Mitsuo ran a photo studio until seven years ago, and about a year ago he bought an electric-assist bicycle for himself. Seeing Naoya continually challenge himself, often traveling overseas for his job, Mitsuo decided to take on a challenge too, which is how he got the idea to ride his bike all the way to Tokyo. Oh, and he did this without using GPS, Google Maps, or any other sort of digital pathfinding aids. Instead, he carried a paper map (1:200,000-scale), marking his route as he went in pencil. When he got lost, he’d ask for directions from parking lot attendants or other locals, who’d direct him to landmarks so that he could get back on course.

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From there, he kept pedaling towards Tokyo, passing by sites such as Lake Biwa and Mount Fuji. Along the way, he’d spend the night at hotels or inns along his route, but that doesn’t mean he had an easy trip. Mitsuo’s journey coincided with heavy rains and strong winds in the parts of Japan he was passing through, and he estimates that he fell from his bike around 20 times before arriving in Tokyo.

Still, he kept making progress. On the third day, he reached the town of Fuso in Aichi Prefecture, where Sayuri lives. He spent two days with her at her house, and also paused for one full day of rest elsewhere en route to Tokyo. Again, though, this doesn’t mean that Mitsuo was pedaling the path of least resistance, as his route through Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo’s neighbor to the south, took him through the steep mountain passes of Hakone.

Finally, on March 25, Mitsuo made it to Tokyo. Though he’d been navigating by paper map, Mitsuo did have a smartphone on him so that Naoya could track his progress, and he came out to the street to greet his octogenarian dad as he pulled up on his bike. “It was a tough experience, but I’m happy that I was able to make my son happy,” said Mitsuo at the end of his journey.