A Japanese young man from Tottori City, Yoshida Masahito, who has been challenging a hand-pulled cart hiking trip around the world since 2009, recently arrived in Zhejiang Province, China. Photo provided by Yoshida. Taken on May 31, 2013.
According to Japan's Kyodo News, the Japanese "cart-puller" Yoshida Masahito (32), who traveled around the world with a hand-pulled cart and arrived in Shanghai, China in June, returned to Kansai Airport on the 28th, coming back to Japan after 4 years and 8 months. As the final leg of his journey, on the 29th he began a roughly 230-kilometer hike from Osaka City to Tottori City, and is expected to return home on September 3.
On the afternoon of the 29th, Yoshida, walking through Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, with his hand-pulled cart, showed no signs of fatigue. He stated that he wants to "continue challenging toward new goals," and plans to hike across the South American continent, which he has not yet visited, in the future.
The report states that Yoshida set out from Shanghai on January 1, 2009, heading west to challenge a hand-pulled cart round-the-world trip. With the idea of "visiting towns where buses and trains do not stop," he did not use any means of transportation except when crossing the sea or borders, and persisted in walking while pulling a cart loaded with luggage weighing about 50 kilograms.
Less than two weeks into the trip, Yoshida’s ankles swelled from fatigue, but he gradually adapted. Yoshida traveled across three continents—Eurasia, North America, and Australia—and journeyed northward from Southeast Asia, covering 39,500 kilometers before arriving in Shanghai on June 9. To reach a total of 40,000 kilometers, Yoshida then circled Taiwan.
According to the report, the total cost of the hiking trip was 2.5 million yen (approximately 156,000 RMB). To save expenses, Yoshida mostly camped outdoors and cooked his own meals during the journey. He also took on odd jobs at a parking lot in Toronto, Canada, and at a winery in Australia to earn living expenses.