Shigeru Yoshida is 84 years old and is in the midst of his third round-the-world trip.
October 12, 2026
Heading east from Northman on the Eyre Highway, he crossed the Nullarbor Plain, Australia’s greatest challenge. He pressed on through the “90 Mile Straight” that stretches to the horizon. At the state border, a giant kangaroo statue welcomed him. He continued south to Adelaide.
October 3, 2026
He set out from Perth for the final leg of his round-the-world trip, Australia. Grateful for the kindness of a friend of his cousin, he rides the same Yamaha YDS-III that he rode on his round-the-world trip 60 years ago.
September 24, 2026
He left his XVS250 with an export company in London and concluded his European tour. In a month since departing Heidelberg on August 24, he covered 8,850 km and visited 23 countries. Next week he heads to Australia.
September 13, 2026
He rode together with Akiyama, who rides a Yamaha TDM900, from the town of Rully to Bern. Europe is unusually warm this year, making for pleasant days of riding.
Akiyama filmed a video for us.
September 6, 2026
He crossed from Serbia into Bulgaria, continued south to Thessaloniki in Greece, then traced a path through North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, and Croatia before entering Slovenia.
This is the first time he has ridden in this area in 60 years. With the long conflicts in mind, he worried about the state of things, but on the surface everything has made a complete recovery.
August 28, 2026
Leaving Germany, he passed through Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic, Bratislava in Slovakia, Budapest and Szeged in Hungary, then crossed the border from Lesk into Horgos, Serbia. His tour of Europe continues.
August 24, 2026
He received the Dragstar, which had been shipped by sea from the American West Coast, in Germany. The beginning of his European tour.
July 25, 2026
Crossing the Andes in Peru was among the most grueling stretches of his journey so far. He covered 3,150 km in about four weeks, but the road presented a succession of six mountain passes exceeding 4,000 meters, all with reduced oxygen levels due to altitude.
Sixty years ago on his trip through South America, he rode along the Peruvian coast, but in Colombia and Ecuador he navigated unpaved mountain passes in the Andes, crossing ridge after ridge. As he rode through the Andes this time, the memories from back then came vividly to life.
While this route is certainly not an easy one to ride, the fact that it is paved now, unlike back then, makes conditions far more favorable. Still, it was a leg where he truly felt how hard it is to overcome the toll that the years take.
Tomorrow he moves to São Paulo, and after that he heads to Europe at last.
Chapter Four: South America — The Adventurer Who Rode the World
July 12, 2026
He finally reached Machu Picchu. He spent three days walking around thoroughly and was satisfied.
July 6, 2026
He did not expect that Arequipa to Cuzco would be his greatest challenge, but just on the first day between Arequipa and Puno there was a mountain pass exceeding 4,500 m in elevation, and by the time he reached his hotel in Puno he was utterly exhausted.
June 26, 2026
He then entered Lima, Peru, and spent about two weeks searching for a motorcycle. The cruiser model he wanted proved hard to find, and he finally settled on a Yamaha FZ25 with good leg room and a relatively high handlebar position. Compared to the XVS250, the handlebars are still lower, and he has some regrets on that front, but he figures he will just have to get used to it.
He set out from Lima at last. From there he rode about 250 km south to the entrance of the town of Paracas.
June 13, 2026
Once he gets his motorcycle in Lima, Peru, he plans to tour Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. Peru has many high-altitude areas exceeding 3,000 meters in elevation, so along with his excitement about the scenery comes anxiety about altitude sickness. He plans to proceed slowly without rushing or pushing himself, letting his body adjust. For now, he is thinking only of riding in Peru itself.
June 5, 2026
The exhaustion from crossing North America was considerable, and for a while after he arrived in São Paulo the fatigue did not lift. Days passed with a heavy feeling deep in his body, but finally this week his condition has begun to return. Now he can walk comfortably through the city for about two hours each day.
He had been gradually preparing the motorcycle, but upon investigation he found that tourists cannot register a motorcycle locally. As for rental motorcycles, he learned they cannot cross international borders. With so many restrictions on riding freely through South America, after thinking things over carefully, he decided that it would be more practical to fly to Peru and acquire a motorcycle in Lima.
May 18, 2026
Sixty years ago, he took a picture here too.
May 3, 2026
April 24, 2026
The crate arrived at the Port of Los Angeles, and he is reunited with the Dragstar.
April 10, 2026
He is in Los Angeles waiting for the Dragstar to arrive.
March 13 at the Port of Yokohama. With his beloved motorcycle, the Dragstar 250, before shipping.
An inspiring article was published in the Atami Newspaper on March 13, 2026. With the kind permission of the Atami Newspaper, we reprint and introduce it below.
Atami Newspaper, Friday, March 13, 2026
Round-the-World Journey on a Beloved Motorcycle
84-Year-Old Yoshida from Izusan Makes His Third Attempt
Shigeru Yoshida (84), a former Yamaha Motor employee living in the Chugin Life Care Atami Third Izusan Building No. 23, a senior housing complex in Izusan, Atami, is embarking on his third round-the-world trip by motorcycle in early April. He was scheduled to depart last May but fell seriously ill and focused on treatment. After receiving his doctor’s approval, his departure was delayed by approximately one year. Yoshida says with great anticipation, “Thanks to the support of everyone at the mansion, I was able to make this fresh start. This will be my last long-distance touring. I want to go as far as I possibly can.”
(Atami Newspaper, Haruna Tsuchiya)
Fresh Start After Serious Illness, Supported by Friends
Yoshida began his first round-the-world trip in 1965, the year he graduated from university, on a Yamaha YDS III (250cc). Over approximately three years, he traveled through 63 countries across five continents, covering a total distance of approximately 136,000 kilometers.
For his second trip, which began in 2002 when he reached retirement age, he rode a Royal Star (1300cc) and covered approximately 30,000 kilometers, including Russia and other places he couldn’t reach on his first journey.
Early April: Starting from Route 66 Terminus Sign in the US
For the third trip, Yoshida moved up the departure date to early spring and changed the starting point from Europe to North America. Astride a Dragstar (250cc), he sets out from the terminus sign of the legendary US highway “Route 66” in Santa Monica.
He will race through 20 countries over a maximum of six months, including Peru, Brazil, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Finally, he will cross Australia and return to Japan. During the trip, he plans to visit people he has become close to through previous stays and work.
His beloved motorcycle will be shipped by boat, so it “departed” ahead of schedule. After taking commemorative photos with mansion residents and staff, Yoshida himself drove it to Yokohama Port in Yokohama. His friends gave him warm send-offs saying, “Take care” and “Be safe.” Yoshida was delighted, saying, “I’m so happy. I want to take the photo with everyone in it with me as a charm for my journey.”
Source: Atami Newspaper, Friday, March 13, 2026, morning edition
※ Reprinted with permission from the Atami Newspaper. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
Publications
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