<figure id="attachment_394530" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-394530"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="20f2d2f6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/707241aed86d068958694cd1e01528e9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-394530" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">[Bangladesh, Dhaka: People live in air pollution that is 40 times the safety standard without masks] According to Shota, &#8220;The impact on the human body is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, even without doing anything.&#8221; However, due to poverty and extreme heat, there are few people wearing masks.</span></figcaption></figure>
<h2><b>The Reality of the World&#8217;s Most XXX Region</b></h2>
<p><b>&#8220;When I learn about the world, my own troubles feel incredibly small. I have had experiences traveling the world that saved me, so I want to share that.&#8221;</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The YouTuber Bappa Shota, who has around 900,000 subscribers, smiled as he spoke. He continues to delve into the realities of various regions while traveling the world. His reportage videos from dangerous areas labeled as the world&#8217;s most popular are especially popular, as they often feature places that rarely allow cameras.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For instance, he reflected on his coverage in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which has the world&#8217;s worst air pollution, with PM2.5 levels 40 times above safety standards.</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;It&#8217;s so polluted that a mask turns completely black in just one hour. Children of elementary school age work without masks while wafting through the stench of garbage. The level of poverty is on a completely different scale.&#8221;</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When he visited Damanhur in northern Italy, which was called the largest cult in Europe and uses its own laws and language, he explored what is known as the world&#8217;s largest underground temple, experiencing its unique culture. He has also visited areas like the Petare district in Venezuela, known as the world&#8217;s most dangerous slum, and the slums in Kingston, Jamaica, which has one of the highest murder rates globally.</span></p>
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<p><b>The streets are overflowing with smiles.</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shota continues to travel to numerous remote areas, but he has found discrepancies between the information presented by the media and the world he has seen.</span></p>
<p><b>“The media portrays the slums of Venezuela as very dangerous, but in reality, most people are kind, and the streets are overflowing with smiles. There are hardly any homeless people in Venezuela. This is because the locals help each other out. While they may be struggling with inner conflicts and worries, in their daily lives, everyone is smiling. I want to share that reality while learning by myself.”</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He conducts his interviews primarily alone, with a camera in hand. He usually stays for about a month, utilizing local connections to immerse himself in the areas he reports on.</span></p>
<p><b>“I consciously approach these situations without any preconceived notions and with an open heart. You might be surprised, but in the slums, I was hardly ever asked for payment in exchange for interviews. In areas with a lot of negative information, residents likely have a strong desire for their reality to be shared.”</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just a week after his interviews, Shota flew off to his next destination. He will continue to delve into the true voices of people living in the world&#8217;s dangerous regions.</span></p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Real Photos of Dangerous Areas in Different Borders"></div>
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<h3><b>Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh</b><br>
<b>Shanty huts crowd together as approximately one million people jostle for space.</b></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_394534" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-394534"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="68bfd6c5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/5105aa108a5ff6457ed14926a1842d6c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-394534" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Said to be the most discriminated ethnic group in the world, makeshift houses made of bamboo stand on land equivalent to about 250 Tokyo Domes. While international aid is progressing, there are many challenges, particularly in sanitation.</span></figcaption></figure>
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<h3><b>Italy, outskirts of Turin, the temple of Damanhur: Infiltrating the massive underground temple of Europe&#8217;s largest spiritual community.</b></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_394531" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-394531"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="320cf093"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/afaea601fe3c98c437a37437f7e07092.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-394531" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since its establishment in 1975, the enigmatic federation has housed the world&#8217;s largest underground temple. &#8220;Each room symbolizes the inner self, and I was able to experience something mystical,&#8221; he reflected.</span></figcaption></figure>
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<h3><b>Jamaica, Kingston &amp; Blue Mountains: A close look at the lives of people living in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world.</b></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_394532" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-394532"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="81b0cfea"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/781ce50eca9a316502f5ec501d0d1558.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-394532" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the murder rate being the second highest in the world, 230 times that of Japan, I visited gang-controlled slums and conducted overnight research to learn about the spirit of reggae, which I deeply admire.</span></figcaption></figure>
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<h3><b>In Venezuela, specifically in the Petare district of the capital Caracas, lies the world&#8217;s most dangerous slum, which continues to grow larger.</b></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_394533" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-394533"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="38febd0a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/78f323d7fa37491223eb6d555cdcc4ab.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-394533" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are numerous shooting incidents that occur in the area. &#8220;The slum is not even marked on Google Maps, and there are no signs. Across from the slum, middle-class apartments are being built,&#8221; highlighting the distortion created by the disparity between the two communities.</span></figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_394535" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1980px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-394535"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b1ca5932"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/5736e673e38138d6bfd2ac92c1782695.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-394535" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bappa Shota / Born in March 1992 in Hyogo Prefecture. He has been traveling the world since the age of 19, living and working in various locations. Since starting his YouTube channel in 2015, he has traveled the globe and continues to post over 460 videos. He has approximately 900,000 subscribers.</span></figcaption></figure>
<p>From the October 18-25, 2024 issue of FRIDAY</p>
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 Kei Kato

 Kei Kato (6th photo) Courtesy of Bappa Shota (and others)

 Bappa Shota is a YouTube star who has been traveling around the world and getting close to the realities of the regions he visits. His reportage videos of dangerous areas are particularly popular. What is it that Shota wants to convey to the world through his travels in remote areas?

Bappa Shota: YouTuber Reveals the Reality of Dangerous Places

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