A Swiss man who has been on a solo hike across Japan to promote tourism reached Fukuoka Prefecture on Monday morning after hitting the road in Hokkaido on Aug. 1.
Thomas Koehler, 44, a former travel agent from Switzerland, embarked on the self-funded journey after seeing a steep drop in foreign visitors after the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.
"I want to help people in disaster-hit areas by telling the rest of the world how people I've met on the road have been nice and that Japanese food is safe," he said upon reaching Fukuoka Prefecture.