TOKYO: A Chinese man who placed joss paper into a fortune-drawing money collection box at Japan’s Sensoji Temple has sparked online outrage and criticism of bad tourist behaviour.
A video that circulated on social media in November showed the unidentified man putting a piece of joss paper, also known as “hell money”, into the box on the desk where fortune sticks are drawn.
Visitors are required to put 100 yen (US$1) into the box to draw from 100 bamboo sticks in a tube. They then need to find the omikuji, or paper fortunes that match the number of the stick they draw.
The man drew number 68 and received an omikuji that said “kichi”, which means good luck.
Before the man pulls out one piece of joss paper from a bundle in the video, he says: “Japanese fortune sticks do not bless the Chinese. We Chinese have our own fortune.”
His friend who appeared to film the video said he was “cheating the devils”.
If the word “devils” is used in connection with Japan in certain contexts related to China, it is considered a derogatory term referring to Japanese invaders during the Second World War.
It was unknown when the incident happened or when they posted the video, as the original post cannot be traced.
But the man’s behaviour and his attitude drew criticism from online observers, including those from China.
“He is an idiot, asking for blessing with hell money,” one said.
“He spent hell money in exchange for happiness in hell,” said another.
In China, people only burn “hell money” for the dead out of the superstition that the deceased will have a better existence if they have it in the afterlife.
It is considered bad luck to have hell money at home, let alone take it with you when you are travelling or use it to ask for good fortune.
“He is breaking the law by drawing the fortune without paying. He should be punished for this,” a third online observer said.
“It is because of people like this that the world thinks the Chinese are bad tourists,” said another.
The video went viral amid rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments about Taiwan.
China has urged its citizens not to travel to Japan. Chinese airlines are also offering refunds on Japan trips, recording 543,000 cancellations of tickets between Nov 15 and 18.
Japan also warned its citizens in China to be mindful of their safety. - South China Morning Post
