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Two tourists have been accused of disrespecting Japanese culture after filming gymnastics moves at a sacred shrine in Hokkaido.
The sisters from Chile shared a video to the account ‘mmgymsisters’ of Maria del Mar Perez Banus performing pull-ups on the red bars of a torii gate in Sapporo, Hokkaido, to the music of the Cha Cha Slide.
Another clip showed one of the tourists, who reside in the US, holding a handstand at the shrine entrance.
Torii gates are traditionally found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine to mark the transition to the sacred spot.
The clip has since been deleted from the pair’s joint Instagram account but has amassed over 33.6 million views after being shared on X/Twitter.
More than 3,000 comments criticised the tourists, calling the pair “vulgar and uneducated”, “disrespectful” and “attention seeking”.
An apology video posted by the former gymnasts on Tuesday (15 October) to their 140,000 followers was captioned: “I want to apologize for my actions in Japan. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m really sorry for what I did without thinking. Please no messages or comments. Thank you.”
Several locals praised Perez’s “courage” for apologising for the shrine stunt.
One Japanese social media user commented: “We welcome travellers who respect Japanese culture and abide by the rules. Thank you for understanding your mistake.
“However, it is said that the god of Inari Shrine is really troublesome if you make him angry, so if possible, we recommend that you go to the shrine to apologize.”
Article 188 of the Japanese Penal Code states that a person who desecrates a place of worship in public can be punished with up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 100,000 yen (£514).
According to local reports, Japanese police are not investigating the incident.
It’s not the first time Japan has encountered bad behaviour from tourists.
In July, the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko started constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a sidewalk to block the view of Mount Fuji after tourists were seen littering, crossing the road with busy traffic, ignoring traffic lights and trespassing on private properties.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
