American tourist arrested in Japan for defacing a religious shrine
American tourist arrested in Japan for defacing a religious shrine
The 65-year-old reportedly admitted he ‘wrote his family members’ names’ on the wooden pillar
Summary
Steve Lee Hayes, a 65-year-old American tourist, was arrested in Tokyo for allegedly carving family members’ names into a wooden Torii gate at the Meiji Shrine.
Surveillance footage led police to his hotel, where he was detained.
Hayes admitted to the act, which could result in up to three years in prison or a fine of 300,000 yen ($1,900).
The Meiji Shrine, a significant Shinto site, was built in 1920 to honor Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The incident occurs amid a surge in international tourism to Japan this year.
Americans being dumb cunts. What a surprise.
Like our election didn't give it away?
The rest of the world has known this for years.
Prison would be most appropriate.
The fine sure seems low for defacing an important religious shrine.
Not sure that shrine in particular but I do think torii gates in some shrines are replaced somewhat often. At Inari they had business names behind them which I assume are the 'sponsors' of that torii, probably they pay to have the gate fixed and I imagine that brings luck to that business. In short, he might have been lucky to deface the least critical part of the shrine.
I completely agree
I could have guessed he was over 60 because he wasn't live streaming the whole thing. Just an old school asshole, not an influencer.
All that really proves is that people don't need YouTube to do things for attention.
Yeah, that sounds like an American.
America: making Japan worse since 1853 (with a brief pause in the mid-20th century while they did it to themselves).
We're doing it to ourselves again
Would Japan have been better had the shogunate continued?
I'll let you know when my window into parallel universes has been completed, but I promised someone else to look into whether or not the Aztecs would have been worse for Mexico if the Spanish hadn't invaded first.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes