American tourist detained for defacing Tokyo's Meiji-jingū shrine
The antics of tourists in places of religious worship never cease to amaze. In Japan, there's much talk about an American tourist who carved letters into the wooden gate of one of the most frequently visited temples in Tokyo.
14 November 2024 10:32
Meiji-jingū is a Shinto place of worship in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, visited by both the faithful and tourists.
An American tourist went too far
An American tourist arrived in Japan with his family on Monday, November 11. Unfortunately, he resorted to a foolish joke—carving letters with his fingernails into one of the pillars of the torii, a traditional gate at the entrance to Meiji-jingū shrines.
The police arrested the man the next day. The 65-year-old was charged with desecrating this site; however, what exactly he faces for this misconduct was not disclosed.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. The day before, carvings resembling Chinese characters were found on another gate leading to the same temple. The perpetrator was not identified.
Yasukuni also desecrated
Also this week, the police reported the initiation of an investigation after a symbol meaning "death" was discovered in two places on the stone wall of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. In June and August, the pillars of this shrine's gate were marked with inscriptions meaning "toilet" in English and Chinese.
Yasukuni has been controversial for years. It commemorates over 2 million Japanese who died in World War II, including 14 politicians and military leaders recognized as war criminals by an international tribunal.
