Jesse Katayama didn’t plan on spending seven months in Peru due to a pandemic that thwarted his plans to cross Machu Picchu off his bucket list.
But Peru made a special exception for the Osaka, Japan, native when officials let him enter the UNESCO World Heritage Site as the only tourist Saturday, finally exchanging his March 16 entry ticket for the experience, CNN reported.
“I will definitely cry,” he says. “These seven months have been very special to me. I have discovered a new part of me.” https://t.co/IceWRfmUPL
— Lilit Marcus (@lilitmarcus) October 13, 2020
Katayama arrived March 14 in Aguas Calientes, but only days later, the Peruvian government opted to close the site amid the coronavirus pandemic. The tourist was stranded in the town on the slopes of the mountains near the site, and he rented a small room to live in, according to CNN.
Thanks to a special request he submitted, Katayama, with his months-old entry ticket, finally visited the roughly 500-year-old ruins, becoming the first visitor since March to walk through it. He was able to visit the site before his scheduled return to Japan on Oct. 16. (RELATED: 1 In 8 Museums Could Permanently Close Due To Financial Strain Caused By Coronavirus Shutdowns)
“He had come to Peru with the dream of being able to enter,” Minister of Culture Alejandro Neyra said in a virtual press conference Monday, according to Reuters. “The Japanese citizen has entered together with our head of the park so that he can do this before returning to his country.”
“I thought I never make it (to Machu Picchu) but everyone asked the government and the town and they game me super special permission,” Katayama said in in an Instagram post, according to CNN. “Peruvians are soooo kind. Thank you soooo much!”
Katayama’s departure from Aguas Clientes will be bittersweet, he told CNN.
“I will definitely cry,” he reportedly said. “These seven months have been very special to me. I have discovered a new part of me.”
Neyra said that Machu Picchu will reopen for national and foreign tourists in November and will being allowing 30% of its normal capacity of 675 visitors per day, according to Reuters.