Tony R. Vega

Covering Japan since 2016
Legally blind
YouTube

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

I did it
I arrived in Nihonbashi today
25 days walking (started in Kyoto ended in Tokyo)
4 days off
Got lost countless times because I am legally blind
Used a white cane, google maps, my knowledge of #japan and the help of people across Japan
Thank you so much everyone

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

#TokaidoChallenge
COMPLETE!!!!!

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

I trespassed onto a scary Japanese man's property and...
#japan

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

📣I managed to get a meeting with the #Honolulu branch of the famous Izumo Taisha shrine!!
I'll be having a meeting with them this coming week
Looks like they'll be supporting my next walk in November: the #IzumoChallenge
#visuallyimpaired #legallyblind #japan

[BSkeet @One_big_drop]

This design is so good

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

Support what I do and get an awesome tshirt!👇

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

👕NEW TSHIRT FOR SLAE!
Featuring a brand new design by @1025Hourai
GET YOURS NOW!
Link below👇

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

Did you know Akira Toriyama was a very CAREFUL smoker?
Did you know that Yuji Horii, the creator of #DragonQuest was a SUPER HEAVY smoker?
Find out more👇
#dragonball #dragonballz #manga

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

That time a cashier chased me down in #Japan

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

@bull_japanese yes i'm sure it can be for many but i have a feeling the guy that approached me would probably approach visually impaired japanese people too
he was just an ignorant a-hole unhappy with his life

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

That time I got harassed in #Japan

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

I changed the name of this account
It used to be @japankyonews
Now it's @tonyrvega
I will no longer use @japankyonews
I'll be posting all my English Japan content here so just keep following me here

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

Whether you're int he city or in rural areas it's extremely common to see "yellow braille blocks" in #Japan
I'm referring to tactile paving which is meant to help the visually impaired
Here's a nice article about this topic featuring a lot of photos
https://t.co/NxkdXuGq0U

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

Kyoto police didn't like it when I did THIS on my first day walking the #Tokaido road (but they were still very nice)
#japan #blind #legallyblind #visuallyimpaired #walking #travel

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

If you haven't been outside of Tokyo you have a very skewed impression of #Japan
Here's a remote area along the Kumamoto-Kagoshima coast that I walked through last fall during my 1400 km walk across Japan
I encountered VERY few people in this area

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

This is one of the longer tunnels I've had to walk through while walking across Japan

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

On my first day walking from Yamaguchi to Kagoshima last year I had to walk through a really long tunnel
Took about 23 minutes
The walking area was narrow, uneven, and wet/muddy at parts
Keep in mind I'm legally blind so I was using my white cane
I must've looked crazy
#japan

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

While walking through Yamaguchi on my way to Kagoshima last fall I got caught in a thunderstorm
After this it started raining and the walking area ended
Thankfully a kind man in his car stopped and rescued me
It was too dangerous to walk so he took me to my destination
#japan

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

If you like #DragonBall and #anime localization, you should definitely check out my new article!

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

I was published on the blog of the International Institute for Asian Studies!
I wrote about why many English speaking #DragonBall fans hate Goku's Japanese voice
Thanks to @AsianStudies for the opportunity!
Check out the article below
https://t.co/E7WBNOHuex
#DragonBallZ #anime

[Tony R. Vega @TonyRVega]

This is one of the most bizarre Japanese panty thief incidents I've come across in a long time
https://t.co/HxPRBeDoSD

#japan #news #weirdnews

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

It’s Sakurajima!
Here’s the view from the ferry connecting Kagoshima City to Sakurajima, a former island with constant volcanic activity
As a legally blind traveler, reaching this moment after walking roughly 1400 km from Tokyo to Kagoshima felt pretty special
#japan

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

Did you get your SON GOKU t-shirt yet?
Art by the incredible artist @1025Hourai

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

The only reason I've been able to walk 1400 km across #Japan as someone who is legally blind is because of Google Maps
BUT
there's been many times when it tried to take me down weird and dangerous paths
Like one time in Yamaguchi it tried to get me to walk over train tracks

[Tony R. Vega | トニー・R・ベガ @TheVegaTony]

This is me after I walked under the Kamon Strait to cross from Honshu to Kyushu
Took me around 2 months to walk the distance from Tokyo to Shimonoseki where the tunnel to cross to Kyushu is
Not bad for a blind guy
(I'm on the Kyushu side)
#japan