89-Year-Old Man from Kobe Cycles Around to See Son in Tokyo
Falls Dozens of Times, Reaches Tokyo, Meets Son and Cries
An 89-year-old man in Japan has become a sensation after successfully completing a 600 km bicycle trip from Kobe to Tokyo.
On the 9th, the Kobe Newspaper in Japan introduced the story of 89-year-old Mitsuo Tanigami, who lives in Kobe. Until seven years ago, Tanigami ran a photo studio, and he fell in love with cycling a year ago. He decided to go to Tokyo thinking about his 61-year-old son Naoya, who works away from home, saying, "I want to try something challenging too."
He departed on March 17 and arrived in Tokyo on March 25, after nine days. During the journey, he was caught in rain several times and was blown over by strong winds multiple times. He recalled that he fell about 20 times. At one point, his leg was hit by a rock, leaving him unable to move for a while, and there was a morning when he woke up with impaired hearing. He carried a 1:200,000 scale map and happily circled locations with a red pencil, saying, "I have come this far."
Upon arriving in Tokyo, he shed tears when he met his son waving his hand ahead on the road. Tanigami had an iPhone, so his son was able to track his location via GPS. Although he lost 4 kg compared to before departure, he was reported to be in good health. He said, "It was a tough experience, but I am most happy that my son gained strength from it," adding, "Being able to do something like this gave me confidence." His son said, "Given his age, I was worried, but I’m relieved there were no injuries," and added, "I respect my father."
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