was a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
travel
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and visual producer. He became a travel writer after his activity as an
illustrator and
reporter.
Early life
Toi was born in
Shinjuku,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
on 12 October 1948. His father was Shozo Toi, who was the first researcher of the
Chichibu Incident.
Career
Reporting on the ''
Bōsōzoku
is a Japanese youth subculture associated with customized motorcycles. The first appearance of these types of biker gangs was in the 1950s. Popularity climbed throughout the 1980s and 1990s, peaking at an estimated 42,510 members in 1982. Thei ...
'' in
Japan led him to get a motorcycle driver's licence at the age of 32, and begin
motorcycling abroad. He covered more than 250,000 kilometers, more than 50 countries and across five continents.
He has also visited
Hiroo Onoda
was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who fought in World War II and was a Japanese holdout who did not surrender at the war's end in August 1945. After the war ended, Onoda spent 29 years hiding in the Philippines until his former ...
's farm in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, to report on the former Japanese army intelligence officer trained by the
Nakano School who was stationed on
Lubang Island
Lubang Island is the largest island in the Lubang Group of Islands, an archipelago which lies to the northwest of the northern end of Mindoro in the Philippines. The Lubang Islands are about southwest of Manila. There are seven islands in the gro ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
He has the most entries to off-road race
Baja 1000, held in
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, as Japanese. He had the plan to motorcycle the entire course of five continents.
Illness and death
Toi was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died of the illness on July 28, 2013 in Japan, aged 64. His funeral took place on July 29, one day after his death, and was attended by close relatives.
Books
Fiction
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Nonfiction
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References
External links
*
Japanese male short story writers
1948 births
Japanese writers
2013 deaths
People from Shinjuku
Writers from Tokyo
Deaths from lung cancer in Japan
Motorcycling writers
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