A Chinese tourist put ‘money from hell’ instead of real money in the donation box for the lucky draw at Senso-ji temple in Japan. This action was considered a gross insult to Japanese customs, drawing heavy criticism.
Sometimes some actions of foreign tourists become a cause of embarrassment for their own country. Similarly, there has been a lot of uproar in Japan over the actions of a Chinese tourist. There is a complaint that a Chinese tourist put ‘hell’s money’ in the donation box set up for lucky draw at the famous Senso-ji temple in Tokyo, Japan. ‘Joss paper’, traditionally burned for the dead, is what the Japanese call hell money.
bamboo sticks of luck
Visitors to Senso-ji temple are required to pay 100 yen to choose one of 100 lucky bamboo sticks. After this, they get a lucky note according to the chosen stick. In the video, a Chinese tourist picks up the stick number 68 by inserting paper instead of required money. The lucky note he received had ‘Kichi’ written on it, which means ‘auspicious’. According to reports, before picking up the lucky stick, the man said, ‘Japan’s lucky sticks will not bless us Chinese, we Chinese have our own luck and Chinese customs are completely different from Japan’s.’ Additionally, his friend who made the video also said that they were ‘cheating the devils’.
sharp reaction
Calling one’s dead loved ones ‘devils’ and putting hell’s money in a temple’s donation box have sparked massive protests in Japan. After this, Chinese tourists started being heavily criticized. Many people said that using the paper used for the dead to seek blessings was an insult to religious customs. People also reminded that when foreign tourists visit a country, they should at least learn to respect its customs and culture. Hard-right Sanae Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female Prime Minister, had promised to take strict action against tourists during her election campaign.