62 Year old Japanese Man Rollerblades across America

[AsahinaKimi]

Tokyo’s Kenichi Yamashita skated across America to say ‘thank you’

Do a Google search for “Kenichi Yamashita rollerblade,” and you’ll find a good number of links to what’s been an oft-told tale of kindness and thanks over the past five months.

Yamashita arrived on the West Coast from Tokyo, Japan in April and headed toward the tip of Cape Cod at about 30 miles a day. He rolled in to Provincetown two days after he passed through Barnstable on Aug. 31.

We first learned of the 62-year-old Yamashita from our Cape news feed (thefeed.barnstablepatriot.com), which picked up a Mt. Vernon Register-News item written as he skated through Illinois. We were expecting him, but tracking him via his Japanese language Twitter and Facebook accounts was more than difficult.
That made Tuesday’s concerned call to the Patriot office immediately understandable: “There’s a woman on the phone talking about a Japanese man on rollerblades.”

http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/home2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22099&Itemid=30

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Do Your Best! Ganbariyo!

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. I saw him Tuesday on Cape Cod.

He was skating on the opposite side of Rte. 6A facing traffic, with what I thought was a lacrosse stick. My wife remarked that he must have been headed to a match somewhere nearby.

Pretty interesting story.

[Taverner]

2. Awesome!

Too bad he can't really do the North-South Route (Alaska -> Tierra del Fuego)

[Vehl]

4. ah!

lol i just saw your post after posting mine(#3), i knew of a guy who did that.

but nowadays going through Mexico might be a lil too risky..with all those drug wars going on

[Taverner]

5. That would be an awesome road trip though

Pretty much from pole to pole

[tblue37]

7. I know a guy who actually trekked that route some years ago, though

he stopped when he got home to Kansas rather than continuing north to Alaska.

[Vehl]

3. Cool!

Its awesome that a 62 year old man is able to do this! All the best for his journey!


btw..this reminds me of a classmate of mine, who was also from japan. That guy went on a road trip, all the way from Alaska...to the tip of south America on his motorbike during summer vacation. I've been intending to do something dashing like that...but lol not yet :D

[mike r]

6. Pretty remarkable

considering he's done it by himself, with little help.