Cycling Around The World, Knight Ishida Yusuke, Who Will Not Die!

Recent description of Japanese bicycles

It is hard to imagine that this red bicycle, carrying its owner, has gone through 94494 kilometers of journey, and has seen the scenery of 87 countries.

"This car is the car that accompanied me for 7 years and 5 months."

Ishida Yusuke introduced, "184 times of a flat tire, 37 times of tires, the heaviest time to carry my 80 kilograms of family property - not including me."

Foreshadowing around the world

In July 15, 1995, Ishida Yusuke, who gave up his superior white-collar life, boarded his flight to Alaska with the welcome of his friends and began his journey around the world on a bicycle.

The word "fortune teller" originated around the world.

She told me that I would lead a smooth and happy life, but it would not be the same as adventure and excitement - and this is contrary to my dream.

Although I had encountered all sorts of troubles before departure, the initial journey was not very smooth, but after all, I was on the way, and I was about to usher in the "climax life".

Recalling the scene 15 years ago, Ishida Yusuke said.

As a knight who was keen on bicycle travel since childhood, Ishida Yusuke's first trip was a week around Wakayama County in the first year of high school. This short trip made him verify the possibility of "doing things on his own feet".

After that, he completed a week's tour around the Kinki region and around Japan.

But when he finished the week around Japan, he felt a void. On the last day, there was "the end of it".

In this instant, his limitations on his own possibilities were removed from the scope of Japan and began to look at the world.

The idea of "being born in the world and going to the bottom" is coming into his mind.

This is the foreshadowing of his trip around the world.

Meeting people is the most memorable thing.

From the north to the south across the American continent, Ishida Yusuke met the lonely and lovely old man, his fellow countrymen on the journey, and the cyclist bandits of Peru. They also saw the beautiful Aurora, the quiet Yukon River, the Tikal temple and the ruins of Machu Picchu.

But of all these, Ishida Yusuke's largest monument is the Monument Valley in Arizona.

In this place called "the place where the gods live", Ishida Yusuke spent four days and four nights quietly watching and thinking about the land.

After that, he said, "too much holy presence is present. It is the most important moment to feel that it is now.

When I thought of what I should do if I could not see such a scene again, I postponed the scheduled trip, and wanted to keep my mind in mind.

As a result, considering that the original 3 and a half years' travel time is short and even Asia has not been able to finish, it has decided not to set the travel time limit for itself - until you are satisfied with it.

In Europe, whether it is the Nordic polar scenery, the garden castles and Gothic buildings in Central Europe or romantic romanticism in Western Europe, Ishida Yusuke is not considered to be worth much more. He seems to be more interested in the "human" part.

In the 5 chapters of the European part of "not going to die!", 4 chapters describe the people he met. He said: "meeting people and creating memories with them is a treasure."

The journey between Africa and Asia is the highlight of Ishida Yusuke's journey: the close contact between the National Wildlife Park in Tanzania and the wild animals in Africa, the interaction with the locals, the encounter with their companions and the way forward together -- and the memories created by passers-by occupy nearly 1/4 of the total volume of the book, and what he calls "encountering is the most important thing in the journey".

"At the end of the journey, the feeling of that moment is the only remaining thing in the world.

Even at the moment before my death, can such miraculous feeling, such a huge amount of information think, and feel that I am alive? Is this the ultimate miracle? "{page_break}

Lecture tour in Japan

After returning to Japan, Ishida Yusuke began to realize his other dream -- becoming a writer.

After sorting out the journey around the world, it became a book "not going to die!"

At the beginning of this century, the Japanese publishing industry was in the doldrums, and made Amazon's recommendation of four and a half, third travel notes and third sales of magic winter publications.

After that, Ishida Yusuke began a lecture tour in Japan. The audience was from 5 to 70, covering all age groups.

The Flintstone broadcast radio talk shows with Ishida Yusuke three times in September 2004, March 2005 and August 2009.

With the publication of two new books and the republication of "not going to die," and the publication of various foreign languages, Ishida Yusuke has been "busy and happy" in recent years.

He has contributed to various magazines, and now he runs around Japan and abroad.

His experience also affected many Japanese.

The cyclists who aim at him have seen countless adults from whom he once dreamed of.

Ishida Yusuke once said, "the beginning of my career was when I was in grade two or three of primary school, I saw a college student's elder brother who rode before me, riding a bicycle with loads of weight.

