Tourism Kyoto's Arashiyama’s bamboo forest faces graffiti spree

[thomas]

City officials in Kyoto are dealing with graffiti showing up again in the Arashiyama bamboo forest, a popular spot for visitors. An inspection turned up carvings on roughly 350 bamboo stalks along the path that cuts through the grove north of Tenryuji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

​

Most of what's been scratched into the bamboo is in Roman letters, though there's some Japanese, Chinese, and Hangul mixed in. City officials attribute the damage to the surge in tourism after COVID-19 restrictions lifted.

About half the grove belongs to the city—around 7,000 bamboo stalks spread over 2.3 hectares. Officials point out that deep cuts can actually kill the plants and make them topple over. Their current plan involves removing the most severely damaged stalks and pushing for more responsible behaviour from tourists.

Experts at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens note that carving into bamboo causes permanent damage. The local tourism community has responded by covering the graffiti with green tape, a makeshift solution that compromises the forest's natural beauty. Graffiti was also a major issue in 2018 that prompted members of the local tourism community and monks from Tenryuji temple to launch a public anti-defacement campaign. Fewer tourists during the pandemic meant fewer incidents, but the amount of graffiti has rapidly increased since this spring, particularly during the summer months.

Kyoto struggling with tourists defacing beloved bamboo forest | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[Ukigumo]

Graffiti-ing 'Gilroy was here' has been going on for millennia…goodness knows why We have Roman graffiti in places here in the UK and Isaac Newton left some in our school's library.

Since bamboo grows so quickly how about planting 'sacrificial plants' along the route upon which people can scrawl their nonsense?

 

[thomas]

Kyoto City workers have started removing bamboo from the well-known Arashiyama Bamboo Grove today, after repeated graffiti damage spread along the tourist path, where more than 350 stalks had reportedly been marked. In the early hours, crews quietly took down one stalk after another near the walkway. The vandalism had persisted for some time, leading officials and residents to cut about twenty-five stalks within roughly a metre of where tourists could reach from the main path.

​

The head of the Arashiyama shopping street association, Ishikawa, remarked that it was disheartening to see bamboo that ought to have been protected being felled because of such behaviour. Kyoto City officials were said to be looking into how the removal affected the scenery and intended to judge whether the measure worked before deciding if more bamboo would need to be cut in future.

Kyoto Cuts Bamboo in Arashiyama to Curb Vandalism

Workers began cutting bamboo along the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto on November 19th as the city moved to halt a surge in graffiti damage that has spread across the popular tourist path, where at least 350 stalks have already been defaced.

newsonjapan.com

 

[Ukigumo]

They need to move the fences further away from the bamboo, they need to have CCTV/security (as you do in museums) patrolling the area to prevent this sort of vandalism. I think I've said before, it's a sad fact that this sort of thing has been going on for centuries in the West, even Roman soldiers would graffiti 'Tiberius Drusus Nero Decius Maximus was 'ere' on Egyptian monuments and I'm afraid the authorities need to take this into account now Western tourists have invaded Japan.

I'd really like to know what nationality the vandals are most likely to be. I have my own ideas but would like my bias confirmed or otherwise with some hard data.

 

[mdchachi]

Making the path narrower would cause other problems. I like the idea of strict enforcement. The security forces could get paid bounties paid for by the fines of the transgressors.

 

[Ukigumo]

Bamboo is fast growing so how about cutting it back a little?

If they just hired sadists for security they might just do it for the pleasure of beati*g transgressors!

 

[mdchachi]

Bamboo is fast growing so how about cutting it back a little?

That seems to be what they are doing.

 

[NANGI]

Konnichiwa Mina-san!

Replacing the graffitied bamboo with new ones will not solve the problem.

Because it just provides a new campus for criminals.

The best thing to do is to let tourists know that graffiti is a crime and that Japanese people care about plants.

But in reality, it would be impossible.

Although crimes are committed by a small number of foreign tourists, many Japanese people mistakenly believe that most foreign tourists are criminals.

This is unfortunate for both Japanese people and foreign tourists.

I would like to suggest that scribble criminal should be punished with tattoos.

Tattoo the same letters as the graffiti on the criminal's face. The criminal is happy to see his favorite graffiti every time he looks in the mirror.They don't need to doodle anymore.

