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The story
On September 7, Marty Friedman (63), the former Megadeth guitarist who has lived in Japan for decades, quoted a video circulating on X to call out foreign tourists. The clip appears to show a group of tourists dancing at what looks like the Senbon Torii (Thousand Torii Gates) at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. This isn’t the first time Friedman has spoken up — he previously criticized foreigners doing pull-ups on torii gates. On 5ch, while many agreed with his call for restraint, others pushed back, arguing that “shrines have traditionally been used like public parks” and “Japanese people do similar things when they travel abroad,” leaving the thread divided over where to draw the line.
Mon, Sep 7, 10:11 AM
Marty Friedman (63), the world-renowned former Megadeth guitarist, updated his X account by the 7th, issuing a warning to foreign tourists filming dance videos at Japanese shrines and temples.
Friedman quoted a video circulating on social media that appears to show several tourists, believed to be foreigners, dancing at what looks like the Senbon Torii at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. Addressing them in English as “Dear tourists,” he asked them to please stop.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
Uh, I've shed that skin already! How rude!
What's wrong with that?
if it's just dancing… isn't that fine? lol
Is it really something to get this worked up about?
It ruins the atmosphere of the shrine, so it's still not okay, right?
If Japanese people filmed a dance video inside a church or a mosque, the locals would probably be pretty offended too.
Got a source for that, genius? lol
Pretty sure it was because he had to stop touring to care for his wife.
I respect people like that for just that alone.
Ew, gross…
It's fine even if they can't use chopsticks well.
There are even stair-dash races held at shrines all over the country.
Is that done without permission?
Come on, Marty… do your homework!
Are you saying that's no good either?
Even [comedian] Soshina told [streamer/talent] Ano-chan not to mess around when they did a shrine location shoot together.
That's basically the opposite of Soshina's usual self, lol
Maybe it's because of the "insult to a place of worship" law? (a real provision in Japan's penal code)
Did he actually ask a lawyer about it?
I realized that deeply when I left Africa.
Sometimes it's even a way to communicate with the gods.
Though it never worked with the Denisovan ninja.
Don't whine over something as trivial as dancing.
It's as off-putting as how Muslims act about this stuff.
Still not as off-putting as you people. (a derogatory slur often aimed at Koreans on 5ch)
Nah, that's wrong lol
It's because the human brain couldn't make sense of natural phenomena or the meaning of life.
By the way, you're Buddhist and Shinto too. If you're not Shinto, don't go to shrines, huh?
That guy's a leftist anyway.
He's a foreigner, yet he acts all high and mighty, sticking his nose into Japanese tradition and politics.
Him commenting on the Imperial family was something I really couldn't forgive.
Packun (a Harvard grad in comparative religion) probably knows more about Japanese religion than you do.
Mizuho Fukushima (an opposition-party lawmaker) graduated top of her class from Tokyo University's law school, and look how she turned out.
Knowing a lot and having the right to weigh in are different things.
Foreigners have no right to voice opinions if they can't even respect the tradition and culture.
Unlike gods in other countries, Japanese gods love humans and like to stay close to them.
Sure, sure.
The gods sure love the LDP while it's busy wrecking Japan.
Gods in Shinto and Greek mythology actually love a good raunchy story lol
That's polytheism for you.
Background and points of debate
Shrines are religious sites, but they’re also open community spaces where things like radio calisthenics or ritual dances take place with the consent of local parishioners and residents — and it’s the ambiguity over “who actually gave permission” that split opinion here. Marty Friedman has lived in Japan since the 1980s and has appeared on domestic music TV programs; this isn’t his first time speaking out, having previously criticized foreigners doing pull-ups on torii gates. In the thread, two competing premises — “unauthorized horseplay” versus “shrines have always been open spaces” — talked past each other without resolution, and as of this report, the exact filming location and circumstances behind the viral video haven’t been independently confirmed. Tourist etiquette also ties into the government’s tourism-promotion policies, but this article limits itself to presenting the various views expressed.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Sports/Entertainment Sokuho+) thread “World-renowned guitarist warns foreign tourists filming dance videos at shrines: ‘Japan has graciously welcomed foreigners — if this kind of disrespect continues…’“
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