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Rollerblading across America: Kenichi Yamashita says thank you to a nation
A Japanese man's second 3,500-mile odyssey, this time to say thank you on Rollerblades
Nearly there -- Kenichi on Cobb’s Hill in Barnstable Village August 31 on his way to Provincetown.For those who prefer to do their traveling a little more slowly, consider 62-year-old Kenichi Yamashita -- Japanese Rollerblader. The man from Tokyo has just reached Provincetown, Massachusetts, after rollerblading across America. All 3,200 miles of it.
According to the Wicked Local Truro, his mission was "To speak to as many Americans as possible [and] thank the U.S. for helping rebuild Japan after World War II. Asked why he wanted to thank the country responsible for inflicting massive damage to Japan during that war, Yamashita replied, that while several countries fought against Japan, only the U.S. stayed afterwards to help the country and its people recover."
Second time around
Amazingly it's not the first time Kenichi Yamashita used his own body power to traverse the country. Twenty years ago he rode a bicycle across the United States with his then 13-year-old son. According to the Barnstaple Patriot, this time he wanted more of a challenge so carried a 60-pound backpack with him on his Rollerblades.
Yamashita began his journey in Santa Monica beach in California, skating through the Mojave desert and Rocky Mountains to end at Race Point Beach in Provincetown after five months. The trip gave him the opportunity to thank locals as he recalled growing up in the aftermath of World War II "with milk and rations from the Red Cross and other kindnesses from the United States he can’t forget."
A website dedicated to Kenichi Yamashita's rollerblading across America journey can be found here.
