NOS news•today, 10:38
An American tourist has been arrested in Japan after allegedly carving letters into a gate at a Tokyo shrine. The man, Steve Lee Hayes, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of vandalism, a police spokesman told the American news channel CNN.
According to police, Hayes vandalized a gate pillar for Tokyo’s Meiji Temple on Tuesday “by carving the alphabet into it”. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports that there are five letters engraved in the gate, possibly his surname.
The column is surrounded by a wooden fence. A sign explains why the cordon was put in place. That text speaks of “heartless acts” that occurred “damaging the Torii Gate with scratches.” It is said to be “very difficult” that the gates are fenced off to protect them.
Below are photos of the barrier and warning sign:
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AFP
A visitor looks at the sign explaining why there is a fence around the gate -
AFP
A sign explains why the gatepost was removed -
AFP
The sign next to the pillar -
AFP
Close up of the shaft where the scratches should be visible
Meiji Temple in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward dates back to 1920 and was built in honor of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The building was destroyed during the Second World War but was rebuilt in the 1950s on the entrances to the sanctuary there are large wooden gates called “torii”.
Hayes visited the temple with his family. There is a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine of up to 300,000 yen (1,843 euros) for damage.
The American arrest is the latest in a series of incidents in Japan related to the country’s tourism boom. After the corona restrictions are lifted, records are being broken, with three million visitors in March, the highest monthly figure since numbers were recorded.
Sex in a sanctuary
Earlier this year, a small town at the foot of the famous Mount Fuji received international attention. There was one black screen built so that it would be impossible for tourists to take pictures of the mountain. That step was taken because tourists left litter and ignored traffic rules at a popular photo spot.
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AFP
A popular photo spot in Fujikawaguchiko, with Mount Fuji in the background -
EPA
In May, the Japanese authorities put a black net after complaints from local residents
In September, a 61-year-old man An Austrian man has been arrested who had sex with a woman on the grounds of a shrine in a small coastal town about 500 kilometers north of Tokyo. He was accused of desecrating a place of worship.
Last year, a 17-year-old Canadian was arrested in 2023 for writing his name in a wooden column there was a sculpture at a UNESCO World Heritage-listed temple in the historic Japanese city of Nara.
2024-11-16 09:38:00
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