Moving on to cross country running, he claimed victory at the 2000 edition of the Cross de Soria in Spain. He competed in 10,000 m at the 2003 World Championships in Paris without finishing the race. He returned to Tokyo in both 2010 and 2011 but managed only ninth and eighth place, respectively.
He returned to the marathon podium in Japan at the inaugural edition of the Osaka Marathon in October 2011, placing third in a time of 2:14:18 hours.