An Englishwoman attempting a solo voyage around the world by bike and kayak arrived at Choshi-shi, Chiba Prefecture, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 19 November.
In October, 26-year-old Sarah Outen, who has so far crossed 10 European and Asian countries, arrived in Hokkaido via the Russian Far East island of Sakhalin. She plans to stay in Japan until spring, when she will resume her adventure.
As reported in the July issue of BCCJ ACUMEN, she left London in April, since when she has covered 18,700km in 226 days. In May, she will row solo across the northern Pacific Ocean from Choshi to Vancouver in Canada, spending up to 200 days alone at sea before returning home in a London-to-London loop of the planet by paddling under Tower Bridge in September 2013.
Outen said: “Japan is beautiful, and people are kind”. She added that she was encouraged when local people helped her to repair her bike in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, areas hard hit by the 11 March earthquake. During her stay in Japan, she will study Japanese and visit Tohoku to meet local children.
