It was August 2011 when Koichi Kuwabara hit the streets of Seoul with a mission in mind.
He stood in the middle of the street, a nervous smile etched across his face, eager to make eye contact with passing pedestrians, as he held up a sign emblazoned with the Japanese and South Korean national flags that read, simply: "Free Hugs. For Peace."
This is how Kuwabara, a 29-year-old globetrotter and aspiring schoolteacher, kicked off a Free Hug campaign that he has since repeated in cities around the world, including Seoul, Beijing and Taipei, over the past three years.