The battle against the novel coronavirus has tugged at the heartstrings of a 46-year-old Japanese man named Kazuyuki Tanioka. In order to do his bit to help patients and medical staff, Tanioka and his family embarked on a special journey.

Tokyo, Japan. /VCG Photo Tokyo, Japan. /VCG Photo

Tanioka originally planned to take his wife and son to Japan's Tohoku region for an in-depth tour during this Chinese New Year holiday. However, when he learned that the novel coronavirus was spreading rapidly and China had almost run out of masks, he decided to turn their trip into "a journey of collecting masks for China." In order to purchase masks, Tanioka and his family started their journey from Tokyo on January 29, went through Fukuoka, Yamaguchi, and finally arrived in Kumamoto where Tanioka was born. The total journey was about 1,200 kilometers. They walked into every pharmacy they saw along the way to buy masks.

Masks in a Japanese pharmacy almost sold out. /CRI Photo Masks in a Japanese pharmacy almost sold out. /CRI Photo

Collecting such a huge number of masks was not easy. As some cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia had been reported in Japan, masks at many pharmacies were sold out. What's more, some people even purchased masks in large quantities, and then increased the price by 300-500 percent to sell online. This undoubtedly increased Tanioka's financial burden.

Tanioka (L) and a Japanese donator (R). /CRI Photo Tanioka (L) and a Japanese donator (R). /CRI Photo

Thankfully, hundreds of enthusiastic Japanese people donated to him after watching reports from local TV. Meanwhile, Tanioka's Chinese friends sent money and asked him to purchase medical supplies for donation. "I was really touched," said Tanioka.

Masks collected by Tanioka and his family until February 3. /CRI Photo Masks collected by Tanioka and his family until February 3. /CRI Photo

Finally, Tanioka and his family raised about 45,000 masks and some other medical supplies, totaling 550 kilograms. They sent all the supplies to Beijing on February 9. According to Tanioka, these supplies would be distributed in Wuhan and other places in need.

Tanioka's wife and son in a hotel during their journey of collecting masks. /CRI Photo Tanioka's wife and son in a hotel during their journey of collecting masks. /CRI Photo