A man who was paralyzed from the chest down in a road accident during a North American motorcycle tour 14 years ago returned to Japan on Saturday after completing the final 14,000-km leg of his original journey.
Kazuhiro Hattori, a 37-year-old from Yokohama, was greeted by friends and supporters at Narita airport after completing the tour on a three-wheeled motorcycle.
The accident occurred in Nova Scotia in August 1986 during Hattori's exploration of the continent by motorcycle.
He began his latest odyssey from the hospital where he was treated after the accident. He then rode to Boston, Florida and Las Vegas before reaching Los Angeles on Oct. 27.
"I'm glad I returned home alive despite frequent (mechanical) trouble on highways," a smiling Hattori said, adding that people he met along the way were very friendly and taught him to have a forward-looking attitude.