Japanese people can easily see who the criminals are, so they don't see all foreign tourists as criminals. And good foreign tourists will not be considered criminals.

This is a way for everyone to be happy: Japanese people, criminals, and foreign tourists.

In Singapore, flogging is permitted as a punishment. I think it would be fine for tattooing to be permitted as a punishment in Japan.

Singapore to cane Japanese hairdresser for rape
from BBC

NANGI

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

If it's the bamboo grove behind my house, you can carve on the bamboo as much as you like — but in exchange, I'd like you to cut down the bamboo you carved at about one meter above the ground.
Most of the neighbors are elderly and can't manage the grove, so the bamboo keeps spreading no matter how many we cut every year.
Because no one goes in, a family of wild boars weighing over 100 kilos has settled there, four of them, and it's too scary to enter the grove.
Recently, people have reported seeing four or even five baby boars, so it's becoming even more dangerous.

 

[Ukigumo]

Perhaps the miscreants could be flogged with the bamboo they've damaged. Poetic justice

 

[Ukigumo]

If it's the bamboo grove behind my house, you can carve on the bamboo as much as you like — but in exchange, I'd like you to cut down the bamboo you carved at about one meter above the ground.
Most of the neighbors are elderly and can't manage the grove, so the bamboo keeps spreading no matter how many we cut every year.

Ah…they're not the clumping variety…
I planted Chimonobambusa tumidinoda or walking stick bamboo, in my old garden after checking with 'Scottish Bamboo' that it wouldn't spread and was clumping. They assured me it was clumping but I should purchase the thick polythene barrier to ensure it stayed put. In the Spring I started seeing shoots growing outward from some distance from bush and started worrying. I email Scottish Bamboo for advice but they never responded, I phoned and left messages but they never returned my calls. So I applied glysophate herbicide to the shrub and a few days later and with great effort, dug up all the shoots. Scottish Bamboo had misinformed me as it actually 'spreads indefinitely' and is not clumping at all. I've never bought anything from them since.

Because no one goes in, a family of wild boars weighing over 100 kilos has settled there,

The whole family of boars weighs 100kg? Poor things need feeding up!

Recently, people have reported seeing four or even five baby boars, so it's becoming even more dangerous.

So about 400g each?

 

[mdchachi]

The name "Scottish Bamboo" should have been a clue as to their trustworthiness.

 

[Ukigumo]

The name "Scottish Bamboo" should have been a clue as to their trustworthiness.

It's huge and successful business that can get you any type of bamboo Even the Royal Horticultural Society recommends them which is why I'm disappointed with whoever advised me.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

When I was young & dumb , I had a big batch of bamboo on my front lawn. At my local garden center I found a can of something like Agent Orange. It was a pint can in government green like for military use. It said mix the can in a 55 gallon drum of water to use. I had one of those old hand sprayers you pump to spray that held about a pint. I poured the can in that with no water figuring it would kill the bamboo for sure. I sprayed the whole can onto the bamboo, not noticing the wind was blowing. A day or two later the bamboo was all dead , but also my two neighbor's lawns had turned brown.

 

[Ukigumo]

When I was young & dumb , I had a big batch of bamboo on my front lawn. At my local garden center I found a can of something like Agent Orange. It was a pint can in government green like for military use. It said mix the can in a 55 gallon drum of water to use. I had one of those old hand sprayers you pump to spray that held about a pint. I poured the can in that with no water figuring it would kill the bamboo for sure. I sprayed the whole can onto the bamboo, not noticing the wind was blowing. A day or two later the bamboo was all dead , but also my two neighbor's lawns had turned brown. View attachment 133267

Agent Orange?!?As in the Vietnam defoliant? You could buy it over the counter? It was dioxin wasn't it?

I bet your neighbours loved you

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I have a feeling the center had no idea what it was. It was on a back shelf all by itself. The color and type of writing on it caught my eye. The neighbor closest to me had passed away leaving the house vacant for a long time. Lucky for me , LOL. Turned out the house was passed down to a retired CIA spy , Richard Hood who had a few of his books printed. He had some great spook stories , LOL. His wife was a translator at the UN who spoke 12 languages. The house was old and in bad shape , so they sold it soon after moving in. Their moving and house selling bought about another "mistake" on my part , LOL. There was a 6 inch high metal post on my front lawn that got in the way of mowing my lawn. I finally dug it up and threw it away. When the survey crew showed up for the banks property search , I saw one of the crew on my front lawn with a metal detector and asked what he was doing. He commented to me that there was supposed to be a metal marker post somewhere there and he couldn't seem to find it , LOL. I confessed knowing nothing about it and left him still looking , LOL.

