American man arrested for defacing Tokyo's Meiji Jingu shrine

Steve Hayes is a 65-year-old American Idiot!

Foreign Tourists,

Most of you do not follow the poor example of people like Steve Hayes. Thank you!

Poor performers like Steve reflect negatively on all foreigners in Japan, many of whom have spent decades in this wonderful country striving to be upstanding partners, neighbors, friends, and business colleagues. I don’t know about other long-term non-Japanese residents, but people like Steve leave me deeply ashamed, shaking my head in disbelief.

Why, Steve? 

Why? 

You’re 65 years old! 

Why haven’t you outgrown this childish behavior?

What a 42 carat plonker this geriatric vandal really is. That the kind of lark silly kids get up to and this is a man who should know a lot better.

So not always teenage, elderly also can do the same thing!

Perhaps he is desperate to lose weight and someone recommended he try the Japanese Prison Diet.

Holiday will probably be more fun now that dad’s locked up.

What a pranker. This kind of thing only serves to drive up xenophobia and more of those news features blaming foreigners for all the county’s woes.

Steve Hayes, who arrived in Japan for a holiday with his family on Monday

He might only stay for few weeks with family, people from US can stay up 90 days.

However now he need to extend his stay, 20 days before trial and even more after that.

https://japan.embassy.gov.au/tkyo/arrests.html

Fine, ban, deport.

USA Today ran an article yesterday about so-called tourist syndrome. Nearly half of travelers say that they broke a law abroad that they wouldnt have at home. If true, it challenges the idea that some folks here are stating that people who act like Hayes are outliers.

The US has done enough to damage its own reputation recently without needing idiots doing it abroad as well.

Be aware more security cameras were set up all over there.

Wallace

Fine, ban, deport.

Sounds like a title of a punk bands album, lol.

65 yo? Should be kept at the prison for a long time!

Some Americans are really dumb

would he go on holiday to France (for e.g.) and do similar in a cathedral? nope! wouldn't even think about it.... so why?

 Nearly half of travelers say that they broke a law abroad that they wouldnt have at home. If true, it challenges the idea that some folks here are stating that people who act like Hayes are outliers.

The devil is in the details, if you go to a country where something is against the law, but punishment is rarely (if ever) enforced, then it is to a point understandable that the traveler do the same, jaywalking, riding on a bicycle on the wrong side of the street, etc. Even if this is something serious on the place of origin of the traveler.

This is a case where the transgression is serious in the host country and have quite high risks, so it makes no sense to people with common sense to do it, that would be the reason this is considered an exception and not the rule.

What an idiot!

I guess some people can’t help themselves. You have some people that have this compulsive urge to just do whatever makes them feel good like these IRL streamers just acting on impulse, people like Jack Doherty and Johnny Somali, just to name a few sociopaths. As we speak both men are in serious trouble.

https://youtu.be/NyYRxBaDvo4?si=8HOxIuLbpykvcj0Z

https://youtu.be/O8yvE4jp5Z0?si=WRum-UPHGxumbyNa

Jail this idiot!

Bass4

Yeah, that Jonny Somali scumbag of the highest order. There’s more of them doing it though, wil no doubt get worser.

.

Steven Hayes - some advice: GROW UP!!!!

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I will be there on Monday or Tuesday. As an American, I should probably apologize for this act, but as we say, not my monkey, not my circus! If you haven't figured things like this out by the time you reach 65, there is probably little hope for you going forward. Hopefully his family learns from this.

But:

大変申し訳ありません

See y'all next week.

Staff of the shrine discovered the damage later that same day and called the police, who arrested him the following day.

That's impressive policing being able to track him down - I guess off CCTV images, and enquiring with the local hotels.

Could be an extended holiday now in Japan for this old American!

would he go on holiday to France (for e.g.) and do similar in a cathedral? nope! wouldn't even think about it.... so why?

Umm - yes.

Tourist spots - even churches and sacred places - in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Egypt etc are sadly prone to the graffiti of tourists, also. Not just Japan.

Yeah, that Jonny Somali scumbag of the highest order. There’s more of them doing it though, wil no doubt get worser.

He is about to be indicted as we speak, he’s looking at anywhere between 5-29 years in prison

That boy Johnny Somali is a little weed. Korean toughs and crims will have a field day with him inside!

He is about to be indicted as we speak, he’s looking at anywhere between 5-29 years in prison

Nearer to the larger figure would be preferable.

Lock him up. What a freaking idiot. Lock him up and fine him 50,000 usd or more as well. National treasures should be protected and these fools come here and do this crap should pay and pay well. His friends standing by allowing him to do it also should face punishment. Lock them up.

When the US sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us.

He really should get at least a few days in jail to send a signal to others -- in addition to a fine. What a disrespectful loser.

They're bringing their otakus, their left-wing radicals, their pervs, and I'm sure some are good English teachers.

He really should get at least a few days in jail to send a signal to others -- in addition to a fine. What a disrespectful loser.

If one were to deface a synagogue or holocaust memorial in the US or EU, I wonder what kind of punishment they would get.

Police have arrested a 65-year-old American man for allegedly defacing Meiji Jingu shrine 

At 65, he should should have outgrown his juvenile idiot phase.

Lets lock him up for two weeks, he doesn't need to be charged, and deport him at his expense on a flight of our choosing....for a prank.

