Once again, tourists are behaving badly in Japan. This time, it was a 65-year-old man from the United States who probably should have known better. In what he described as an attempted prank, the man carved his family name in a wooden structure. The problem was that it was a sacred torii gate pillar at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. The man has been arrested with the potential punishment for defacing a structure such as this being a heavy fine and up to three years in prison.
This is not the only such incident. In 2023, a young Canadian tourist carved his name into a sacred structure in Nara, Japan. To make matters worse, it was also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 1200-year-old Toshodaiji Temple to be precise. The young man was detained by authorities and may still face a heavy fine and/or prison time. On top of that, tourists from other parts of the world have also been busted for issues such as having public sex in sacred places.
Japan has been seeing record levels of tourism in the past couple of years. Naturally, it was already a highly desirable place to travel to. But a shrinking economy combined with a weak yen has made it an incredibly affordable destination, as well. This has all led to steadily increasing numbers of tourists flocking to locations not prepared to deal with these numbers.
The most popular tourist destinations in the country a grappling with how to deal with the increases and the problems that come with it. Various methods are being employed, such as limiting the number of visitors per day, tightening up hours of operation, and even bringing in increased security. Unfortunately, expecting visitors to behave appropriately and respectfully when visiting important cultural and spiritual sites in foreign countries is not possible.