Free hugs

Have you heard of "Free hugs"? First time I saw this guy near a shrine entrance packed with new year's visiters, I thought it was a rather strange but warm idea he came up with. Unlike many other Japanese, I went to him and exchanged a hug. So did Laurent. He had such a warm smile despite the fact that he holded this board card all day long alone waiting for someone to come to him. And surprisingly, we felt really nice after the hugs even though we didin't know him at all.
After experienced all the kissing and hugging with MAJI people, I missed hugs. Among Japanese, no one would ever hug or kiss on cheeks. We don't have such culture in a first place. In fact, we learned how to shake hands quite recently...Now I can hug (of course) Laurent, my parents, my foreign friends in Tokyo and my friends who studied abroad, but not pure Jaapnese. So, this is a quite peculiar idea for a Japanese guy to come up with as you can imagine.
On the way back from the shrine we visited, I came towards him and asked why he started doing this "Free hugs" thing. He said he found this idea on You Tube and he saw many strangers hug each other with very nice warm smile. So he decided to do the same in Tokyo. He stands there every Sunday and have hugged nearly 50 people from last month. He told me that hugging can make people feel safe and happy, so he loves doing it now.
When I came back home, I checked on You Tube about the "Free Hugs" and I found a worldwide campaign!! It's all over the world including Canada, Sweden, Spain, and South Korea.
You can even check its own website at

http://www.free-hugs.com/

In today's society, we got everything including wars, killings, and depression, but we might be losing something like hugs and kisses. And these are something we all really need.