Graffiti dampens festive spirit

Oct 13, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - The Fujieda Festival is held once every three years in Shizuoka Prefecture, with various local food stalls, known as "yatai," parading through the streets, entertaining the visiting crowds.

However, on the first day (Oct 6), graffiti was discovered on the storage sheds where the food stalls are kept.

The graffiti, which read "まつりだーバカヤロー" in black paint, loosely translated as "It's a festival, you idiots!" was not there the night before the festival but was noticed by local residents on the morning of the first day.

The head of the local neighborhood association in Fujieda City, commented, "This area is where the Kosaka district holds its departure ceremony, so we struggled to figure out how to cover it up. It was infuriating to have our festivities marred like this."

There are no leads on the individual responsible for the graffiti, and the neighborhood association has filed a report with the police. They are also considering the installation of surveillance cameras in the future.

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