeled cart, will finish his long journey -- started in 2009 to walk across five continents, not including the Antarctic -- in late May.
Masahito Yoshida, 37, will wrap up his 77,000-kilometer walk, almost the same distance as circling the globe twice, when he reaches his final destination, the small town of Tuktoyaktuk in northern Canada facing the Arctic Ocean.
"Every small step adds up to realizing our dreams. This journey has given me the power to accomplish a set goal," said Yoshida, who hails from the city of Tottori.
Yoshida departed in January 2009 from Shanghai, thinking, "I want to walk around the world to meet as many people as possible." From there, he traveled across Central Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and Southeast Asia. It took 4-1/2 years to walk almost 40,000 kilometers back to Shanghai.
Yoshida then came back to Japan and thought, "Why not walk across the five continents?" He resumed his journey in September 2014. In the second leg of his challenge, he traveled across Africa and has been walking on North and South America since October 2015.
Yoshida has managed to continue the long journey using his own savings. He's been walking with a two-wheel cart loaded with a sleeping bag, cooking equipment and a personal computer, among other things. He's cooked by himself as much as possible and slept in a tent. When lucky, he's been treated to meals and lodging by local residents.
Yoshida has visited 57 countries and worn out 18 pairs of shoes so far. Through many experiences, he has keenly realized one basic thing: the importance of getting water. In Uganda, he was in line with local people at a well and watering place waiting for two to three hours for his turn. In Sudan, he drunk muddy water out of a pond.
In northern Chile, a car driver offered Yoshida food and other things in the middle of a desert. "Regardless of nationality, skin color, language, culture or how wealthy they are, every person is so kind. It will be an asset in my life that I can think about those people all living in the same world," said Yoshida.
As he walked toward the Canadian town of Tuktoyaktuk, he was traveling around Calgary, where the lowest temperature is likely to fall below minus 30 C. "My beard often gets frozen. The nature is harsh here, but many people have invited me to their warm houses."
The long journey will come to an end, however, and he plans to continue shorter travels. Yoshida said: "Walking has become my life's work, With my experience, I want to tell children that you can accomplish anything if you try, no matter what. I want to continue doing things that I am the only one to do."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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