Shinto priests walk in a line in preparation for the annual end-of-the-year ceremony for New Year’s Eve at Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) in Tokyo on December 31, 2009. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
TOKYO — A 65-year-old American tourist was arrested for allegedly etching letters onto a traditional wooden gate at a Tokyo shrine, police said Thursday, the latest example of bad behavior by visitors flooding back to Japan post-pandemic.
The traveller reportedly used his fingernails to scratch one of the gate’s pillars as a prank at Meiji Jingu, one of the capital’s most famous shrines.
Article continues after this advertisementA police spokeswoman told AFP the man was arrested Wednesday “on suspicion of damaging property” at the shrine complex in the city center.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION Palace: Duterte free to surrender to ICC if he wishes GLOBALNATION DFA coordinating with US over detention of Garma, daughter GLOBALNATION Marcos firm on non-cooperation with ICC over Duterte drug war probeREAD: 100-year-old ginkgo trees could get the axe under disputed plan for Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien park
The incident comes after a woman from Chile faced an online backlash last month for posting a clip of herself doing pull-up exercises on a red gate at a different Japanese shrine.
Article continues after this advertisementThe fitness influencer with 139,000 Instagram followers later posted an apology video on the platform, saying it “wasn’t my intention to show disrespect”.
Article continues after this advertisementAn unprecedented number of tourists are flocking to Japan, which says it wants to welcome 60 million visitors a year by 2030, around double 2019’s full-year record.
Article continues after this advertisementBut some residents have become fed up with unruly behavior and etiquette breaches, including in tradition-steeped Kyoto, where locals have complained of tourists harassing the city’s famed geisha.
READ: In baseball-crazy Japan, fans try to save ‘sacred’ stadium
Article continues after this advertisementA town near Mount Fuji in May mounted a large barrier to deter photo-taking at a popular viewing spot beside a convenience store where people were increasingly venturing into the road to get the perfect shot.
The barrier has since been removed, having succeeded in reducing the amount of risky behavior, officials said.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
New crowd control measures have also been put in place on the majestic mountain’s most popular hiking trailpogo88, which now has an entry fee of 2,000 yen ($13).
READ NEXT Flights to Bali resume following volcanic eruption Marcos firm on non-cooperation with ICC over Duterte drug war ... EDITORS' PICK Marcos firm on non-cooperation with ICC over Duterte drug war probe Storm surge warning up in 6 Luzon provinces due to Super Typhoon Ofel LIVE UPDATES: Super Typhoon Ofel Bluesky adds 1M users since US election as people seek alternatives to X DA bans poultry products from Austria, Japan due to bird flu Light haze blankets Cebu City, Pagasa confirms MOST READ West PH Sea: China’s Bajo de Masinloc claim requires stronger action – Estrada LIVE UPDATES: Super Typhoon Ofel Storm surge warning up in 6 Luzon provinces due to Super Typhoon Ofel Pagasa lifts Signal No. 5 in Cagayan as Ofel weakens Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments