Malaysian tourists caught carving bamboo in Kyoto’s Arashiyama forest claim ignorance of rules, sparking outrage and calls for stricter enforcement.
A few Malaysian tourists were recently spotted allegedly defacing a bamboo stalk at Kyoto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Path in Japan.
A viral YouTube video showed the group of Malaysian women being called out by a reporter, who told them that they should not carve the bamboo. The letter “M” had been carved into a bamboo stalk.
In response, one of the women claimed that she and her companions did not know about the rule. According to the report, the women allegedly showed “no remorse” for their actions.
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However, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. Many bamboo stalks along the infamous grove path have been etched with various markings, from names to heart shapes.
The city reportedly conducted a survey in October which found markings on approximately 350 bamboo stalks. As a result, the Arashiyama city council has taken steps to cover the markings with green masking tape as a preventative measure to ensure such actions are not repeated.
Netizens were equally outraged by the tourists’ behaviour and called for firm action to be taken.
“In many countries, you can be fined just for littering, depending on the location. I think Japan should do the same, regardless of whether someone is Japanese or foreign,” said one user.
“I think it would reduce the problem if surveillance cameras with facial recognition were installed, and when leaving the country, the images of offending tourists were shown to them and fines were imposed,” suggested another commenter.
