Japanese finishes month-long tire-pulling walk across Panay, embraces local culture

AKLAN, Philippines – A Japanese man spent over a month walking across four provinces on Panay Island, carrying a few belongings and pulling a tire tied to a rope.

Tappei Noguchi, a 31-year-old performance artist, completed his walk and tire-pulling performance on Wednesday, July 3, more than a month after he started his Panay journey. He said he pulled the tire as an “exercise.”

His adventure, which began on May 29, spanned approximately 200 kilometers, starting in Roxas City, Capiz, and traversing through Iloilo, Antique, and Aklan before returning to Roxas.

Before Panay, Noguchi embarked on similar walking ventures in Taiwan and Japan, specifically in Yakushima, Taneji, and Amami-Osaka.

Noguchi expressed his appreciation for the local culture and the hospitality he experienced.

“I’m now staying in the city of Iloilo after walking 200 kilometers. I got a lot of mangoes recently, and they are big, sweet, juicy, and really delicious,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

He said he faced challenges, especially at night, when he was nearly persuaded to stop his journey because of “demons called aswang,” stray dogs, and drunk people.

The journey also served as a cultural immersion for Noguchi, who recalled gatherings he witnessed along the way.

“I like the enthusiasm of the funerals where relatives gather all night long,” he recalled. “With the joy of family and relatives’ relationships, the kindness and care of the visitors, I strongly feel that the Philippines is a country of hospitality.”

Noguchi said he also enjoyed playing basketball with the locals every day during his stops.

The sight of a Japanese man walking across villages attracted the attention of residents. When word spread about what Noguchi was doing, many took photos with him as souvenirs.

Among them was Cherry Villanueva, a lechon vendor, who patiently waited for hours to meet Noguchi.

“It was all worth the wait,” Villanueva said. – Rappler.com