# Sunil Kaushik and Yuka Yokozawa

Sunil Kaushik and Yuka Yokozawa, known as Sushi and Sambar on social media, are an Indo-Japanese author-innovator and adventurer couple. They gained recognition for their 30,000 km cycling journey on a Brompton Bicycle from Thailand to Portugal, completed on a budget of less than $5 a day with the help of over 200 families who hosted them.
Inspired by their travels, the couple first shared their story through a 17-week series in Times of India Bangalore Mirror and later published their book, Golden Hearts On The Road, in 2025. They also created the Gratitude Forest: Museum of Golden Hearts, which features anecdotes and stories of the over 200 families who hosted them. This augmented reality and AI project transforms their forest in Wayanad, Kerala, into an interactive experience where the characters and pages from their book come alive when scanned. The project, developed using Sunil’s expertise in TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), combines Japanese calligraphy, Art, technology, and literature to showcase the stories of the people who supported their journey.
Today, Sunil and Yuka live a sustainable lifestyle on their farm in Wayanad, Kerala, where they focus on preserving and conserving the natural forest while growing their own food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they deepened their commitment to sustainability by integrating eco-friendly practices into their daily lives, ensuring that their farming methods do not disturb the forest ecosystem. Their story of adventure, innovation, and sustainability has been featured in media outlets such as Times of India, The Hindu, News Minute, Better India, ASQ Quality Progress, Bangalore Mirror, and The Quint.

## Cycling tour (2016–2017)

In January 2016, Sunil and Yuka embarked on a 30,000 km cycling journey from Thailand to Portugal on a Brompton bicycle. The journey lasted 500 days, during which they stayed with over 200 families and relied on a budget of $5 per day. Their route, key experiences, and challenges included:

### Route, families, challenges and engagements

* Thailand: Hosted by 8 families
* Laos: Hosted by 4 families and 4 temples.
* Vietnam: Hosted by 8 families and one night in a police station.
* China: Hosted by 7 families.
* Kyrgyzstan: Hosted by 7 families.
* Uzbekistan: Hosted by 3 families.
* Turkmenistan: Hosted by 1 family.
* Iran: Hosted by 12 families, one night in a mosque, and hitchhiked with over 20 drivers.
* Turkey: Hosted by 14 families. During their stay, they experienced multiple challenges:
** Bombings at Istanbul Airport: While in Cappadocia, they learned of the 2016 Atatürk Airport attack and moved closer to the Black Sea region.
** 2016 Turkish Coup Attempt: They were hosted by two young conservative Turkish girls during the coup attempt 2016 Turkish coup attempt. After the coup failed, they traveled to Macka, near the Georgian border, where three policemen were killed near their host’s house.
* Georgia: Hosted by 5 families.
* Re-entered Turkey: Hitchhiked across Georgia, Turkey, and Iran in 24 hours with 8 drivers. Hosted by a family in a local maternity hospital.
* Re-entered Iran: Hosted by 10 families and hitchhiked with 11 drivers. Invited for a TEDx talk (later canceled due to restrictions on foreigners). Lost each other in the desert between Badrood and Qom.
* Armenia: Hosted by 3 families. Delivered talk at TEDx Yerevan.
* Re-entered Georgia: Hosted by 2 families.
* Re-entered Turkey: Hosted by 9 families.
* Greece: Hosted by 4 families. Conducted two workshops—one for United Nations co-funding agencies and another at Piraeus University of Applied Sciences.
* Italy: Hosted by 10 families.
* France: Hosted by 9 families.
* Spain: Hosted by 8 families. Conducted a workshop organized by ATS in Barcelona.
* Portugal: Hosted by 4 families. Conducted a workshop at APQ- Portuguese Association for Quality and University of Minho .

## Storytelling and advocacy

* During their 500-day cycling journey, Yuka Yokozawa documented their experiences through weekly publications in Times of India's Bangalore Mirror, sharing stories of the over 200 families who hosted them. Yuka, an illustration artist, created witty and insightful illustrations that vividly depicted their travels and accompanied these stories, highlighting the kindness of strangers and the power of cultural exchange. Together, her artwork and writings provided a unique and engaging perspective on their journey, celebrating the generosity and humanity of the people they met.
* Inspired by their journey, the couple wrote Golden Hearts on the Road, a book celebrating the generosity and humanity of the people they met during their travels.
* Initially, the couple planned to create a physical museum by hanging pictures of the "golden hearts" (the families who supported them) on over 300 trees in their forest. However, practical challenges such as seven months of annual rainfall and wildlife interference made this idea unfeasible. Instead, they developed the Gratitude Forest: Museum of Golden Hearts, an innovative augmented reality project. In this initiative, trees in their forest display handwritten Kanji characters that, when scanned with a mobile device, reveal pages from their book, Golden Hearts on the Road. This digital adaptation serves as a living tribute to the families who supported their journey.

## Awards and recognition

* 2016: Invited to conduct a workshop on Problem Solving with TRIZ by ASQ LMC Greece for executives, ICT project managers, and government/public administration/EU co-funding agencies. Invited to deliver a TEDx talk at TEDx Yerevan in Armenia.
* 2017: Invited back to Greece to present at the Acropolis Museum during the Quality Days Conference. Students published a whitepaper based on their work.
* 2018: Sunil published Innovative Business Management using TRIZ through ASQ Quality Press.
* 2019: Invited as a speaker at the ASQ World Quality Conference in Texas.
* ASQ 40 Under 40: Sunil was named one of ASQ's 40 Under 40 for his contributions to quality and innovation.
* Media Coverage: Their story has been featured in major media outlets, including Times of India, The Hindu, News Minute, Better India, and The Quint.

## Current life

The couple moved to Wayanad, Kerala, where they lead a sustainable lifestyle. The couple plans to undertake pilgrimage walks, including the Daija Mazu pilgrimage, the Arbeean in Iraq, Camino de Santiago, Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage and cycling across Africa between 2025 and 2026.