Photo: Hiroshima Prefectural Tourism Federation
travel

Travelers’ misguided attempt to earn good luck is damaging Japan’s most famous torii shrine gate

6 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

Lots of sightseeing destinations in Japan come with some sort of qualifier. Akihabara should be on your itinerary if you like anime, for example, and you won’t want to miss the town of Hakone if you’re interested in onsen hot springs.

Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyajima, though, is absolutely worth visiting, regardless of what specifically drew you to Japan. The mountainous island is covered with centuries-old shrines and lush forests, and wild yet calm deer walk through the town where the ferry port is located. And then there’s the sight of Ikutsushima Shrine’s torii gate rising from the waters of the bay, one of the most iconic views in all of Japan.

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Photo: Hiroshima Prefectural Tourism Federation

When the tide is low, you can actually walk all the way out to the base of the torii, where travelers routinely snap close-up photos of its orange-painted timbers.

But because the lower part of the gate spends much of the day underwater, the wood is cracked and warped in spots. Unfortunately, some tourists have taken to cramming coins into the cracks, creating an unsightly mess that can’t be good for the torii. Japanese Twitter user @riyusuisuiriyu recently tweeted a photo of the current state of the torii, along with a plea to stop the practice.

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Photo: @riyusuisuiriyu

“If this keeps up, the torii might collapse…Look at all those coins. People wedge them in the cracks, and then the cracks get bigger…I’d hate to see this torii, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, disappear. Remember, this is a shrine, not an amusement park.”

It’s worth noting that Japan does have a long-established practice of donating coins to shrines and temples, which is often thought to bestow good luck, health, or other benefits upon those who toss a coin into the collection box in front of the altar. Odds are people began jamming coins into Miyajima’s torii as an extension of that custom, but the Shinto faith doesn’t recognize or encourage this as proper donation protocol, and it can’t be good for the torii.

Internet reactions to @riyusuisuiriyu tweet ranged from shocked to angry.

“It’s terrible that the poor torii has to put up with that.”

“It looks like it’s in pain.”

“You have to be really dumb to think this would bring you good luck.”

“Doing that has got to earn you some bad karma.”

So remember, when you visit Miyajima and want to bring some of its mystical energy home with you, put your coins into the actual collection box at the shrine’s entrance (which is just a short walk from the torii), or even better, buy yourself an omamori charm, and just let the torii keep doing what it’s meant to do: stand.

Source: Twitter/@riyusuisuiriyu via Hachima Kiko

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- The only path to this Nagasaki Shinto shrine gets swallowed by the sea every day【Video】

-- Japan’s 30 best travel destinations, as chosen by overseas visitors

-- Motonosumi Inari Shrine: a site of beauty in Japan that tourists are yet to discover

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

6 Comments
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Tourists become stupid the moment they start their holiday.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Just tell these clowns that it is, in fact, bad luck to shove coins in cracks.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Saw an old lady recently on the news chucking coins into the engine of the plane she was about to board. Some customs are deeply rooted.

I suppose it would be impossible to put a small red donation box on the back of each upright there, with instructions in three or four languages on the evil effects of wedged coins? Probably even more impossible to pull all the coins out and seal up the lower cracks with waterproof sealant?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I have visited the island many times. The area where the structure stands is littered with coins.

Children pick them up throw them everywhere. The structure really takes a beating just from Mother nature alone. It does not need further damage by tourists.

It is a Japanese national treasure and heritage site. The Torri needs to be preserved for all to enjoy. If the Otake local officials raise a fund. They can put supports around the load bearing wood poles from the base that go high enough where the coin lodging and jamming is taken out of play. If you ever have an opportunity visit the island it is breath taking. The ferry ride over is amazing. Up in the hills and where the houses are. There are very nice shops and cafe's for a days rest and peace. Let's hope for the best.

I also recommend the oyster curry pan and the cheese Chikuwa on a stick. Very tasty.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

People do the exact same thing to a world heritage site in my country. Its made of rock, so there's little danger of it collapsing from the coins but its also by the sea, and the rust pouring down the beautiful structure makes it ugly as sin. Tourists just don't have respect, and only think of themselves.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Send a team of homeless there to disappear all the coins and enjoy a free lunch with them.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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