Dokkodo: Lonesome Road of Running

Day 42, I woke up at the airport, my head was hazy and I wasn't sure if I had slept or not. My body still hadn't accepted the loss of my daily routine of running at sunrise. The end of a travel is always cruel like this. There are countless tourists at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Of course there are solo travelers and couples, but also families on trips, and groups that look like they were on a package tour organized by an agricultural cooperative in the Showa era in Japan... People who come to the city for the first time from rural areas and board a plane look like that at a glance. When you keep moving every day, you lose your desires. If I can sleep in a place with water and food to survive the day, and a roof, ceiling, and walls to protect you from the rain and wind, I have a simple feeling that everything is okay. When I return to my normal life, I'm covered in worldly desires again, but sometimes going on a trip like this helps me reset my consciousness. These...

On the final day, Day 41, I woke up at 3:30 as usual. The airport was about 6km away. The scheduled departure time was 6:15pm, so arriving too early would only mean a longer wait. Still, it was better to go outside than to stay in the hotel. I checked out before 11am, but the right rear tire of the buggy was flat. I immediately replaced the tube. It was my first flat tire in Vietnam. There was no foreign object in the tire, so it was probably caused by the deterioration of the tube. I arrived at the airport in no time. It was a very unexpected final run. I dismantled the buggy and took a break at a cafe after settling down. I had banh mi and cafe muoi for lunch. I checked in at the counter after 4pm. The buggy cost an additional 4,000 yen. The plane was delayed due to strong winds. In the end, it departed at 7:10pm, about an hour later than scheduled. There was no point in rushing. It was a 45-minute flight to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. I walked a little fr...

  I woke up later than usual, finished working on my computer, took a shower, had a light meal, and headed out to town. It was already 31 degrees by 10am. I was sweating after just walking 1km along the Asian Highway. As usual, there wasn't anything in particular I wanted to see or eat, but I walked, keeping my eyes peeled for anything unusual. This was my last time seeing the various shops and signs along the Asian Highway. I went into a restaurant and ordered Banh Xeo, the Vietnamese version of okonomiyaki, and sugarcane juice. I realized that I had only eaten limited kinds of Vietnamese food. Well, it's not like I'm on a gourmet trip, so it's fine. I bought food for tomorrow and Vietnamese coffee powder as souvenirs at the supermarket. When I get back to Japan, my family will be in a Vietnam boom for a while (lol). There are many Vietnamese restaurants and stores selling Vietnamese food in Osaka Prefecture. I knew there were a few in Tondabayashi, but I haven't v...

Day 39, I slept well and feel good. Today I run 40km to Cam Ranh. On the 29th, I am supposed to run 6km to the airport. So my journey across Vietnam will end with less than 50km. It's sad to think that there is only a little road left to run. After 17km, I took my first break. I ate a banh mi that I had bought on the way. After 27km, I reached Cam Lam. I took a break at a cafe. I had Cafe Muoi. A resort area with a beach and many luxury hotels. 31 degrees is not that hot. The blue sky, which is rarely seen in the north, is common in the south every day. The natural heat of the tropics feels different from the unnatural heat of Osaka. After that, I cooled down with tapioca. Around 2:30pm, I checked into a hotel in Cam Ranh after running 40.4km. It wasn't that hot and was quite comfortable. The Asian Highway, which I have been running all the way from Hanoi, is finally coming to an end. The day after tomorrow, the 29th, the final run will be at Cam Ranh International Airport. Onl...

A day off to adjust the schedule. Finally, my return home is approaching. On the 27th, I left Nha Trang and run 40km to Cam Ranh. I stayed in Cam Ranh for two nights. On the 29th, I run about 6km and arrive at the airport. This is the actual goal of my run across Vietnam. After packing the buggy, I take a domestic flight to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. On the 30th, I stay overnight at the airport (I don't go to Ho Chi Minh City), and take a Vietjet Air flight to Kansai Airport just after 1am on May 1st, when the date changes. I plan to arrive around 8am. This morning, I visited Tam Market and wandered around the area. There was nothing in particular I wanted to see, so I just took a walk and came back. I ate pho, drank cafe muoi, and bought some food. I don't need to carry much drinking water or extra food anymore. When I arrive at Cam Ranh International Airport, I will reach 20,000km, exactly halfway of PEACE RUN's 40,000km journey across five co...

