This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

The stereotype of the Japanese tourist with his camera has been taken to an extreme by one Toshifumi Fujimoto. Mr. Fujimoto likes to don camo clothing and sneak up to the front lines of international conflicts such as the one in Syria, his most recent destination. Once there, he does what any typical tourist does: shoots dozens of photographs then posts them on his Facebook page which contains images both graphic and poignant. Mr. Fujimoto describes himself as a samurai/kamikaze fusion and says the adrenaline rush of sightseeing at the front is like nothing else. Last year, you heard about Japanese diners’ centuries-old devotion to eating fugu, a fish so poisonous that, unless it is correctly prepared, a single bite can cause an agonizing death. Well, it appears that Mr. Fujimoto is devoted to what can only be classified as the fugu of vacations.

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.