 

[Majestic]

I confessed knowing nothing about it

Wise move. Never let them know how much you know.

 

[Ukigumo]

I have a feeling the center had no idea what it was. It was on a back shelf all by itself. The color and type of writing on it caught my eye. The neighbor closest to me had passed away leaving the house vacant for a long time. Lucky for me , LOL.

Do you think you might've helped with his demise with your Agent Orange?

Turned out the house was passed down to a retired CIA spy , Richard Hood who had a few of his books printed. He had some great spook stories , LOL. His wife was a translator at the UN who spoke 12 languages. The house was old and in bad shape , so they sold it soon after moving in. Their moving and house selling bought about another "mistake" on my part , LOL. There was a 6 inch high metal post on my front lawn that got in the way of mowing my lawn. I finally dug it up and threw it away. When the survey crew showed up for the banks property search , I saw one of the crew on my front lawn with a metal detector and asked what he was doing. He commented to me that there was supposed to be a metal marker post somewhere there and he couldn't seem to find it , LOL. I confessed knowing nothing about it and left him still looking , LOL.

What did it mark? A shallow grave, perhaps?

 

[どうぞよろしく、ひなです]

This is extremely sad, just because of that marks already in it people will continue to mark the bamboo, I'm not sure why they would do this but to know how damaging and dangerous it could be is sad.

 

[Lothor]

Konnichiwa Mina-san!

Replacing the graffitied bamboo with new ones will not solve the problem.

Because it just provides a new campus for criminals.

The best thing to do is to let tourists know that graffiti is a crime and that Japanese people care about plants.

But in reality, it would be impossible.

Although crimes are committed by a small number of foreign tourists, many Japanese people mistakenly believe that most foreign tourists are criminals.

This is unfortunate for both Japanese people and foreign tourists.

I would like to suggest that scribble criminal should be punished with tattoos.

Tattoo the same letters as the graffiti on the criminal's face. The criminal is happy to see his favorite graffiti every time he looks in the mirror.They don't need to doodle anymore.

Japanese people can easily see who the criminals are, so they don't see all foreign tourists as criminals. And good foreign tourists will not be considered criminals.

This is a way for everyone to be happy: Japanese people, criminals, and foreign tourists.

In Singapore, flogging is permitted as a punishment. I think it would be fine for tattooing to be permitted as a punishment in Japan.

Singapore to cane Japanese hairdresser for rape
from BBC

NANGI

Tattoos are pretty much forever. I think we're best avoiding the 'once a criminal, always a criminal' mentality, as it discourages people from reforming. The Nazis were also into forcibly tattooing people. I'd go for warning signs, with a night in the cells, deportation, and a 5-year entry ban for offenders.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

"Straight-up crime": Controversy erupts after the largest graffiti shop in the U.S. posts video of vandalism in Shimokitazawa—targeting a convenience store sign and a photo booth


Graffiti art—using spray paint or markers to draw letters or images on walls, trains, and other surfaces—is widely known. However, in Japan, doing so without the owner's permission is considered a criminal act and can lead to serious legal consequences. Against this backdrop, a video posted on Instagram by an overseas shop has sparked widespread criticism.

The issue centers on a "vandalism video" uploaded on March 4 by the account of Spray Planet, the largest U.S. retailer of graffiti supplies such as spray paint and markers. The footage appears to have been shot around the Shimokitazawa area of Tokyo, showing a gloved individual repeatedly tagging various locations with black marker-like ink. The clip even includes scenes resembling "shoplifting."

The roughly 50-second fast-forwarded video begins with the person writing large letters on a FamilyMart sign. They then walk into the store, slip an onigiri into their bag, and boldly walk past the checkout counter without paying. When leaving, the automatic door shows the store name "Daizawa 5-chome."

After leaving FamilyMart, the individual tags the side panel of a nearby ID photo booth. Crossing the street, they proceed to draw on two different building walls and then vandalize what appears to be a Seven-Eleven store wall as well. Inside that convenience store, they again grab several onigiri and leave without paying.