Day 37, today I go to Nha Trang. Although there is a small mountain pass, this route allows me to enjoy the mountains and the sea. As it is the tropical dry season, there has been no rain and the weather has been dry. I'll  take a day off in Nha Trang to adjust my schedule. Then, on the 27th, I head to Cam Ranh, which is my goal. After running 18km, I took my first break. I ate pho at a restaurant. Even if I lose my appetite because of the heat, my energy and appetite will return as I eat. I can also eat a lot of vegetables. When I tried to pay 30,000 dong, the young lady said she didn't need it and treated me to a meal. Thank you. The minimum temperature in the morning was 25 degrees, and the occasional cloudy sky made it feel cool. The maximum temperature during the day was 32 degrees. While I was running, an old man on a motorcycle gave me some water. Thank you! I drank fresh coconut juice at a food stall cafe. Now having Milano coffee, 5km to go until Nha Trang It's bee...

Day 36, only 6 more days of my trek in Vietnam. I will finish at Cam Ranh International Airport. From there I fly to Ho Chi Minh City. I return home a week later. Vietnam seemed long but short as I run through it. Asia is interesting because it is different in many ways from the past countries. 32 degrees is still not too hot. It's much better than when I was running across America, when it was over 40 degrees every day and I was running without any shade. If you are in that kind of environment every day, your body will naturally get used to it. It's good to have a mind and body that can adapt to any situation immediately. I cool down every time I find a food stall. I went to a food stall cafe twice today. The first time, I drank a Red Bull with lots of ice. The second time, I drank a sugarcane juice. At the second shop, they put ice in my thermos. There are almost no completely empty areas (areas without shops or towns for the whole day) in Vietnam, so it's nice to be able...

Day 35, it's going to be hot today at 35 degrees. 41km to Khanh Hoa. I'll run with all my heart on the remaining road to the finish line. I'll think about the future later. Focus on the present, and enjoy it. Even if there are things in the world that you "have to do," I'm not bound by them. My way of life is to live and act as myself. I'll be a rolling stone, and keep rolling without gathering moss. I'll keep going until I've smoothed out the edges and become perfectly round... First break after running 17km. It's 29 degrees after 8 o'clock. I tried the corn milk I bought at Win Mart yesterday...it tastes just like sweet corn. The walking route on Google Maps is closed to pedestrians and bicycles again. I detoured through the mountains for 5km and rejoined the main road. I always have trouble finding a place to rest on the mountain route. 40km almost non-stop. On the way, a truck driver gave me a Red Bull and a couple on a motorbike gave m...

Day 34, I skipped spring and enjoyed summer in Vietnam, but when I return to Japan, it will be late spring to early summer. It's best if it's not too hot or too cold. I want to enjoy the fields when I return home. Things I keep in mind in my daily life that will be useful when traveling... 1) Brush my teeth with salt 2) Never use soap and shampoo (basically use hot water to wash) 3) Eat small meals (less than two meals a day is okay) 4) Use air conditioning to a minimum (it's easier to adapt to hot and cold) Eco-friendly living is also effective when traveling. At Highlands Coffee now. A cafe like the Vietnamese version of Starbucks. Unlike food stalls, it has power outlets and free Wi-Fi. Cafe Muoi Large is 59,000 VND. Salt coffee (Cafe Muoi) is similar to the idea of ​​salted kelp that comes with Japanese zenzai. The saltiness plays a role in bringing out the contrasting sweetness. I used to drink Pocari Sweat with pickled plums in it, so maybe this is the same... It'...

At the start of the trek on March 19th, 10,000 dong was 59 yen, but as of yesterday, April 20th, it has become 55 yen. Day 33, today is less than 30 km to Tuy Hoa. There is a mountain pass less than 100 meters high. If I work hard today, tomorrow will be my first day off in 13 days. I will return home in 10 days. I will enjoy the time I have left in Vietnam to the fullest. After running about 10 km, there is no shade at all, so I go to a cafe stall. I cool down with a mug of sugarcane juice. Sprinkle salt to taste and drink. It's so hot I feel like I'm melting. It's 33 degrees in the tropical Vietnamese summer, and if I could, I would like to sleep rocking in a hammock in the shade... After noon, I ran 26.4 km and checked into a hotel in Tuy Hoa. It was hard to move forward because of the heat. Fortunately, there was a refrigerator in the room! Just that makes this summer trek a happy one. It's in the city so there are lots of shops. Let's enjoy my day off tomorrow....

