Japanese rickshaw men take on the world

Yuji Suzuki, right, and two colleagues, will team up to pull a rickshaw around the world. Photo / Japan News-Yomiuri

Three rickshaw men from Tokyo will embark on a round-the-world trip on Monday, taking turns pulling a rickshaw over five continents in around three years.

The men - Yuji Suzuki, 26; Ken Hirano, 26; and Keisuke Takahashi, 25 - are all hoping to inform those who do not have a chance to visit Japan about Japanese culture and the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.

Suzuki, who is originally from Kyoto and currently lives in Asakusa, came up with the idea. He graduated from university in 2013 and moved to Tokyo to earn money for his dream of traveling around the world. He began working as a rickshaw man in June 2013 and found the work fun.

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【明日は、浅草にて出発式をします】 良かったら皆様きてください。 浜口京子さんもこられます。気合を注入していただけます。浅草に観光する方も良かったら観てってくださいね。とうとうワンピースみたいな夢物語がはじまります。このInstagramを見た方は、ご都合が合えばで大丈夫なので明日、まるごとにっぽにて14:30出発式です。大好きな浅草でこうやって見送っていただけるなんて幸せです。さあ！夢を乗せて走ります。さあ！出発まであと2日です。ちなみに出発は、9月5日浅草雷門にて12:00出発です。 Hello everyone.I hope please come to Asakusa. W will make the rickshaw event for my project. The event is starting at 2:30PM. Where is the event?? Please check Marugoto Nippon.It is shopping mall.I'm so happy so We can make the event in Asakusa. Also I love Asakusa.I apriciate everything.I have a only 2days until departure. 🇷🇸🇸🇮🇩🇴🇹🇰🇰🇬🇧🇱🇼🇸🇸🇦🇸🇹🇼🇸🇸🇴🇵🇦🇵🇰🇨🇳🇷🇪 人力車 #浅草 #旅人 #世界一周 #rickshaw #感謝 #東京 #世界一周人力車の旅 #tokyo #like #love #cool #good #backpacker #experience #go #gopro #goprojp #follower #follow4follow #asakusa #summer #kyoto #rickshaw #オリンピック #Olympics #東京力車 #鈴木悠司 #まるごとにっぽん #浜口京子 さん

A post shared by リキシャーズのガンプ鈴木(人力車の旅人) (@rickshawsgump) on Sep 3, 2016 at 4:44am PDT

He eventually thought of traveling around the world pulling a rickshaw, but thought it would be difficult to keep pulling a rickshaw alone, so he solicited travel companions before Hirano and Takahashi joined the project.

Suzuki initially became interested in travelling abroad when he was in his junior year at Osaka Gakuin University in Suita. During the summer, a series of injuries forced him to give up his long-held dream, which he'd had since he was a primary school student, to become a professional football player. To achieve some closure on his dream, he traveled by himself to Brazil, where he spent about one-and-a-half months playing football on a club team. He said he realised during that time, "There is a broader world outside Japan that I don't know about yet."

The following year, he spent two months traveling across Europe after organising a project to deliver origami cranes folded by people around the world to victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

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【お金の円より人の縁ですな】 おおきに！Instagramを通し、先月乗車していただきまして、そして昨日ほんまおおきにでした。ありがとうございます。人力車を通して浅草好きなってもらえてるのが、最高です。そう！今日の髪型は、サムライヘアーで走ってるでござる。これが、なかなかの好評なんです。お客様や街の方々さら「かわいー!!!」と言われ調子に乗ってます。熱いのでおデコ出したいんです。笑 明日から2日お休みをいただきまして、用事で京都へ参ります。もし浅草来た際には、24日までお休みしております。では、東京の皆様台風でこざるので気をつけて。 I appreciate the instaglam.They rode my Rickshaw at yesterday.By the way,They rode my Rickshaw last month. They love my Rickshaw and Asakusa. I'm really glad. Thank you so much.Also,My hair like to samurai.My guest and friends said me ”you were very cute”I was happy to heared that. 人力車 #浅草 #旅人 #世界一周 #rickshaw #感謝 #東京 #世界一周人力車の旅 #tokyo #like #love #cool #good #backpacker #experience #go #gopro #goprojp #follower #follow4follow #asakusa #summer #kyoto #rickshaw #オリンピック #リオ五輪 #Olympics #東京力車

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On the upcoming rickshaw journey, Suzuki's team plans to leave Asakusa at noon Monday and spend about two months traveling to Osaka. On the way to Osaka, the trio plans to visit several places including nursing facilities for elderly people. In Osaka, the team will take a ferry on November 1 to Shanghai, then travel to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, before arriving in India.

Pulling a rickshaw throughout the journey will allow the team to participate in cultural exchange events and explain Japanese culture at tourist spots along the way.

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【人力車×清水麻里さんIN浅草】 ども！最近、人の引き寄せ方が半端ない鈴木です。笑 この間は、モデルとして大活躍中の #清水麻里 さんを乗せ浅草を駆け抜けながら写真撮りながらの案内をしました。やはりモデルさん！！写真を撮る際には、表情が一気に変わるのと周りの空気を止める力がありました。凄くパワーを感じました。またいつの日か一緒にお仕事できたらと思います。 葛飾区が生んだ清水麻里さんこれからも大活躍して下さいー。 Hello I'm exsited because I met the model.She is name Mari Shimizu.She is very famous.I was guided in Asakusa for Mari.When I take a picture Mari looks so really powerful.I felt good impressive.Someday,I waana meet her.I'll cheer for Mari.Thank you so much. #人力車 #東京力車 #happy #浅草 #モデル #鈴木悠司 #rickshaw #tokyo #cool #like4like #love

A post shared by リキシャーズのガンプ鈴木(人力車の旅人) (@rickshawsgump) on Jul 21, 2016 at 12:58pm PDT

After traveling to Asian countries for about a year, the team will briefly return to Japan, and then restart their travel in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia.

The cost of transporting a rickshaw by ship is about 2 million yen ($26,351), with the team collecting the money via crowdfunding on the internet. Travel and accommodation fees will be covered by their savings, and they will take tents and sleeping bags with them to save money.

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おはようございます😄 昨日は、いつも幸せがパンダフルなお客様が乗車してくれました。飴ちゃんももらいましてめちゃ嬉しいです。乗り納めで来てくれました。また年明け会えたら僕の気持ちもパンダフル！！笑 本当に2015年は、お世話なりました。ありがとうございます！ さあ！！！！！ 今日は、久々のオフなんで調査の日ですね！ いつもは、お店を巡ることが多いけど今日は、奥多摩の鍾乳洞へ行きます。寒そー！やけどワクワクです。 #人力車#東京力車#パンダフル#奥多摩#鍾乳洞#寒そう#今年も3日#like#love#happy

A post shared by リキシャーズのガンプ鈴木(人力車の旅人) (@rickshawsgump) on Dec 27, 2015 at 3:13pm PST

"It'll be a load of work requiring a lot of time and money, but I'm already excited to think about meeting people from all around the world," Suzuki said. "I also want to introduce to the world the appeal of Japanese culture and the fact that the Tokyo Olympics will be held four years from now."