1999 Expedition Tokara Members' Profiles (English)

Hyouichi Kohno Age:41 Blood:A rh+

Japan Adventure Cyclist Club(JACC), Matsuyama Canoe Club member
Ehime Life Culture Award, Seto Town Resident's honor Award

Born April 12, 1958 as third son of four brothers and sisters to a farming family of orange orchards in Seto town, West Uwagun, Ehime prefecture.

One of the influential persons to Hyouichi is Ryoma Sakamoto from Japan's Famous Meiji Revolution's . Hyouichi enjoys his role as father and husband, hugging his wife and two children. Helping his family during Junior High School he often carried 50 lb baskets of oranges. Later he bicycled 17 km to high school along mountain roads. He never visited even a coffee shop or theater until after graduating from high school.

Graduating from Misaki high school in Ehime Prefecture, he worked his way throughout Japan, travelling by bicycle. In 1980, he left Osaka to travel all around the world. In Australia, he spent a couple of day in an English school then on by bicycle halfway around the Australian continent. From there, New Zealand, Canada, and America, including a 2,000 kilometer trip down the Yukon river in just 50 days, using rafts of rubber and timber.

In 1983 he succeeded in reaching the summit of Mt. McKinley (elevation 6,194 m). Walked cross country from Los Angeles to New York within 180 days. In 1984, he completed the Boston, New York and Honolulu marathons.

In 1985, in sequence, he climbed mountains of the 4,000 to 6,000 meter. Finally reaching South America's highest summit, Mt. Aconcagua (28,834' =6,960 m) in 1986. Then he walked along the border of Patagonia.

In 1987, he challenged Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. Although injured in the face by an ice block at 6,700 m altitude, he returned miraculously. Back to Japan in October 1987 he walked through the Japan Islands, a 3,000 km trek in 48 days. Then he succeeded to walk 5,000 km in 129 days through Sahara desert, Africa pulling the cargo trailer (photo right). Soon after this adventure, he decided to try walk to the North Pole.

Since 1992, he spent 5 years in polar training. In 1995 he reached the North Magnetic Pole by foot - a great step in his achievements.
On March 4th, 1997, he started toward Ward Hunt Island. 60 days after, on May 2nd, he became the first Japanese adventurer to walk solo to the North Pole. The 780 km straight line distance, actually required more than 1,000 km because of the moving ice fields.

Hyouichi is the author of the North Pole adventure book "Hokkyokuten wa Blue Sky"
(Publisher=Ehime Newspaper Company ISBN4-900248-42-8 C0026 \1800E)

Kazuhiko Yoneda Age 31 Blood: A rh+

Employed by the Hakko Construction Industry Company. Ltd. Instructor of K-SEA TOURS. Member of the Matsuyama canoe club.

Born January 30th 1967 at Matsuyama, Ehime. Sea kayaking since 1993. Today he actively guides tours and instructs at a sea kayak school in the islands of the Setonaikai Channel.

He spends 60 days per year kayaking. Mainly in the Setonaikai Channel, Uwa Sea and the Sea Of Japan. He crossed the Houyo Strait (from Misaki to Saganoseki) on June 1998. Crossed the Hiroshima to Matsuyama in 2 days in September. He plans to kayak from Oita to Kobe along the Setonaikai as an addition to the Tokara Expedition .

He is very well to hand-roll. But also good in every technique necessary for kayaking.