By Gokhan Zobar and Seda Sevencan
EDIRNE, Türkiye/ISTANBUL (AA) - A 28-year-old Japanese traveler walking to Paris with a handcart has completed his journey through Türkiye and crossed into Bulgaria.
Motoki Sato set out on foot from Japan about 11 months ago to fulfill his dream of a “world tour on foot.” He wants to reach the French capital to complete his adventure-filled journey.
Carrying his belongings in a handcart, Sato traveled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Pakistan and Iran before entering Türkiye via the southeastern province of Hakkari two-and-a-half months ago.
During his time in Türkiye, he stayed in provinces including Van, Bitlis, Malatya, Kayseri and Istanbul before reaching Edirne, where he completed the Turkish leg of his trip. After spending a night in Edirne, he crossed into Bulgaria through the Kapikule Border Gate.
Sato plans to walk about 2,300 more kilometers (1,430 miles) and reach Paris in nearly four months.
-Aiming to be the first
Sato said his journey has been challenging and rewarding.
“The reason why I'm walking from Vietnam to France, that's just nobody has done it. I think in the world, at least in Japan, nobody has done it. So, I want to do it first.”
He was grateful for his experiences in Türkiye.
“Turkish people are really nice and very kind and they are very respectful. Once, when I stayed at a local people's house, at dinner time, they prepared chopsticks only for me. I was so impressed that they are so respectful.”
His journey will continue through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria and Germany before he reaches France.
Addressing why he uses a handcart instead of carrying a backpack, Sato said: “If you carry your backpack, it's heavy. So, I don't like that. So, I want to carry with wheels. And if you carry a handcart, you can carry a bunch of stuff. The weight is about 100 kilos (220 pounds). You can carry the food, water, and everything. So, that's why.”