At that time, I thought, "too handsome!", with his own strength to go where I want to go. When the sun goes down, he can set up a tent to rest in the place he has arrived. This kind of thing is in my mind, and I think this is a man's romance.

Nowadays, he calls himself a professional "Rider" and has become a travel promoter for many people.

Ishida Yusuke had such a suggestion for these later generations: "as a bicycle knight, the first thing to do is not to do what he can go every day by multiplying the number of days he plans to go, and then set the finishing point.

In so doing, progress will only become an obligation.

A lot of people sent me an email after reading the book, but many people left behind the impression of being really tired.

If you want to make short trips, do not limit your destinations, and how far you can go.

The 1 day is about 100 kilometers, so 10 days to walk 1000 kilometers, rather than deciding on such a good thing, it is better to think about how to do better over the 10 days.

Bicycle travel is very tiring. Don't make a decision deliberately. It will be better.

B = reporter

I= Ishida Yusuke (Yusuke Ishida)

"The realization of dreams is the most precious gift."

B: how do you design your route around the world?

I: first I flew from Japan to Alaska, then I rode all the way down south, from North America to central and South America.

And then fly across the Atlantic from the polar circle south through Europe and Africa, and finally across southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The mileage of nearly one hundred thousand kilometers and across five continents is rode out step by step.

B: is it because you are physically strong or are you strong enough to make such a difference?

I: I think I am not a dreamer with strong will or physical strength.

At the first stop in Alaska, I asked a black girl I met, and she asked me for a dollar. I was afraid that I could not take the first step in hiding in the Youthotel for several days.

Plus the blood before setting off, it's hard to summon up the courage to go on the road; in the desert of Peru, it was robbed by the armed robbers; next, we had to cross the storm and hell in Patagonia; in the Arctic Circle, to save money for the open-air ice bath.

In such a few degrees of weakness, several times in the end, I want to give up and even challenge myself for a few times, but in the end, there are special opportunities for me to summon up the courage to go forward again.

These special opportunities are those friendly people I meet.

These are written in "do not go to die!"

I think the reason why I persist is because I am serious about everything, and kindness also helps me to go everywhere.

B: did you meet with other famous Japanese cyclists on the road?

I: Yes, for example, Mr. Ban Ben (Ban Benda), though he met with him on the way, but the way of meeting is really very strange.

It was about to return to Japan, crossing the Eurasian continent, and finally returned to Busan from Shimonoseki, Japan.

On the day I went to Wakayama, my hometown, I saw a strange fellow riding on a bicycle full of luggage.

If I came back from abroad, I knew all about it. When the guy with a bad smell approached, we waved and greeted each other. Then I was surprised to find "ah, so you are Sakamoto Jun".

B: have you known Mr. Ban before?

I: of course, the world is still very small. Like me, people who ride around the world have basically heard about it.

B: you talked to many different races during the trip. What other people in the book impressed you apart from the book?

I: Mongolian men met in China.

At that time, I had been on a bicycle for 3 days in the desert. One day, when he was staying in a hotel, he asked me to "wash my body."

So I was treated by him, went to the bathroom, washed the body with the water in the basin.

Because he was waiting outside the house, I hurriedly washed and changed clothes and came out.

Afterwards, he wanted to wash clothes, but found that there was no water in the bucket.

I hurried back to the house and found that he was washing my body with the dirty water I washed.

At that time, I was deeply moved by his spirit of self sacrifice.

In the journey of B:7 and a half years, do you think you have found the "first" of the world?

I: I went to many wonderful places, which can be read in my book.

But for one example, it should be Tanzania's Mikumi National Park.

Looking at giraffe and zebra, walking along the road is the best.

Although the locals said to me, "no longer can we move on, there are lions," I thought they were joking, and I found out that they really did.

B: apart from enjoying the scenery, this trip is a spiritual journey.

What do you think is the best gift that this trip brings to your soul?

I: I saw many beautiful scenes.

But the best treasure is the fleeting glory, the people who meet, and the experience accumulated in their hearts.

After many moments of life and death, grief and parting, happy moments, the experience of "living well" and the experience of turning my dream into reality are all the most precious gifts that bike travel brings to me.

B: whether it's a robber in Peru or a war zone in Central Africa, your journey is full of adventure.

