Hearing impairment does not stop motorcyclist from riding across the world

Being deaf did not stop a Japanese man from riding around the world on a motorcycle.

Kohei Hakamada, 65, from Yokohama, said to date, he had travelled to 91 countries since he began the solo adventure five years ago.

"Even though I have a hearing problem, I am still eager to travel, and I want to prove that deaf people can travel around the world alone," he told reporters through a sign language interpreter when met at Terengganu Association for the Deaf in Batu Buruk today.

Among the countries he had visited were South Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and India.

Hakamada arrived in Malaysia in January.

Hakamada said he is now heading to Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak before continuing his journey to Singapore and Australia.

"Upon arriving at one particular country, I will explore some of the places to get to know their culture better," said the father of two, adding that he expected to complete the mission in 2018.

He said the idea to ride around the world alone on a motorcycle came after he retired from a newspaper printing company at the age of 60 as he wanted to fill his free time and gain knowledge from the adventure.