Koichi Kuwabara is a
popular Japanese YouTuber who several years ago caught worldwide attention
through his “Free Hugs” videos. In them,
he visits countries such as China and South Korea – countries that have historically
had tensions with Japan - to interact directly with the people there
by offering free hugs to people who choose to do so. His videos gather hundreds of thousands of
views, and his Free Hugs for Korea-Japan has over a million views.
But more than the numbers, what stands out is the meaning
behind these videos. Through these
videos, the viewers come to understand that what is really meaningful are the
direct, person-to-person interactions that we have with others. In the videos, the local people – no matter
if they are mainland Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, or Hong Konger – all come
alive as individuals. No matter the
country, the people are diverse, from young to old, men and women, but their
smiles capture the same joy. In essence,
Kuwabara breaks down the stereotypes and barriers that divide people, and in
doing so creates the opportunity for heart-to-heart cross-cultural exchange.
I had the pleasure to talk to him via Skype. To begin, I shared a message from my friend,
a third year student from the same Soka University from which he graduated, in
which she spoke of how she was moved by his actions. Then we moved onto our interview.
[Interview below]
