Graffiti Found on Fushimi Inari Bamboo

Jan 08, 2026 | News On Japan

KYOTO - Graffiti has been discovered on a bamboo grove near Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, a popular area that draws large numbers of tourists to the shrine’s famed Senbon Torii gates.

Located in Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward, Fushimi Inari Taisha is known for its striking approach lined with thousands of vermilion torii gates forming tunnel-like paths, making it one of the city’s most visited attractions for both domestic and overseas travelers.

A nearby hiking trail connected to the Senbon Torii route has also gained popularity among visitors, but a serious problem has now emerged in the surrounding bamboo forest.

Reporting from the scene, journalist Haruka Tsuta said that numerous bamboo stalks bear carved graffiti, with some etched from top to bottom. Among the markings are what appear to be initials written in the Roman alphabet, as well as numbers believed to indicate years, possibly left as records of visits.

The carvings are thought to have been made with sharp, hard objects. Similar damage to bamboo forests in Kyoto was also confirmed last year. At the famed bamboo grove in Arashiyama, around 350 stalks were damaged in much the same way. Once bamboo is scarred, it does not regenerate on its own, raising the risk of collapse, and the city was forced to cut down some of the affected stalks.

The bamboo grove in Fushimi is privately owned, and its owner, Akira Nakamura, 79, expressed anger over the damage. “I didn’t think it was this bad. It’s really troubling. It’s a matter of morals,” Nakamura said.

According to Nakamura, at least 100 bamboo stalks have been damaged. Although fences have been installed around the grove, some graffiti appears to have been carved after people climbed over them.

Nakamura said the damage began to be noticed around the time when the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic started to ease. Many of the mountains around the Fushimi Inari area are privately owned, making it difficult to implement uniform measures such as repairs or warning signs.

“Even though this is private land, people are entering and carving graffiti,” Nakamura said. “I want them to stop.”

As graffiti damage continues to spread through Kyoto’s bamboo forests, Nakamura appealed to visitors with a simple message: memories should be engraved in the heart, not carved into bamboo.

Source: YOMIURI

Google Opens Flagship Store in Tokyo's Omotesando

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.

The Unseen Reality of Kumamoto Quake Survivors

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.

Jellyfish-Like Red Glow Lights Up Kanagawa

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.

Awa Odori Dancers Fill Tokushima Streets

Street performances began across Tokushima on August 12 as the city's Awa Odori festival entered its second day, with leading dance groups showcasing graceful routines after months of practice.

Newly Formed Typhoon No. 17 Could Near Kanto by Weekend

A large new typhoon formed near the Ogasawara Islands on August 12 and could approach Honshu around the end of the Obon holiday period, while the remnants of Typhoon No. 15 continue to bring unstable weather and a risk of heavy rain across a wide area of Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Pythons Escape From Apartment in Kawasaki

Two pet pythons measuring about 2 meters in length escaped from an apartment in Kawasaki's Tama Ward early on August 13, prompting police and firefighters to search the surrounding residential area and warn local residents.

Teens on Stolen Motorcycle Fire Rockets at Police Officers

Two teenage boys from Tokyo's Adachi Ward have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and firing aerial fireworks toward police officers at two police boxes, telling investigators they were annoyed that a new police box had opened in the area.

Japanese Woman Trapped in North Korea for 40 Years

Hiroko Saito was 19 years old when she left Japan for North Korea in June 1961 with her Korean husband and their one-year-old daughter, persuaded by assurances that they were heading to a "paradise on earth" and that she could return to Japan after three years. Instead, she would spend four decades in North Korea, enduring chronic hunger, the deaths of her husband and children and a desperate struggle to survive before finally escaping and returning home in 2001.

Fire Breaks Out at Daido Steel Chita Plant in Aichi

A fire broke out late on August 11 at Daido Steel's Chita Plant in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, burning through an outdoor area containing scrap metal and other materials, with no injuries reported and no flames spreading to nearby buildings.

Fake Images of Kumamoto Earthquake Spread Online

Two weeks after the Kumamoto earthquake, the spread of malicious fake images has emerged as a problem in disaster-hit communities, with one resident saying the manipulation feels like an insult to everyone in his area.

Osaka Police Pound on Door Before Raiding Yakuza Office

Osaka Prefectural Police searched an office linked to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on July 29 as part of an investigation into suspected receipt of money obtained through special fraud.

Zombie Cigarette Drug Busts Rise Across Kansai

Authorities in Kyoto and Osaka have arrested three men in separate drug cases involving so-called zombie cigarettes containing the designated drug etomidate, as investigators step up efforts against the illegal trade in the Kansai region.

Raccoon Damage Surges Across Japan

Raccoons are increasingly invading homes across Japan, damaging roofs and wiring, contaminating buildings with large amounts of urine and feces, and raising concerns over agriculture, native wildlife and the spread of disease as their population continues to expand.

< 2 3 4 5 >