The backstory
How I met Kosuke – and how a short conversation at a bus stop turned into a journey neither of us will ever forget.
A bus stop
My first trip to Japan. I sit down at a bus stop to quickly book my hotel for the next day, the camera hanging around my neck. Then the friendly man next to me starts talking to me: Kosuke. We get chatting – about Japan, about Germany, about life.
And then he tells me about his lifelong dream: to travel to Germany one day and stand in front of Neuschwanstein Castle.
A clip that changes everything
I share a short clip of our encounter on TikTok. The video takes off, and more and more of you write in the comments: “Let’s make Kosuke’s dream come true!”
179 people. One dream.
So I start a fundraiser for Kosuke’s dream – honestly, without high expectations. But you all join in: in the end, 179 people donate €3,195. For a man they only knew from a short video.
The surprise
I fly back to Japan without Kosuke suspecting a thing. In Nara I surprise him with your donations. I’ll never forget his reaction.
And then he asks me whether I’ll come along on his trip. I say yes – and suddenly we’re planning the journey together.
The dream comes true
Kosuke lands in Frankfurt. Ten days, fourteen cities, countless encounters – and at the end, Neuschwanstein Castle. That’s how Kosuke vs. Germany was born.
Watch the backstory
Four videos – from the first encounter to the donation handover in Nara.
