Japanese Reporter Confronts Malaysian Tourists for Vandalising Kyoto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

A snippet from a local news report in Japan recently caught the attention of netizens, as the video showed Malaysian tourists vandalising a popular tourist spot in Kyoto.

This comes amidst the tourist spot, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, famous for its iconic “Bamboo Grove Path”, facing a recurring vandalism problem, with visitors carving or writing on bamboo stalks in the forest.

For illustration purposes only

Japanese reporter confronts Malaysian tourists for vandalising a bamboo tree at Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Shared by @charlotte_jpnews21 on Threads, a snippet from a NEWS 23 report showed a group of tourists at Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, with one of them carving an ‘M’ on one of the bamboo stalks using a rock. 

A reporter then confronted the tourists, who the news report claimed were from Malaysia based on the overlaid text of the report.

The reporter asked the tourists, “Do you know that you shouldn’t hurt the bamboo?”, to which the group replied that they didn’t know.

The voiceover then said,

“The women said they were from Malaysia. They showed no signs of remorse. A new letter ‘M’ has been added to the bamboo.”

You can watch the video here:

More than 300 bamboo stalks have been vandalised

According to the Threads post by @charlotte_jpnews21, the carvings and markings have caused serious damage, affecting more than 350 bamboo stalks.

The post added that when minor damage is included, the overall impact on the forest is immeasurable.

It is also said that drastic measures will be taken, with severely weakened bamboo being cut down to ensure safety in the area.

“The damage is serious, with more than 350 bamboo stalks affected. When minor damage is included, the full extent of the harm is immeasurable. Severely weakened bamboo will be prioritised for safety and cut down,” the post read.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know down in the comments!

Also read: Malaysian Companies are Accused of Destroying Forests in Papua New Guinea, NGO Reveals Why & How