89-year-old man cycles 600km to visit his 61-year-old son

A few weeks ago, 89-year-old Mitsuo Tanigami from Kobe, Japan, wanted to see his children. However, his son Naoya and daughter Sayuri had grown up and left their hometown to start their own businesses long ago.

Mr. Mitsuo ran a photography studio but retired seven years ago. Last year, he bought an electric bicycle. Seeing his 61-year-old son constantly challenging himself, often going on business trips abroad, he wanted to challenge himself too.

His son Naoya lives in Tokyo, about halfway across the country from Kobe. Instead of taking the Shinkansen bullet train for three hours to see his son, Mitsuo decided to cycle about 600km in nine days.

Cụ ông 89 tuổi đạp xe 600km thăm con trai 61 tuổi - 1 — An old man cycled 600km from Kobe to Tokyo to visit his son (Photo: Kobe Shimbun).

He doesn’t use GPS, Google Maps, or any other digital navigational aids. Instead, he carries a 1:200,000 scale paper map, marking his route in red pencil.

When he gets lost, he asks for directions from parking attendants or locals. He expresses joy at having “come this far” every time he looks at the map.

Mitsuo set off early in the morning on March 17 and reached Takatsuki City in Osaka Prefecture on the first day. From there, he continued cycling towards Tokyo, passing by places like Lake Biwa and Mount Fuji. He spent the night at hotels or inns along the way.

He had to endure heavy rains and strong winds, and had to pass through steep mountain passes in Hakone, falling off his bike about 20 times due to tire slippage. However, he continued his journey.

Cụ ông 89 tuổi đạp xe 600km thăm con trai 61 tuổi - 2 — The old man used a red pencil to circle and mark the route (Photo: Kobe Shimbun).

On the third day of his trip, he arrived at Fuso Town in Aichi Prefecture, where his daughter Sayuri lived. He stayed at her house for two days, stopping for a day to rest elsewhere on his way to Tokyo.

On March 25, Mitsuo arrived in the capital. Although he used a paper map to navigate, he brought his smartphone so Naoya could follow his route. The son was waiting to greet his father, over 80 years old, unable to hold back his tears.

Mr. Mitsuo lost 4kg after the trip but showed no signs of abnormal health.

"It was a difficult experience but I'm very happy that I was able to encourage my son and at the same time help myself gain more confidence," Mitsuo said at the end of the journey.

"I was worried because my father was old, but I was glad he wasn't injured. I admire his stamina," Naoya said.

During their time in Tokyo, father and son cycled together to visit local attractions.

Mr. Mitsuo will return to Kobe by train or plane, leaving his bicycle at Naoya's house. However, he did not ask his son to send the bicycle back to his hometown, but instead plans to return to the capital to cycle back to Kobe this summer.

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