May 20, 2026 (News On Japan) - Video footage appears to show graffiti being carved into bamboo at Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, with witnesses claiming two foreign visitors were involved in the vandalism.
The footage shows a person believed to be a foreign tourist repeatedly reaching toward a section of bamboo and moving their hand against its surface.
Several pieces of graffiti were later found carved into nearby bamboo stalks.
The incident occurred at Fushimi Inari Taisha, the historic shrine believed to have been founded during the Nara period and known in recent years as one of Kyoto’s most popular destinations for foreign tourists.
The video was filmed on May 16th. One of the two individuals seen in the footage appears to rub an object held in their hand against bamboo lining the shrine approach.
The footage was recorded by Nguyen, a Vietnamese man living in Japan, who described what he witnessed.
"There were not many people around, so I noticed two foreigners doing something strange," Nguyen said. "They were doing something bad. They were writing on the bamboo."
Nguyen, who had been visiting the shrine alone, said he began filming the pair while also confronting them about their actions.
"I don't like getting involved in situations like this, but I felt really angry," he said. "I was frustrated inside, so I warned them."
Although he said he felt afraid, Nguyen reportedly asked the pair, "What are you doing?" According to him, they responded in English, saying, "Nothing."
Nguyen added that the pair then threw away the stone they had allegedly been using.
The shrine has faced repeated problems involving vandalism in recent years.
Graffiti discovered on another section of bamboo included carved personal names and markings. A bamboo shoot farmer who found the damage said similar vandalism had already been spotted within the Fushimi Inari grounds in March 2026.
"It could have been done with a knife, a coin, or something sharp," said the owner of a Kyoto bamboo shoot specialty shop. "Maybe they do it as a memory of visiting Japan."
Similar acts of graffiti on bamboo have also become an issue in Kyoto’s popular Arashiyama district in recent years.
Fushimi Inari Taisha has posted warnings about graffiti on its official website and is urging visitors to observe proper manners while visiting the shrine.
Source: FNN