Which is the most dangerous experience for you?

I: a robber in Peru.

In fact, there are often bicycle riders attacked there.

That thing still left a psychological shadow for me.

Although the local travel supplies were rebuilt and ready to start again, the fear of the local robbers felt that there seemed to be a man with a pistol waiting for me in the shadow of the building ahead.

At that time, there were no camping sites, and 4 kilometers away, there was no place to hide. Camping was terrible.

Fortunately, when I see a roadside dwelling, I will be greeted enthusiastically when knocking on the door. Then I get a good reception.

Although I was living in a poor family, I brought delicious food to my new arrival.

Watching their smiles changed my mind that "Peru people are terrible".

I realized my prejudice. It's because people help each other to live.

At that moment, my heart seemed to be liberated.

In the middle of the night, I got up to the toilet and walked out to the house, and suddenly I saw stars in the sky, scattering as if I was stabbing the stars in my face.

Looking at the starry starlight, as if seeing the bright hope.

The night sky coincide with my mood at that time, which left a deep impression on me.

{page_break}

B: do people who have met on the road still have contact with them?

I: of course, especially those who ride together in Africa.

We often drink together now.

Qing Tian Jun, head of the mushroom house, is now the owner of a climbing house. Although he is not able to meet, he often meets with him when he goes down.

B: it is said that you have also formed a band during your travels.

I: Well, in Africa, the "DRYPENIES", which is composed of Asano Kazujun and gang, is only a band, and only 4 songs have appeared.

Now it has been sold on CD.

B: what do you think is the biggest driving force and help in the journey?

I: the driving force is "traveling around the world with your own feet", which was also a long time ago.

"Help" is a letter. At that time, the Internet was not popular. Friends sent letters to me from various Japanese embassies. I was inspired by their actions.

Sometimes, because I want to read those letters sooner, I rush all the way to the embassy, which is a great help in this sense.

B: from your book, you seem to be full of affection for Africa.

I: Yes, drinking water from Africa will keep thinking about going back there.

At that time, every time I thought of ending the journey in Africa, I could hardly hold back my tears.

This is the first time I've been on a journey for 4 years.

The people who live on that land always give me an unspeakable feeling. The dark faces of my friends who smile like me, the children who run on the ground with their bare feet, and the vast tropical steppe of the sea, are filled with some unique sense of pparency.

It seems that I can feel a kind of homesickness.

If one day, I can not find pparent clarity in myself, I will return to Africa.

B: what do you think is the difference between traveling around the world at a stretch of the world and traveling several times in the end?

I: it should depend on what I want to pursue.

My idea is that if we are to pursue quality, we should try to be a dividing line in half a year.

Although traveling around the world, the area and culture that it touches is different, travel life itself has become a norm.

B: did you ever feel regret when you got home after the trip? Why?

I: there is no such regret as a grain of sand in the Sahara desert.

Travel time is so wonderful, and through travel experience, to me, even writer's dream has been realized.

B: if you have the chance to choose whether to go on the road again, will you still choose "yes"?

I: Yes, yes, there is no other option.

B: do you have any suggestions for bicycle riders who aspire to your experience?

I: by instinct, travel is better than personal preference.

It is useless for you to do so better.

B: has your family always supported you for your trip?

I: I got the understanding of my family, though my mother always missed me.

Which one do you think is the most difficult to give up in B:70 kilograms of luggage?

I: it doesn't matter how much you throw away.

B: what foods have you marvelled about on the way?

I: Che of Vietnam likes it very much.

And when I first entered China, spicy tofu was also delicious.

Well...

This problem is very difficult. If I have to give one, the steamed grouper in Hongkong and Napoli's Bata are unforgettable.

B: what do you think of the different nationalities and cultures that you encounter during your trip?

I: it is because of differences that they are valuable.

Therefore, as long as we can, cultural and national things should be left behind.

But in a globalized society, these are constantly losing, and we should make all kinds of efforts to keep them.

B: do you have some of your other books, such as "one way forward", "the most dangerous toilets and the most beautiful starry sky" and other Chinese versions of the program?

I: "the most dangerous toilets and the most beautiful stars" and "wash basin with mutton rice" have already decided to publish.

There is no plan to go all the way.

B: do you have any new plans or new works lately?

I: the Taiwan bicycle diet digest is scheduled for publication in October.