Why This Topic Landed in Japan

A fire broke out on the evening of August 3 at a sub-temple of Kōdai-ji in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, burning about 60 square meters of a building at a temple tied to the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Earlier this year, a Chinese tourist who was warned about bad manners reportedly told the head priest, "Japan will soon be part of China, so if you act high and mighty you'll be erased," and users linked that past remark to the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, however, and no arson, suspect, or connection to the earlier remark has been announced. Simmering unease over overtourism and the fire-and-crime protection of cultural properties made the eerie coincidence spread fast, even as some urged people not to leap from an unproven fire cause to conclusions about arson or foreign involvement.

Key Reaction Themes

  • Calls to protect heritage and investigate thoroughly — Linking the case to a run of temple and shrine fires and to inbound-tourism friction, many voiced alarm at lax fire and crime prevention.
  • Backlash against inbound-tourism policy — Frustration that authorities are too soft on tourists' manner violations.
  • Warnings against jumping to conclusions — Others cautioned against spreading conspiracy theories while the cause is unproven, arguing the threat and the fire should be kept separate.

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

The Kōdai-ji sub-temple fire and the earlier "you'll be erased" remark

Reactions connecting a threatening remark made when a tourist was warned about manners to the later fire.

Sources: 2ch, Yahoo! news, FNN

Comments:

  • "It's about time people realized China is a hostile country."
  • "The day when Japan has no temples left isn't that far off."
  • "Giving a proper warning first—is that being honest, or do they at least have some minimal manners?"
  • "Are they stupid? It's a vile threat."
  • "Fellow netizens, please provide information to the investigation too m(_ _)m"
  • "If you let in 40 million inbound tourists a year, of course this kind of thing happens—it's just the government shooting itself in the foot."
  • "If the reception hall burned, does that mean the main hall is safe?"
  • "They really should investigate this properly—though it was probably done not by the person who said it, but by someone who jumped on it when it blew up on the Chinese internet."
  • "Even if it's unrelated to arson, the remark itself is a threat."
  • "Aren't people just connecting the dots on their own again?"