Day 32, my journey has finally exceeded one month. In 10 days, I will leave Ho Chi Minh and return to Japan. Time flies. I feel like time is accelerating as I continue to move every day. I haven't had a day off for a while, but I think I'll take a rest around Tuy Hoa. I think there will be people running ultramarathons and other competitions around the country today, so please enjoy a great run that will leave a lasting memory rather than a record, with safety and health as your first priority. The phrase I always use, "GOOD LUCK!", was created by my partner Morimerom (formerly Piapi) 12 years ago. "Luck" in Kanji(Chinese Characters) means run for fun. I myself would like to run a good life by running happily every day. GOOD LUCK! Going over the mountains is hard, but fun. There is a sense of pleasure in pushing the buggy forward in silence. I feel like my body and the buggy become one and I can go forever. If I can become one with the universe, regardless o...

Day 31, second floor hotel room. Opening the window, I see the Asian Highway. When a large truck passes, the tremors are 2-3 on the Richter scale. I've gotten used to that sort of thing. If I'm tired, I can sleep soundly without worrying at all. Today the maximum temperature is 32 degrees, a little cooler than yesterday. On days like this, I'll increase the distance. Today I'll cross some mountains, and there's a 200m pass about 30km away. The actual climb is 2-3km. This is probably the last pass I'll cross on this trip. 260km to Kau Lam International Airport. I can finally see the finish line. Let's keep my guard up and enjoy it until the end. I started at 5:30, before sunrise. It's cloudy in the morning, but the sun soon gets stronger. I take my first break after running 18km. I feel revived by a 10,000 VND sugarcane juice. I continued south without stopping in Quy Nhon. There was a lot of traffic near a city. I didn't want to finish it quickly. It...

Day 30, today's forecast is 36 degrees. I'm going to stop running at a suitable time, taking into account my physical condition and the weather. It's been a while since I felt like my blood was boiling. It's the tropics, so it's natural that it's hot. But no matter how hot it is, it can't compare to the heat of my passion. It's already 28 degrees at 7:30 AM. Strangely, some of the motorcyclists are wearing down jackets. Is it like a life jacket in case of a fall? All the women on motorbikes, especially the young ones, are covering their heads with hoods and their faces with masks. Many of the men at the shops are naked. I thought I heard a strange noise after about 15 kilometers, so I looked at my left wheel and found that a spoke had snapped! I didn't bring a spare spoke. It was new, so I thought it would be fine, but I was wrong. Well, it's not like I'll be unable to run right away. I'll ask a bike shop if I can find one. My legs and bo...

Day 29, sometimes it's the children who inspire me. Adults often look at me with a suspicious look, but most of the children look at me as if I'm a hero or something, and some even say "HELLO!". I hope that seeing a traveler suddenly appear in their everyday lives gives them hope for the future. I'm a contrarian, so I hate being the same as everyone else, and I've always thought differently from others. Thinking the same way as others is boring and uninteresting, so I've always preferred to do things that other people don't do. My current travels and life may be the end result, or culmination, of that. There are many scenes that make me feel the peaceful mornings of Vietnam, but the sight of people gathering at food stalls and restaurants before 6am always gives me energy. The start of the day, meeting people, eating, laughing, talking... Do people who live in Japanese cities do these things every morning? While I was running, a high school-like girl r...

Day 28, exactly two weeks later, the trek will end. Whether I cry or laugh, there are only two more weeks. A day seems long, but it feels like it's over in an instant from when I get out of bed to when I go back to bed. If I just space out, time will just flow. Start time is 5:50am. First rest after 22km. I crossed several small passes in the mountains. When I went out to town, a woman selling watermelons gave me a whole watermelon. I thought I'd eat it at the hotel tonight. When I ordered sugarcane juice at a cafe stall, the owner of the shop said I didn't need to pay, so I gratefully accepted it. Vietnam is full of happy things!! In the Reiwa era, Japan is obsessed with making money and profits, and no longer values ​​obligations and human feelings. Here in Vietnam, I think that making people happy is the basis of business and work above all else. Doing things for others is ultimately for ourselves. TRÂN HOÀNG PHONG followed me on his motorbike and gave me 50,000 VND and ...