The video caption reads "Rampage Mode!" and was also reposted by what appears to be a private account, where the same content had been posted two days earlier.

It remains unclear when the footage was actually recorded. However, the private account sharing the video has been posting similar clips for the past five days, showing the same individual tagging locations not only in Shimokitazawa but also in areas resembling Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Nakano. Targets include public mailboxes, city maps, wooden doors, and more.

These posts have spread to X (formerly Twitter), where they have drawn a flood of criticism.

 

[Lothor]

"Straight-up crime": Controversy erupts after the largest graffiti shop in the U.S. posts video of vandalism in Shimokitazawa—targeting a convenience store sign and a photo booth


Graffiti art—using spray paint or markers to draw letters or images on walls, trains, and other surfaces—is widely known. However, in Japan, doing so without the owner's permission is considered a criminal act and can lead to serious legal consequences. Against this backdrop, a video posted on Instagram by an overseas shop has sparked widespread criticism.

The issue centers on a "vandalism video" uploaded on March 4 by the account of Spray Planet, the largest U.S. retailer of graffiti supplies such as spray paint and markers. The footage appears to have been shot around the Shimokitazawa area of Tokyo, showing a gloved individual repeatedly tagging various locations with black marker-like ink. The clip even includes scenes resembling "shoplifting."

The roughly 50-second fast-forwarded video begins with the person writing large letters on a FamilyMart sign. They then walk into the store, slip an onigiri into their bag, and boldly walk past the checkout counter without paying. When leaving, the automatic door shows the store name "Daizawa 5-chome."

After leaving FamilyMart, the individual tags the side panel of a nearby ID photo booth. Crossing the street, they proceed to draw on two different building walls and then vandalize what appears to be a Seven-Eleven store wall as well. Inside that convenience store, they again grab several onigiri and leave without paying.

The video caption reads "Rampage Mode!" and was also reposted by what appears to be a private account, where the same content had been posted two days earlier.

It remains unclear when the footage was actually recorded. However, the private account sharing the video has been posting similar clips for the past five days, showing the same individual tagging locations not only in Shimokitazawa but also in areas resembling Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Nakano. Targets include public mailboxes, city maps, wooden doors, and more.

These posts have spread to X (formerly Twitter), where they have drawn a flood of criticism.

Have you ever thought, Hiroyuki, when you're posting all these stories of foreigners behaving badly in Japan, that most of us living here don't misbehave, and some of us are sick to death of being portrayed as a problem? I've lived in Japan for over 20 years, and I honestly can't remember a politician or someone in the media acknowledging the contributions foreigners make to Japan. Yes, some foreigners do bad things here, but they always get magnified – and you're doing some of the magnifying. How would you like us to respond to these posts? Take turns to say how terrible gaijin in Japan are, and tell you how kind the Japanese are to allow us to live in your country?

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

In Japan, graffiti is generally regarded as a criminal act, such as property damage or vandalism. There is a strong social expectation that public and private facilities should be kept clean for everyone. Graffiti is seen as a symbol of deteriorating public safety, and local authorities remove it quickly. In Japan, the perception that "graffiti equals nuisance and crime" is overwhelmingly strong.

 

[Lothor]

In Japan, graffiti is generally regarded as a criminal act, such as property damage or vandalism. There is a strong social expectation that public and private facilities should be kept clean for everyone. Graffiti is seen as a symbol of deteriorating public safety, and local authorities remove it quickly. In Japan, the perception that "graffiti equals nuisance and crime" is overwhelmingly strong.

Yes. I'm aware of that, having lived in Japan since 2003. You don't need to talk to us as if we know nothing about your country.

 

[Ukigumo]

In Japan, graffiti is generally regarded as a criminal act, such as property damage or vandalism. There is a strong social expectation that public and private facilities should be kept clean for everyone. Graffiti is seen as a symbol of deteriorating public safety, and local authorities remove it quickly. In Japan, the perception that "graffiti equals nuisance and crime" is overwhelmingly strong.

It's the same in England but the influence is strong so youth tag everywhere and councils can't afford to clean it up.

Europe is absolutely awful for graffiti, Lisbon, Paris, Athens, Porto tagging is everywhere and it's so unsightly. I hate it!