Dokkodo: Lonesome Road of Running

Day 18 of my journey through Turkey—my 66th birthday. I spent the night camping on the coast in Denizkent and woke up inside my tent. Thank you to everyone who has already sent me birthday wishes! I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. Please continue to follow my "PEACE RUN"—a 40,000-kilometer journey across five continents—and keep supporting me, adventure runner Katsuhiko Takashige. Although I heard dogs barking and people talking during the night, the morning arrived without any real issues. My tent was soaked with night dew. The humidity made it feel quite cold. It’s a shame there’s no shower, but I’m grateful for the zero-cost accommodation. I might encounter situations like this again further down the road. I set off at 7:40 AM. While packing up the tent, I was swarmed by a massive cloud of mosquitoes. On the way to today’s destination, Biga, I passed through several small settlements and a few gas stations. As usual, my diet consists of nuts, dried...

On Day 17, I woke up before 5:00 AM. The weather is great again today. My route takes me from Bandırma to a place called Denizkent—a distance of just over 40 kilometers. It has already been 20 days since I left Kansai International Airport. Heading south from Çanakkale; I suppose the area around İzmir marks the halfway point. With a smile on my face and safety as my top priority, I’ll keep moving along at a steady, relaxed pace. I set off from my hotel in Bandırma at 7:30 AM. After navigating the hilly city streets, I reached the D200 highway. Traffic was heavy at first, but it soon quieted down. I took my first break after running 15 kilometers. It looked like a bus stop, but there was nowhere to sit. The temperature began to rise quickly. It’s another perfectly clear day with a brilliant, expansive blue sky. It’s over 20°C—warm enough to feel hot. The landscape features wind turbines and vast fields, with stunning views of the Sea of ​​Marmara. Someone from what appeared to be a fact...

Day 16, just past 6:00 AM—I’m jolted awake by the deafening broadcast of the *adhan* (call to prayer). Today’s temperature ranges from 10°C to 21°C. It’s quite mild, likely because we’re by the coast. I’ve decided to take another day off. Mud from the trail has been interfering with the brakes—to the point where they stopped working—which made for a terrifying experience while descending a hill in Bandırma yesterday. My mission for today: completely remove the dried mud and install a protective liner inside the tires. I also need to head to a bike shop to pick up some rubber cement for puncture repairs. Fortunately, this hotel is quite affordable, and thanks to some Agoda points, it’s even cheaper. Breakfast this morning: *Chai* (tea), mango juice, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, honey, bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, pickled olives, salami, French fries, various types of cheese, and more. You really can’t beat a buffet-style breakfast. Since I’m eating breakfast here, it must be lun...

Woke up at 4:30 AM. The town is quiet—all I can hear are the chirping of birds and the distant barking of dogs. Temperatures today will range from 8°C to 20°C. It will be reasonably warm during the day, but I’ll need to set off in full winter gear this morning. While I’d prefer to avoid rain and wind, perhaps it’s precisely because of them that I’m able to truly appreciate a clear, calm day. Breakfast at 7:00 AM. Sunrise is gradually coming later each day. I’ll wait until it’s light out to depart. The daylight hours are shrinking; the seasons are slowly moving forward. Finished eating, packed my gear, and checked out. When I went to retrieve my buggy from the storage area, I found the rear-left tire completely flat. It seems a piece of wire from the road must have punctured it again. I quickly swapped out the inner tube. The friendly staff member who helped me at check-in watched the whole process. As I was leaving, he shook my hand and used a translation app to show me a kind, heart-w...

It has already been two weeks since I left Istanbul. Although the distance I’ve covered is minimal, I have plenty of time left, so I intend to move forward without any rush or panic. High costs for dining out and accommodation are simply unavoidable. "If you travel with a 'Japanese' mindset, you won't be able to enjoy the experience." This is something I learned during my trip to Spain and Portugal two years ago. Traveling in a way that mirrors the lives of the locals—that is what’s important. Bringing a Japanese perspective along on your travels often leads to nothing but complaints and dissatisfaction. A day off in Karacabey. I woke up at 4:30 AM. Perhaps because I’ve been consuming too much caffeine—from all the *çay* (tea) and coffee—my sleep has been quite shallow. I had a dream that I was standing at the front of a classroom again. Dreams about school almost always involve some kind of trouble or unexpected incident! (Haha.) Today, I plan to find a park with...

Woke up at 6:00 AM at the campsite in Gölkiyi. It was so cold that I had to get up twice during the night to use the restroom. It was too freezing yesterday to even take a shower—I didn’t want to risk catching a cold. Although I spent nearly 12 hours in my sleeping bag—my first time camping in a tent for a while—I kept having strange dreams and couldn't get a good night's sleep. Once it got light out, I started packing up. After breakfast, I discovered a flat tire on the rear-right wheel of my buggy and set about fixing it. A piece of wire from the tire casing had punctured it in two places. I set off just before 9:00 AM. The campsite owner treated me to some *çay* (Turkish tea) at the café. A police officer, a friend of the owner, was there too. The journey along the D200 started off pleasantly, but the road eventually turned into an off-road track, and it began to rain. A spoke broke—again, on the left side. What started as a packed dirt path gradually turned into a quagmire—...