Encouraged by the cheers and donations of many, the man dressed as an eggplant passes through Hakone into Odawara

Translated from the original article at: http://odawara-hakone.keizai.biz/headline/891/

May 24, 2012

Facing Tsukuba City, Suzuki stops for a photo, while biking along the Japan National Route One highway.

In order to raise recovery funds for the May 6th tornado disaster area, Yuu Suzuki set off on bike from Kobe. While on the way towards his goal of Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, he’s calling out for donations. On May 25, amid the rain, he safely crossed Hakone Pass, arriving in the city of Odawara.

The eggplant man raising recovery money.

On that day, the weather began to clear from the west. With rainclouds overhead, Suzuki began peddling towards the east. On the mountains of Hakone, his scope of vision was impaired by rainfall since morning. Riding the steep inclines of Hakone's roads and finding his endurance weakening, Suzuki frequently made use of rest stops. He questioned his idea of using an ordinary bike, not equipped with gears. Taking weather and safety into account, on 9 occasions Suzuki switched to walking with his bike on the climb from Mishima to the summit of Mount Hakone. During declines, he cautiously peddled downhill. At 4:20PM, Suzuki arrived in front of Odawara Station uninjured.

At the station, he found himself surrounded by a rush of high school students, married couples and tourists. They were demanding answers to questions such as "Why the heck are you an eggplant?" and "Let's take a picture." One by one, he politely responded to each of them. Asking for tornado relief donations as a favor, many Odawara citizens complied. "Aaa, so cold!" said a woman in her 50's after requesting a handshake, surprised by the coldness of Suzuki's body. "Hang in there," people called out. By reaching Odawara, Suzuki surpassed his aim of travelling 100 kilometers (62 miles) in one day. "Today, I'm set for Yokohama. There’s nothing else on the itinerary until then." Currently not working, Suzuki's past jobs included hotels and restaurants.

Yesterday, his spirits feeling weakened, he said to himself: "I wonder if I should stop cycling and just continue my fundraiser by hitchhiking..." However, he went ahead and rode his bike into the Kanto Region. "Receiving a lot of cheers and donations, I was filled with energy," said Suzuki. Going around the area, he asked himself "What town should I visit from here?" We do know that he'll continue to Oiso, Hiratsuka, Chigasaki, Fujisawa, Ofune and then Yokohama. "Yo-shhhh!" he yelled, starting eastward from the Japan National Route 1 line, still facing a distant journey until he arrives at Tsukuba City.

Original text:

ナスの着ぐるみで箱根越え小田原に－多くの人の声援と募金協力に励まされ 

（2012年05月24日）

つくば市に向けて国道1号線を走行中にフォトコール

竜巻被害地への寄付金と自転車を届けるため、神戸を出発し、茨城県つくば市を目指して募金を呼び掛けながら走行している鈴木佑さんが5月25日、雨の中、無事に箱根峠を越えて小田原市内に入った。

【画像】ナス男募金活動

当日の天候は西から崩れ、走る鈴木さんは雨雲と一緒に東に向かった。箱根の山は昼前から雨が降り視界も良くない。勾配の厳しい箱根路は、野宿を繰り返しているため体力的にも弱くなっている鈴木さんには難関。ギアも付いていない普通の自転車で乗り越えられるのか疑問だった。鈴木さんは天候と安全を考え、三島から箱根山頂までの登りでは、9割を自転車を押しながら歩き、下りは慎重な運転で走行。16時20分、無事に小田原駅前に到着した。

駅前では、高校生、主婦、観光客に囲まれ、「なんでナスなの？」「写真撮らせて」などの質問や要望が殺到。一人一人に丁寧に対応していた。募金も順調で、多くの市民が協力。50代の女性が握手を求めて、「まあ冷たい」と鈴木さんの体が冷え切っていることに驚いていた。「頑張ってね」の声を掛けられ、1日100キロの目標達成のため小田原を後にした。「今日の予定は横浜。そこまで行かないと日程がない」。ホテルや飲食店での仕事をこなしてきた鈴木さんにも、仕事は待ってはくれない。

昨日は、「自転車をやめて募金だけのヒッチハイクにしようかな…」と弱気になっていたときがあったという。それでも自転車を走らせ、関東圏に入った。「多くの声援と募金が自分のエネルギーになっている」と鈴木さん。「これからどんな街があるのですか？」と周りに質問。大磯、平塚、茅ヶ崎、藤沢、大船、そして横浜と続くことを知ると、「よ～し」と声を上げて国道1号線を東に向かってスタートした。つくば市までの道のりはまだ遠い。