LOL...65 years old! Last time I did that I was a teenager. Bust him, make him pay to clean up, and ban him from entry for the next 5 years. The sheer stupidity of some people just boggles the mind.

What are his fingernails made of if they can carve wood?

Fighto!Today  08:50 am JST

would he go on holiday to France (for e.g.) and do similar in a cathedral? nope! wouldn't even think about it.... so why?

Umm - yes. 

Tourist spots - even churches and sacred places - in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Egypt etc are sadly prone to the graffiti of tourists, also. Not just Japan.

I see..... sorry to hear that!

Who said the older the wiser!!?? WRONG in this case it is completely the opposite at 65 this man decides to be as STUPID as he could while across the ocean in a hosting nation that does NOT tolerate IGNORANTS

Wick's pencil

If one were to deface a synagogue or holocaust memorial in the US or EU, I wonder what kind of punishment they would get.

Err what? You are unaware that this sort of thing happens regularly, and has been increasing massively recently??

This, one example of a buffoon, is the reason why we are now going to have a sign nearby with a no etching on sacred property pictogram. Sick and tired of seeing signs everywhere with common sense rules depicted on them, often times blocking scenery. If everyone would just follow the rules like they do at home, we wouldn't have this problem.

65 going on 13.

This, one example of a buffoon, is the reason why we are now going to have a sign nearby with a no etching on sacred property pictogram. Sick and tired of seeing signs everywhere with common sense rules depicted on them, often times blocking scenery. If everyone would just follow the rules like they do at home, we wouldn't have this problem.

There was such a sign the last time I was at Meiji Jingu. If you enter from the Harajuku station side, you have the huge gate, yes? The support pillars for that gate (the "legs", if you like) had a fence around them with an written notice to the effect of "Unfortunately, due to antisocial behaviour, we have had to put these fences up around the gate".

I have not seen his name etc. is he perchance a vet who did service in Jpn??? why would any visitor do it..Fine, jail, then tell US gov to arrange his collection from the slammer (refuse to pay the deport cost), modern punks just like the perp.

Maybe we have been too harsh on Chinese tourists. American tourists, they purposely pick up fight with people, break-dance on trains for their Tiktok audience and now straight up defile an ancient structure.

Wasn't there a teen also from America who tried to torch a half dozen apartment buildings in Tokyo a couple weeks ago ?

I don't get it. Why must they cause destruction and suffering wherever they go ?

Ossan American Steve Hayes just leaving his legacy.

65 year old man child. Go home jerk.

I was there on Sunday and the posts of the Torii were protected.

Astonishing someone thinks they could do that

This idiot's nutrition and nail care routine must be epic.

Maybe we have been too harsh on Chinese tourists.

I thought about that for half a second.

No. We haven't been too harsh on them. They have been running amok wilfully damaging shrines in Tokyo too.

Sixty-five years old? Graffiti? On a historical and religious item? What was he thinking?

This 65-year-old man should be the poster boy at Narita and Haneda and other Japanese Airports reporting what he did and the consequences of such actions.

In addition, they should air the life inside Japanese prisons and that they are no picnic and the cost of being inside of one. A prisoner must pay for his own jail uniform, the men must shave their heads military style, if you are a smoker there is 0 policy on smoking.

The legal system does not allow you have a lawyer when you are being interrogated and that the police have more power than the Courts.

I have no empathy for this man, at his age, being a guest in a foreign country should have had more brains.

You guys are rough...

Tyler how do you think the above comments are being rough?

that this foreign man's actions do not hurt us the permanent residents who are law abiding citizens who have strived over the years to prove ourselves as worthy and honest citizens of the country?

that this ignorant individual a paying guest harming the ancient buildings that Japanese people and the law-abiding citizens do treasure should not made be made an example of? Let me answer "HELL YES", if every paying guest got away with his crap young or old these buildings would be not a treasure anymore for the rest of us.

I truly hope he is made the poster boy and his face plastered all over Japan airports and give people food for thought on what not to do in Japan.

How very sad that Japan's push for tourism brings Disneyland type vacationers. Japan has a culture, history, herirage nigh unrivaled among global cultures. It is worth all possible to protect this culture for Japanese and for those who are able to respect how the country came to be, warts and all.

People kill babies and do all kinds of vile things every day in Japan. There are stories on this site about those types of things right now but I came this article first because I knew it would have the most comments. Anything with the word foreign, American, Chinese, etc, is bound to have the most posts. This incident is not good but it IS a relatively minor incident. I knew all the defenders of the country's honor were sure to be up in arms and I'm sure it was all over the networks on autoplay.

Here is a picture of Steve Hayes courtesy of a local news station. https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/american-tourist-arrested-for-vandalizing-meiji-jingu-shrine/

Nice of the news to join in shaming this individual. The story is being featured worldwide in various media, including in aljazerra. He was trying to prank or impress his family? Wonder what their reactions to this are. Now, that would make for an interesting article.

Roten

Here is a picture of Steve Hayes courtesy of a local news station. https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/american-tourist-arrested-for-vandalizing-meiji-jingu-shrine/

He does not look very happy. Good! He deserves his belated learning experience.

Stop giving these people slaps on the wrist and third world country amounts of fines for this ish. Several years in jail or few hundred thousand dollars in fines for defacing landmarks. Set the precedent. Let them cry about it later