Omar Nok, one of Egypt’s most well-known travellers, has taken a journey few would dare to attempt – travelling from Egypt to Japan without boarding a flight.
Amid Japan’s record-breaking tourism boom, Nok travelled more than the earth’s circumference, relying on boats, trains, camels, and even hitchhiking to reach his destination.
Notably, Japan’s sharp yen weakening has turned it into a budget-friendly travel hotspot, attracting nearly 27 million visitors between January and September. This surge has also been an economic windfall, with tourists spending a record 5.86 trillion yen ($37.58 billion) so far.
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Who is Omar Nok?
Nok, a 30-year-old traveller from Cairo, has become a social media sensation, with over 750,000 Instagram followers while he documents his unique overland journey from Egypt to Japan. Covering a total of 46,239 kilometres (28,732 miles) across a dozen countries without flying, his journey has captivated audiences worldwide.
Speaking to Reuters, Nok revealed that his fascination with Japan began in childhood, long before he understood the concept of travel. “I always wanted to come to Japan,” he told the newspaper, adding, “But for me, I don’t want to miss anything in between…so that’s the motivation to just go without flying to see as much as I can.”
‘I chose Japan because…’
In an interview with Arab News Japan, Nok said, “I like overland travel because I want to see as much as possible of the world, and not just certain spots.”
“I chose Japan because it was the furthest country away from Egypt I could think of.”
He added, “I’ve travelled extensively in Europe and America. I have never travelled anywhere towards the east.”
The explorer has been sharing his journey with his social media audience, posting daily short videos that show his location, activities, and scenic views from each country he visits.
However, his travels have also sparked curiosity among viewers who wonder how he manages to travel international borders with an Egyptian passport, which ranks 75th on the Passport Index 2024.
He told Arab News Japan, “Aside from my Egyptian passport, I also have a German one.”
“However, I use both depending on the country I am visiting. For example, in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, I used my German passport because it’s on arrival,” he added.
The 29-year-old said that he faced challenges such as language and cultural barriers during his journey but added that safety was less of a concern. “In terms of safety, Asian countries are much safer than Latin American, for example. But finding information in Asia is much more challenging,” he told the newspaper.
“The media shows certain countries in a negative light, when in fact those countries are just like any other, with normal streets, restaurants, etc.”
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How did he travel to Japan without getting on a plane?
He arrived by ferry in the southwestern city of Fukuoka last month and then meandered his way to Tokyo on November 7, 274 days after leaving home. By comparison, a direct flight from Cairo to Tokyo takes about 12 hours.
The veteran traveller previously logged lengthy trips through Europe and the Americas, but nothing like this. The first day was the hardest, Nok said, when his father dropped him off at Red Sea port of Safaga to board a cargo boat for Saudi Arabia.
He was nervous about stepping into the unknown, venturing into central Asian countries where he didn’t speak the language and where few tourists tread. But armed with words of encouragement from his father, he stepped onto the ship, and his nerves melted away.
On his trek, he hitchhiked to Islam’s holy city of Mecca, sandboarded the dunes of Iran, broke down in the Tajikistan mountains in a purple Dodge Challenger driven by another adventurer, and crossed parts of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan riding horses and camels.
Previously a financial analyst for Amazon in Germany and Luxembourg, Nok funded his journey through savings and extremely frugal spending. His daily expenses came to about $25, although his entire two-week run through Afghanistan cost just $88, he said.
Throughout it all, Nok said he never felt in danger because generous strangers looked out for him wherever he found himself. That message resounded among his online fans as a welcome spark of hope at a time of war and political strife in much of the world.
“I’m always just moving around like locals would, and being in situations where locals would step in to help,” Nok said. “I think people wanted to see that positive side to all the countries that they only hear negative things about.”
With inputs from Reuters
This post was originally published on here
