{"id":45970,"date":"2025-03-24T12:26:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T03:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=45970"},"modified":"2025-03-24T12:37:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T03:37:24","slug":"japanese-shrine-once-repaired-thanks-to-ghost-of-tsushima-fans-bans-all-tourists-after-unforgivable-act-of-disrespect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-shrine-once-repaired-thanks-to-ghost-of-tsushima-fans-bans-all-tourists-after-unforgivable-act-of-disrespect\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese shrine once repaired thanks to Ghost of Tsushima fans bans all tourists after \u201cunforgivable act of disrespect\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Watazumi Shrine, a real-life Shinto shrine located on Japan\u2019s Tsushima Island, has announced that it will prohibit entry to anyone other than congregants and worshippers starting March 23. According to official announcements posted on Instagram<\/a> and Threads<\/a>, the decision to ban all tourists was prompted by \u201ca grave and unforgivable act of disrespect committed by foreigner(s).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
(Watazumi Shrine image via Nagasaki Tabinet<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Watazumi Shrine is one of the locations on Tsushima Island that gained significant worldwide attention after the release of Sucker Punch Productions\u2019 Ghost of Tsushima in 2020. The shrine is theorized to have inspired the Scarlet Rock Shrine that appears in-game, and Ghost of Tsushima fans famously made large donations to help repair it after it was damaged in a typhoon later in 2020 (source: Famitsu<\/a>). The crowdfunding campaign launched by the shrine raised 27 million yen (around $180 thousand USD \u2013 five times the original target), earning gratitude from the shrine\u2019s priests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ghost<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the Watazumi Shrine has since gone through several instances of problematic behavior from visitors, which has on one occasion resulted in a controversial ban on visitors from South Korea (source: Tokyo Weekender<\/a>). And now, a serious incident that occurred on March 22 has prompted the shrine to forbid all tourists from entering the premises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the shrine\u2019s officials do not offer details about the \u201cgrave and unforgivable act of disrespect\u201d that triggered the strict measures, they mention consulting with police on numerous occasions regarding problematic behavior from visitors, including vandalism of the sacred grounds and repeated physical and verbal abuse against staff. Such acts have caused the shrine\u2019s officials \u201cunbearable mental anguish\u201d and have left staff feeling that \u201cmanagement of the shrine is in jeopardy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, Watazumi Shrine has banned visits for touristic purposes, allowing only congregants and worshippers to enter the shrine premises. In addition, the shrine has also banned visitors from taking photos, videos and recording livesteams. In a follow-up post, the shrine\u2019s officials clarified that worshippers who want to take photos will not be refused, emphasizing that \u201cthose who consider this place a theme park or simply a photogenic location are not worshippers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Watazumi Shrine (Image belongs to @watadzumijinja<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although the notice mentions that tourists from both domestic and international tour buses will be refused entry, the shrine\u2019s officials seem particularly angry with the behavior of foreign tourists, commenting \u201cInbound tourism\u2019s destruction of places, things, and people cherished by the Japanese is nothing less than the destruction of Japanese culture.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Watazumi Shrine, which has ties to Ghost of Tsushima, has banned all tourists from its sacred grounds following a serious incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":45973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-45970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nJapanese shrine once repaired thanks to Ghost of Tsushima fans bans all tourists after \u201cunforgivable act of disrespect\u201d\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Watazumi Shrine, which has ties to Ghost of Tsushima, has banned all tourists from its sacred grounds following a serious incident.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-shrine-once-repaired-thanks-to-ghost-of-tsushima-fans-bans-all-tourists-after-unforgivable-act-of-disrespect\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japanese shrine once repaired thanks to Ghost of Tsushima fans bans all tourists after \u201cunforgivable act of disrespect\u201d\u00a0 - 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