NANJING — Far from an impulsive decision, a Japanese student planned a well-thought-out route to experience the real China. With a tight budget and schedule, he hitchhiked over 3,000 kilometers from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

With that belief, Tanikawa, a postgraduate student at the School of Journalism and Communication at Nanjing University, set out on a unique journey on Jan 21.

Before setting out on his hitchhiking journey, Tanikawa picked up a camera for the first time to document the lives of ordinary Chinese people.

Traveling from Nanjing to Urumqi, Tanikawa's journey involved more than a dozen car rides. Of the 17 drivers he encountered, most exhibited kindness and offered help upon learning his nationality.

Along the journey, Tanikawa encountered diverse and authentic experiences. He patiently adjusted to the accent of a northwestern couple, watched students returning to school aboard a slow green train, chatted with a young driver about cartoons, and listened to another driver in the city of Luoyang in Henan province explain how the city's architecture inspired Kyoto's. These moments — some new, some engaging, and some profoundly meaningful — helped shape Tanikawa's deeper understanding of China.

On the second day of his adventure, while in Taihe County, Anhui province, Tanikawa was struck by severe stomach pain and abandoned his plan to stay in a tent, opting for a hotel instead. "I experienced the same in Xinjiang," he recalls. "I really enjoyed eating lamb skewers. The meat was cut into big, satisfying chunks. But my digestion couldn't keep up. At night, I felt uncomfortable and slept holding my stomach."

Coming from Japan, where personal space is highly valued and people tend to keep their distance, Tanikawa found himself immersed in China, filled with warmth and close, personal connections.

"What I experienced wasn't just a hitchhiking trip but a journey through the very fabric of a nation," he says.