close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

    • In Japan, the misconduct of foreign tourists arouses outrage, debates: “who does such a thing?”
    asane

    In Japan, the misconduct of foreign tourists arouses outrage, debates: “who does such a thing?”

    Online Niel Posted on

    Foreign citizens in Japan have attracted negative attention in recent months, sparking outrage on social media for what many perceive as disrespectful and ignorant behaviour.
    The list of crimes is long: an American tourist to him 60 was arrested for graffiti at the Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo; four Sri Lankans were questioned in connection with the theft of 220 cars; a Chinese woman was accused of running an illegal brothel; a British man is linked to a theft of 13 million yen ($83,200); and a Chilean woman was filmed shooting at the “torii” gate of a shrine.

    This growing backlash to these misbehavior comes not only from the Japanese public, but also from long-term foreign residents who fear that these incidents could cause locals to see all foreigners as troublemakers , jeopardizing the livelihoods and relationships they have built in their adopted country. .

    Scratches are seen on a torii gate at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine in the latest example of bad visitor behavior in Japan. Photo: AFP
    Scratches are seen on a torii gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine in the latest example of bad visitor behavior in Japan. Photo: AFP

    “When I read about American tourists graffitiing Meiji Jingu, I was furious,” said Eric Fior, a French national who owns an education business in Yokohama and has lived in Japan for 25 years.

    “Part of the reason I choose to stay here is the history and culture that surrounds us, and then we hear of a tourist doing this at one of the most famous and important temples in Japan,” he told This Week in Asia. . “Who does such a thing?”

    Mistrust spread social media among foreign residents, many demanding that Steve Hayes, 65, the American citizen arrested for vandalizing a shrine, be punished for an act he reportedly told police was a “hoax.”

    “I don’t know about other non-Japanese long-term residents, but people like Steve leave me deeply ashamed, shaking my head in disbelief,” said one user on the Japan Today website.

    A man bows before passing through a torii gate that was fenced off at Meiji Shrine. Photo: AFP
    A man bows before passing through a torii gate that was fenced off at Meiji Shrine. Photo: AFP

    Online Niel
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like