Japanese youth Yoshihito Yoshida (phonetic)
Traveling the world is a dream for many. The Japanese youth Yoshihito Yoshida (phonetic) set out from Shanghai, China, on January 1, 2009, pushing a two-wheeled cart and hiking solo around the world, covering a distance of 39,500 kilometers over 4.5 years.
Departing from Shanghai, the journey took 4.5 years
Yoshida, now 32 years old, hails from the coastal city of Tottori in Japan.
Yoshida, now 32 years old, hails from the coastal city of Tottori in Japan.
He set out from Shanghai on New Year’s Day 2009, pushing a cart to circle the globe. His journey was roughly divided into four stages: first heading westward across the Eurasian continent, arriving at Cape Roca in Portugal in August 2010; then flying to the U.S. East Coast and hiking westward across the North American continent from Philadelphia, reaching Vancouver, Canada, in October 2011; next traveling to Melbourne in southern Australia, moving northward, and arriving in Darwin in June 2012; then heading to Southeast Asia via Vietnam, Singapore, and other countries, eventually returning to his starting point.
Yoshida finally returned to Shanghai on June 9 of this year, after 4.5 years and covering 39,500 kilometers. On the day of his return, his 61-year-old mother, Yoshiko Yoshida (phonetic), held up a banner to welcome her son’s “triumphant return.”
Roughing it with the cart as his only companion
Yoshida’s gear included a simple tent, a sleeping bag, bottled water, spare clothes, and basic cookware. The cart along with his luggage weighed about 50 kilograms.
Along the way, the cart was his companion (as shown in the photo), and roughing it was the norm—even when buses or trains were available, he still chose to walk.
A video shot in 2012 shows Yoshida in the Australian outback. By the side of a road, he wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, a faded T-shirt, khaki trousers, and hiking boots, pushing his cart forward. His skin was deeply tanned, and dozens of flies sat on his baseball cap.
Yoshida relied on an electronic pedometer to track distance, walking an average of 50 kilometers per day and wearing out seven pairs of shoes along the way.
In late 2011, Yoshida had nearly exhausted all his funds. To continue his journey, he had to work in Canada and Australia to earn money.
Next goal: Conquering the North and South Poles
Yoshida said he has always been passionate about traveling, but he knew that taking trains or planes would cause him to miss small, remote towns worth visiting—so he decided to travel on foot.
Yoshiko initially opposed her son’s plan to circle the globe by pushing a cart, thinking it was impossible. Yoshida said that throughout the journey, he felt he was “always facing challenges and difficulties,” but upon returning to Shanghai, he “felt proud of himself.”
When talking about how he communicated with locals along the way, he said: “If you can say or understand ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in the local language, things become much easier.”
Yoshida is scheduled to return to Japan in August. Before going back, he plans to hike through Taiwan, covering a distance of 500 kilometers. The first thing he wants to do when he gets home is walk his dog, and he also plans to save money for his next adventure. He said: “My next goal is to go from the southern tip of South America to the North Pole. Ultimately, I want to walk every continent on Earth.”