June 4, 2010 Story Published In The Grove Examiner

On June 4, 2010 a story was published in a small town newspaper, The Grove Examiner. It is from

Stony Plain, Spruce Grove in Western Alberta.

Man walking across country passes through Stony Plain, Spruce Grove

News

By Simon Druker

Posted 3 months ago

One man's cross-Canada pilgrimage has brought him through Spruce Grove and Stony Plain as he makes his way on foot towards his final destination of Buffalo, NY.

Sokichi Takashita began the approximately 5,800 km journey in Vancouver on May 11. Takashita, who hails from Yuzawa Machi, Japan, has since walked through the mountains of BC and into Alberta, reaching the Village of Wabamun before countering a storm last Friday that put him on ice for a few days before setting back out on the road on Monday.

"I picked him up just past Cougar Creek (golf course)," said Jane Brydges, who encountered Takashita on Highway 16 and housed him until the weather settled down.

Yuzawa Machi is a ski resort town south of the City of Nigita and north west of Nagano. It's also a 77-minute bullet train ride from the Japanese capital, Tokyo.
Takashita, who speaks very little English and uses an electronic translator to do most of his communication along with a tourist book, is a retired bookstore owner who has an affection for world wide travel and adventure, always on foot.
He has previously trekked across the Columbia Icefield glacier in 1977 as well as summiting Mount Athabasca in the same year. Takashita again visited the icefield during his current trip and was dismayed at the environmental state of affairs compared to 33 years ago.
His travels have also taken him to the peak of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro and on a 2,000 km trek around the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Takashita, 62, already has plans to cross the continent of Australia in 2011.
He expects to wrap up his current journey sometime in December and was quite excited to get back on the road before speaking to the Reporter/Examiner.
Brydges, who entertained him with a tour of the Town of Stony Plain and more importantly, Shikaoi Park made sure to emphasize the twin city relationship between the Town of Stony Plain and the Town of Shikaoi, Japan over her three days spent with Takashita.

Thanks to this wonderful woman who took him in, we now have a better picture of who Sokichi Takashita is and what his adventure is all about.