Toshifumi Fujimot takes pictures of rebel fighters in Aleppo's flashpoint Saif al-Dawlah district. AFP PHOTO/STR Source: AFP
JAPANESE trucker Toshifumi Fujimoto is bored with his humdrum job, a daily run from Osaka to Tokyo or Nagasaki hauling tanker loads of fuel, water or even chocolate.
Yet while the stocky, bearded 45-year-old could spend his free time getting a jolt of adrenaline by bungee-jumping or shark hunting, he puts his life on the line in a most unusual way.
He's become a war tourist.
Fujimoto's passion has taken him from the dull routine of the highway to Syria, where as part of his latest adventure in the Middle East's hot spots he shoots photos and video while dodging bullets.
He was in Yemen last year during demonstrations at the US embassy and in Cairo a year earlier, during the heady days that followed the ouster of longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
Later this year, he plans to hook up with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Like many tourists, the Japanese trucker often visits ruins. AFP PHOTO/STR
He already spent two weeks in the war-torn country at the end of 2011, taking advantage of a tourist visa, but this time he has entered the country clandestinely from Turkey.
Dressed in a Japanese army fatigues and armed with two cameras and a video camera, Fujimoto heads for whatever front line he can every morning to document the ongoing destruction of Syria's second city and one-time commercial capital.
Fujimoto, who doesn't speak English, much less Arabic, has picked up a few words, such as "dangerous" and "front line".
"I always go by myself, because no tour guide wants to go to the front. It's very exciting, and the adrenaline rush is like no other'" he said.
The buses Toshifumi Fujimoto encounters on his tours have often been blown up. AFP PHOTO/STR
"It's more dangerous in Syria to be a journalist than a tourist," he said, describing how "each morning I walk 200 metres to reach the 'front', and I'm right there on the firing line with soldiers of the (rebel) Free Syria Army".
"It fascinates me, and I enjoy it," he says, as some FSA fighters stop him in one of the Old City's streets to have their picture taken with him.
He takes his time getting his shots right, as the rebels he hangs out with shout from both sides of the street: "Run! Run! There are snipers. Run!"
But he ignores them, finishes shooting and casually walks away with photos that he will later post on his Facebook page to share with his friends.
"I'm a combination of samurai and kamikaze."
Toshifumi Fujimoto takes pictures of a rebel fighter behind sandbags on the green line in Aleppo's old city. AFP PHOTO/STR
"I'm not a target for snipers because I'm a tourist, not like you journalists," he told a reporter. "Besides, I'm not afraid if they shoot at me or that they might kill me.
"I'm a combination of samurai and kamikaze."
Fujimoto won't even wear a helmet or a flack jacket.
"They are very heavy when it comes to running and it's more fun to go to the front without anything. Besides, when they shoot it's fun and exciting."
Fujimoto is divorced, and says "I have no family, no friends, no girl friend. I am alone in life."
But he does have three daughters, whom he hasn't seen for five years, "not even on Facebook or the Internet, nothing. And that saddens me deeply," he said as he wiped away a tear.
So he's bought a life insurance policy, and "I pray every day that, if something happens to me, my girls might collect the insurance money and be able to live comfortably".
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Bored Japanese trucker tours Syria
Dengan url
http://cucidollaran.blogspot.com/2013/01/bored-japanese-trucker-tours-syria.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Bored Japanese trucker tours Syria
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Bored Japanese trucker tours Syria
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar