The Man Who Cycled the World!...

Japanese man on world tour pedals 143,000km over 123 countries

PETALING JAYA: Mind over body — that best describes Daisuke Nakanishi’s ability to cycle over 143,000km since starting out his “world tour” over a decade ago.

He arrived here by air from Sri Lanka on Thursday, and duly cycled from the KL International Airport to Kuala Lumpur where he spent the night.


He has been using the same trusty bicycle since starting out on his mission in Anchorage, Alaska, way back in 1998.

He has endured 300 tyre punctures and replaced the tyres 76 times, as he pedalled through 123 countries in all.

The Economics graduate from Osaka worked for six years in a construction company after graduating and saved US$50,000 (RM175,000) before embarking on a mission to realise his childhood dream.

“It is simply fascinating to feel the wind on my face when I cycle.

“I feel so free when I am on my two wheels. No one can control me, I can go anywhere I want,’’ Nakanishi said during a brief interview at Menara Star here where he had cycled to.

The 39-year-old single, who speaks English, Spanish and a smattering of Portuguese, left Japan on July 23, 1998, to take on the challenge of pedalling across the world.

Since then, his two-wheeler has been his mobile home. He carries cooking equipment, a sleeping bag, tent and spare parts for his bicycle in seven bags.

Nakanishi puts up the tent whenever he wants to call it a day, and in some countries like Chile, the locals invited him to spend the night in their homes.

“In Europe, the hotel rates are very expensive so I travelled out of the city and slept inside my tent” said the tanned Nakanishi, who confessed to eating all kinds of food in his travels.

From here, Nakanishi will be cycling to Johor Baru en route to Singapore, from where he will head to Indonesia.

His cycling gear is only made up of a T-shirt, Bermuda shorts and a hat.

On his first visit to Kuala Lumpur, he said the city was well-developed compared to many others he had pedalled to.

“I also enjoy the local food. It is very delicious,’’ said Nakanishi, who stayed in Petaling Street in his stop here.

During his travels, Nakanishi has had the good fortune to meet with world leaders and interesting personalities, such as Nepali president Dr Ram Baran Yadav, football icon Pele, former US president Jimmy Carter, former Polish president Lech Walesa and the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest.

Made an honorary citizen of Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Moldova, the Japanese also endured bad experiences , such as contracting malaria in Kenya and children throwing stones at him in Ethiopia.

“Not once did I think of giving up. In fact, I am looking forward to moving on and seeing other countries,’’ he added.

There are, however, countries that he wishes to visit such as Saudi Arabia and Libya but failed to apply for the visa.

Nakanishi also had to abandon his visits to Congo, Angola, Iraq and Afghanistan due to civil wars and internal conflicts.

He said he would visit about seven more countries by the year-end before wrapping up his tour.

“My parents and elder brother are waiting for me in Japan,

“I miss my family very much. Sometimes I’ll send them postcard and keep in touch with them via Internet and email,” he said.

To know more about his travels, visit http://www.daisukebike.be which is translated in 14 languages.

Source: The Star Online, 13th April 2009. 

Cool dream to be realised yeah!..