Day 27, mid-April. In two weeks, I'll be saying goodbye to Vietnam. Travel may not have an end, but in reality, I need to make a break or reach a milestone. The highest temperature is 30 degrees today, and I continue south. This area of ​​Quang Ngai is quiet because the hotel is quite far from the Asian Highway. People are walking and running even before sunrise. It's currently 21 degrees. It gets hot all at once when the sun rises. Unlike Japan, where the four seasons are clearly defined, the tropical southern part of Vietnam is about to be hit by sunrise. The room is bright and has a good view, and I feel like it's a shame to check out... I start at 6:20 a.m. There was a lot of delicious-looking food on the table for the buffet-style breakfast, but I only ate pasta, an omelette, and some raw vegetables. It would have been nice if this had been dinner... I took my first break after running 15 kilometers. The sun was strong from the morning. My arms and legs were stinging f...

Day 26, I woke up around 3:30am. I took a shower and had breakfast. Since I entered the south, I've been getting more calls from people. Even so, there are still a lot of motorbike riders who look at me suspiciously as they pass me pushing a buggy (lol). A day, a week, passes by incredibly quickly on this journey. Does this mean that each day is so fulfilling? Or is this because there is less time left in life? It's probably the same with running a 100km or 100mile ultramarathon. At first, it may seem incredibly long, but as you move forward slowly, one step at a time, the remaining distance gets shorter and shorter. There will surely be times when it's tough and difficult. But while you're enjoying the fun to the fullest, you'll reach the goal before you know it. I always think that everything is a process. Enjoying life and traveling until the very end, including all kinds of troubles and mishaps, and finishing with a smile will lead to the next start. That's ...

Day 25, it rained during the night. It was raining quite hard and the wind was strong. The wind direction changed to the north, so it was a tailwind. Rain was forecast until around 9:00 a.m. It was still better than the scorching heat. I had to wrap it up in about two weeks and head to Ho Chi Minh City (probably by air). I think I can run as far as Cam Ranh. I ran 11 kilometers and had a late breakfast at a restaurant. It was delicious again today! I drank up the soup too. The daughter of the restaurant spoke English, so we had a chat. It was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and the number of generations in Vietnam who do not know about the war is increasing, but we talked about how it is important to listen to various stories from those who experienced and survived the war and pass them on. I also talked about the policy of PEACE RUN, which is for adventure runner Katsuhiko Takashige to run around the world on his own and share peaceful moments with people in each c...

Day 24. Yesterday was pretty hot, but today is forecast to be even hotter, at 35 degrees. I need to think of ways to deal with the heat... It was also nice to be able to experience Vietnamese nature by crossing Hai Van Pass. It felt similar to climbing up to Mount Kongo. Let's run today, taking breaks at intervals! It was still cool in the morning, but the temperature reached its highest point just before noon. It feels like the climate has changed drastically since I entered the south. Even in the heat, I kept moving forward, keeping cool. The shade of the trees and the comfortable breeze were my only salvation. After walking and running 14 kilometers, my first break was at a cafe. It was already 30 degrees at 8 o'clock. I had to get into the shade before I overheated... If the center of my brain that senses heat is affected, I'll collapse. Let's proceed with caution. The cafe building has an open without doors and windows. There is no air conditioning. It's reason...

Day 23. It was so hot that I slept with the electric fan on. Fortunately, there were no mosquitoes. This hotel is close to the road, so I could hear the vibrations and horns of large vehicles passing by, but I slept well. I slept a full 8 hours. Today I crossed the Hai Van Pass. In Spain and Portugal, it was normal to cross a mountain pass like this every day. Today I run 41km to Da Nang. The pass is 476m above sea level. There is a 10km climb, then a 10km descent, and the rest is flat. I wonder how steep the winding mountain road is? The new road tunnel is said to be the longest in Asia, at over 6000m. Vehicles transporting animals or dangerous goods, motorcycles, and pedestrians are not allowed to pass through. I started at 5:50am! The scenery of the tidal flats was very beautiful. There were several shops before the climb, and I bought a banh mi from a woman there. It's nice that they make it right away when I order it. At 9:20am, after running about 12km for 3.5 hours, I arrive...