The Japanese are as annoyed as Europeans by foreign tourists flocking to their country. The foreigners are just too many, and some are mischievous.
Last week, a 65-year-old American visiting a shrine in Tokyo drew the ire of locals and prompted police to arrest him.
The traveler reportedly used his fingernails to scratch one of the pillars of the famous Meiji Jingu shrine’s gate as a prank, Agence France-Presse reports.
The tourist is facing charges of damaging property. Prior to the scratching incident, another Japanese shrine fell victim to misbehaving tourists.
A Chilean woman went sightseeing with her sister at a shrine in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido. The fitness influencer’s video of the visit went viral on Instagram, where she has nearly 140,000 followers.
The video angered both the Japanese people and foreign tourists, who called the Chilean sisters’ behavior rude and disrespectful.
The Japanese, who regard shrines as sacred grounds, were incensed by the woman dancing in the gate to a TikTok song and doing pull-ups using the rope on a torii gate.
They were also angry at her sister for performing a handstand at the entrance of the shrine.
The visitor later posted an apology video on Instagram.