A conversation with Tyler 'Kintaro' McNiven ...

Chuck Jaffee: In the film, "Kintaro Walks Japan," let's face it, you're pretty goofy. Did this help you to engage with people?

Tyler "Kintaro" McNiven: There was so much smiling acceptance. People really let their guards down. The Japanese, at heart, are a very goofy people, perhaps because there are cultural influences to behave otherwise.

CJ: How fluent would you say you became in Japanese?

TM: I had taken one course in Japanese. I carried a dictionary. People were thrilled and forgiving when you tried to speak any amount of Japanese. It got so I could navigate and describe things pretty well. I couldn't have, like, political discussions.

CJ: What was the biggest challenge for you in filming a walking tour for 2,000 miles?

TM: I stayed in about 60 homes. I was so busy receiving their wonderful hospitality and thanking them and not wanting to be intrusive with the camera. I wish I could have done more filming in people's homes.

CJ: Do I understand correctly that you didn't have a camera person with you for this trip?

TM: Mostly I filmed everything myself or set the camera down and filmed that way, and I also asked lots of people to film me. People in Japan are very familiar with using cameras.

CJ: You say in the film how satisfying it was to see Japan at a walker's pace. What was the most satisfying and what was the toughest thing about this extreme walking adventure?

TM: Besides learning language and culture, it's the first time I ever really did regular exercise. Walking six to eight hours per day, I felt very strong and very happy. I felt free, although I did feel a bit locked in to walking the length of Japan. It wasn't walking, like roaming. Walking the length of Japan was way easier than spending seven months editing the film.

CJ: Are you working on another film?

TM: I'm currently editing more of a scripted film about a guy who goes to Mongolia to wrestle a hundred Mongolians. I also started making a film called "I Ran Iran." I'm hoping to run 1,000 miles through Iran. I'm having some trouble getting the permissions I need.