Daigo Umehara, a professional gamer from Hirosaki, walked about 300 kilometers from Sendai to Hirosaki Park on April 16th.

Mr. Umehara was Japan's first professional gamer and won the title of world champion at the age of 17. In the e-sports tournament "Evolution Championship Series" for competitive fighting games, he holds the record of being in the top 8 for 5 years in a row and winning the championship for 2 years in a row.

Mr. Umehara planned to travel from Sendai to Aomori and Hirosaki on foot in his own project titled "Umehara Walk". I walked about 300 kilometers with seven game friends, including Earl and Handsome Orikasa. He left Sendai on April 8, and continued to stream his travels on the Internet. Arrived at Hirosaki Park around 15:00 on April 16th. With the fourth circle as the goal, I joined Handsome Orikasa, who had already secured a place, and completed the trip. There were more than 13,000 simultaneous viewers at the end when it arrived at Hirosaki Park.

Mr. Umehara attended Tokitoshi Elementary School and was in Hirosaki until the first grade. After that, he went to Tokyo and looks back on the fact that he did not have the opportunity to go to Hirosaki. After walking along Dotemachi Street and arriving at Hirosaki Park, Umehara said, "I don't remember much about the scenery of the city, but I vaguely remember things like the haunted houses and food stalls at the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival."

Hirosaki had bad weather with a storm warning issued in the morning, but the weather cleared up with occasional sunshine in the afternoon. The cherry blossoms in the park were at the timing when the cherry blossoms were falling. "I came at just the right time. The cherry blossoms in Tokyo are nice, but I'm glad I was able to see the cherry blossoms in Hirosaki with everyone," said Mr. Umehara.

Reflecting on the 9-day, 300-kilometer trip, Umehara said, "I was prohibited from using a cane, but walking with one made it much easier. I learned from experience that even if the distance is the same, the difficulty varies depending on the difference in altitude and weather. It was a trip that I was able to do,” he said. Mr. Umehara, who visited Hirosaki for the first time in more than 30 years, said with a smile, "I still understand the Tsugaru dialect that I heard during my trip. During my stay in Hirosaki, I want to find the taste of my memories and the place where I was born."