Japanese tourist stranded in Peru finally visits Machu Picchu after seven months

Like many travelers around the world, Jesse Takayama found his dream trip thwarted by the spread of Covid-19.

But after an unexpected seven month stay in Peru, Takayama is finally crossing “visit Machu Picchu” off of his bucket list.

Takayama, a native of Osaka, Japan, arrived in Aguas Calientes — the town from which most people begin their Machu Picchu expeditions — on March 14.

He already had his entry ticket and permit to enter the UNESCO World Heritage site on March 16 in hand, but that was when the Peruvian government opted to close the site. Takayama was stranded.

Since then, the 26-year-old Takayama, a boxing instructor, has become a local in Aguas Calientes, where he has been renting an apartment for the past seven months.

Although border closures have kept him from visiting other South American countries, he has made the best of his experience by exploring local attractions like Putucusi Mountain and the Calientes Waterfalls. He even taught boxing classes to some of the local kids and has made friends in his accidental new hometown.

Takayama tells CNN that his goal is to open his own boxing gym when he returns to Osaka, so he used his lockdown period to practice his moves.

However, as he started to run out of money, it looked like Takayama would have to head back home to Japan without ever having used his Machu Picchu ticket.

Enter Andean Roots Peru, a local tour company. With help from the national Ministry of Culture, Takayama was given special permission to enter Machu Picchu — and to have the normally crowded site nearly all to himself. He was accompanied by two photographers who documented the experience.

In a celebratory Instagram post, Takayama wrote, “I thought I never make it (to Machu Picchu) but everyone asked the government and the town and they game me super special permission.” He added: “Peruvians are soooo kind. Thank you soooo much!”

“The Japanese citizen has entered together with our head of the park so that he can do this before returning to his country,” Peru’s Minister of Culture Alejandro Neyra told reporters.

Neyra added that there are plans to reopen Machu Picchu to visitors at 30% capacity, but did not specify an exact date. In the meantime, though, Takayama can go home with some incredible memories.