Japan has got to be one of the most popular travel destinations in the world right now, so much so that its citizens are increasingly concerned about over tourism.
As per data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, the Land of the Rising Sun recorded an astounding 36,889,900 foreign tourists last year, a 47.1% increase compared to 2023. The statistics for 2024 also showed that Japan is at its peak popularity with Malaysian tourists, as 506,800 Malaysians visited the country last year, the highest-ever in history.
A group of Malaysian tourists was caught on TV vandalising the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, confronted by a Japanese reporter
Unfortunately, some Malaysians also contributed to Japanese citizens' over tourism fears with regrettable actions while travelling in the East Asian nation. Most recently, a group of Malaysian tourists even made it into a local news report in Japan, where they were reprimanded by the reporter for vandalising a bamboo tree in Kyoto's famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.
This embarrassing moment for Malaysia was shown in a news report by News23, a major Japanese news programme, a snippet of which was shared by Threads user @charlotte_jpnews21. In the video, a group of women, who the programme identified as Malaysian tourists, can be seen walking through the iconic “Bamboo Grove Path” before one of them picked up a rock and vandalised one of the bamboo trees.
Throughout this sequence, the overlaid text of the news report reads, “(She) is picking up a small stone from the ground and is about to draw something on the bamboo stalk with it,”. The group was then confronted by a News23 reporter, who asked them, “Do you know you shouldn't hurt the bamboo?”.
Despite the faces being blurred and their voices altered, you can hear the distinct Malaysian accent in their voices saying, “Ah, no no no. I didn't know”.
It was then revealed that one of the Malaysian tourists carved an ‘M’ on one of the bamboo trees, with the voiceover saying:
“The women said they were from Malaysia. They showed no signs of remorse. A new letter ‘M’ has been added to the bamboo.”
Carvings cause permanent damage to the bamboo trees, forcing local authorities to cut them down
While the news coverage is especially embarrassing for Malaysians, vandalism at the popular Kyoto tourist spot has been a recurring issue plaguing the local community. In a report by Japan-based publication The Asahi Shimbun, graffiti has been carved into about 350 bamboo stalks along the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, with most of them being in Roman letters.
The report quoted city officials as saying that most of the damage was caused during the rebound of tourist numbers post-COVID-19. Furthermore, local officials warned that the deep etchings can kill the plant and cause the bamboo to fall over, with experts at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens noting that carvings cause permanent damage.
Worse, the local authorities have no choice but to cut down the most severely damaged stalks in the 2.3-hectare plot.
Accordingly, officials are urging tourists to behave responsibly and refrain from vandalism. Meanwhile, Keisuke Ishikawa, the head of a group of local shop owners, hoped that visitors would carve their memories of Arashiyama into their hearts and not into the bamboo.
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Do share your thoughts in the comments!
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