KAGOSHIMA - A woman believed to be a foreign visitor has drawn criticism after posting images on social media showing herself climbing and posing on an ancient camphor tree more than 800 years old at Onamuchi Shrine in Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, where climbing the protected tree is prohibited.
The woman, dressed in red, was photographed standing on the Senbon Kusu, a massive camphor tree designated by Hioki city as a natural monument.
The tree is more than 800 years old, and activities such as climbing it are prohibited.
Images of the woman climbing the tree spread on social media, prompting a wave of criticism.
A local resident said the woman had been seen on the tree around July. "She was on the tree taking pictures," the resident said. Asked whether it was the same woman shown in the images, the resident replied, "Yes. I thought she probably wouldn't understand Japanese, so I didn't say anything. I thought it was terrible."
The incident was apparently not the first time the woman had climbed the tree.
A social media account believed to belong to the woman had previously posted a video showing her sitting and posing on the Senbon Kusu.
Another local resident said people who climb the tree are probably visitors from far away who do not give much thought to the local community.
In response, Hioki city installed new warning signs on August 14 in several languages, including English and Chinese, urging visitors not to climb the tree.
A request for comment was sent to the woman, but no response had been received.
The city's board of education said it is considering measures to prevent similar incidents. It urged visitors not to touch or damage the tree and said it hoped people would instead reflect on the grandeur of nature and the history created through the long relationship between people and the natural environment.
Source: FNN
