Japanese handcart-pulling walker arrives in Zhejiang, nearing completion of his round-the-world trek

A Japanese young man from Tottori City, Yoshida Masahito, who has been challenging a round-the-world trek while pulling a handcart since 2009, has recently arrived in Zhejiang Province, China, and is close to the final destination—Shanghai. Yoshida crossed Central Asia, passed through Istanbul in Turkey, and reached Cabo da Roca at the westernmost tip of Europe in Portugal, covering 16,000 kilometers in one year and eight months.

    Yoshida Masahito (32), a Japanese young man from Tottori City who has been pulling a handcart on a round-the-world trek since 2009, has recently arrived in Zhejiang Province, China, and is close to the final stop of this long journey—Shanghai. He is expected to complete his round-the-world trip on the 9th. The 40,000-kilometer, four-and-a-half-year trek is about to enter its final chapter. Yoshida said, “I haven’t done anything particularly remarkable in my life, but I hope to accomplish this journey.”

    Yoshida set off westward from Shanghai on January 1, 2009. His love for trekking stems from a desire to “visit towns that buses and trains don’t stop at.” With about 50 kilograms of daily necessities, including a sleeping bag, it was difficult to fit everything into a backpack, so Yoshida opted for a handcart.

    Yoshida crossed Central Asia, passed through Istanbul in Turkey, and reached Cabo da Roca at the westernmost tip of Europe in Portugal, covering 16,000 kilometers in one year and eight months. He then flew to the U.S. East Coast and arrived at Vancouver on the west coast of Canada, 6,000 kilometers away, in October 2011.

    After that, Yoshida crossed the Australian continent and traveled through Southeast Asia, starting from Singapore. Before entering China, he stayed in Vietnam, where heatstroke and loss of appetite weakened his physical strength. But due to time constraints, Yoshida persevered, walking 30 kilometers each day despite feeling unsteady.

    Yoshida plans to return to Japan after reaching the endpoint. He wants to tell Japanese children, “I’m not someone with extraordinary physical strength. But by making small efforts and accumulating them, you can achieve great things.”