Yuujou grew from a simple idea: a circle of friendship strong enough to carry a group of travelers around the world. Sisters and storytellers Corinne and Yvonne Eisenring partnered with Oliver Herren, a Swiss internet pioneer, to bring this vision to life. On April 11, six travelers will embark on a 100-day journey with that vision as their sole itinerary. The journey begins with all six in Berlin, Germany, then splits into two teams of three, one heading east and one heading west, meeting each other 100 days later in Tokyo, Japan. Along the way, teams must stay with a friend of their previous host, moving from friend to friend across the globe. There are no prizes, no ads, no scripts, just the expectation that each traveler will creatively document their experiences of human connection along the way.
After receiving over 30,000 applications, Yuujou has narrowed the pool down to ten finalists. Culturs brings you a look at Yvonne Eisenring’s surprise visit to each finalist in this 10-part series.
Finalist #7
Jedis a photographer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. He has combined his creative talents and love for nature into a fulfilling career filming for Earth Touch, a news network dedicated to covering the natural world. In his free time, Jed continues to enjoy his natural surroundings as much as possible through surfing, skateboarding, snorkeling, hiking and more. This connection with nature provided him with a strong community and support structure from an early age. In his Yuujou interview, Jed describes growing up with the surfer community and the sense of belonging that provided. As an adult, he continues to wake up at 5 a.m. each morning to go surfing. As Jed has travelled, he has cultivated an ever-growing group of friends through a shared dedication to and passion for the outdoors. “I know from traveling how easy it is to get around and make friends; it’s super easy to make friends out there in the world,” he said.
“It’s a beautiful thing that you guys have going, trying to get people from all over the world to come together and travel and build friendship.”
Watch Eisenring surprise Jed in Durban:
You can read more about Yuujou and follow their journey here.
Ready to meet Finalist #8? Keep reading.
