Tsushima shrine bans tourists due to "unforgivable" incident

A Shinto shrine on one of Japan’s most popular islands has announced a ban on tourists due to a recent incident.

Tsushima Island, which sits around halfway between Japan’s Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula, is a popular destination for tourists, in part thanks to it being the setting for the popular videogame “Ghost of Tsushima”.

Tsushima Island is a popular destination, in part thanks to the hit videogame “Ghost of Tsushima”

Watazumi Shrine, also referred to as Watatsumi Shrine, is one of its most iconic sites due to its row of five torii, two of which are located in the ocean.

Two of the torii gates at Watazumi Shrine are located in the ocean

The Shinto shrine was damaged in a typhoon in 2020, with fans of the “Ghost of Tsushima” game contributing to repair funds. The shrine is even recreated in the videogame, and features under the name of “Scarlet Rock Shrine”.

The “Scarlet Rock Shrine” in “Ghost of Tsushima” is intended to look like the main shrine at Watazumi Shrine (seen in the article header image)

Despite clear support from many overseas fans, the shrine has recently experienced difficulties with foreign tourists, culminating in an announcement regarding the future of tourism at the shrine.

Issues surrounding tourist behaviour have become a hot topic in Japan recently, with incidents such as a tourist assaulting a worker at Sapporo Snow Festival and pickpocketing having drawn particularly negative attention.

In this latest incident, the head priest of Watazumi Shrine has had to issue a statement after an act of disrespect was carried out at the shrine.

In a statement on the shrines official Threads account, the head priest Shizuka Hirayama provided the following statement:

“Starting today, Sunday, March 23rd, entry into the shrine grounds will be prohibited to anyone other than parishioners and worshippers.

In addition, all photography, videography, and live streaming of the shrine buildings and structures, including the underwater torii gate, will be prohibited.In addition, we will refuse entry for tourism purposes, including domestic and international bus tours.

On Saturday, March 22nd at around 4pm, an extremely serious and unforgivable act of disrespect was committed by a foreigner at our shrine.

We have consulted with the city hall, the Nagasaki Tourism and Products Association, and the Nagasaki Prefectural Police on a number of occasions but have not been able to reach a resolution.

In addition to the unbearable mental anguish that all the staff members are enduring because of the sacred grounds being desecrated, the repeated verbal and physical abuse directed at staff members has left us feeling that the operation of the shrine is in jeopardy.

The way in which inbound tourism is destroying the places, things, and people that Japanese people hold dear is nothing less than the collapse of Japanese culture.

We would like to express our regret here and will take action to protect the shrine and the hearts of the people.

March 22nd 2025

Chief Priest: Shizuka Hirayama

Priest: Yuichi Hirayama”

No specific details were provided regarding the incident, however many commenters on social media have suggested that the issues stemmed from an act of vandalism to the shrine itself.

Other comments state that the shrine has been besieged by tourists who openly smoke and litter around the shrine – acts which can clearly be described as disrespectful when carried out near a place of worship.

A day before the announcement, another post by the shrine advised that they had to install measures to prevent cars entering the parking lot as a means of filtering out specific groups of tourists.

Measures have been put in place to restrict access to the shrine’s car park due to behaviour by Korean tourists

The post read:

“In response to the violent behavior of Korean tourists, a large car stopper will be installed tomorrow on a trial basis at the entrance to the parking lot in front of the shrine. We apologize for the inconvenience, but if you are planning to visit the shrine, please remove this small car stop before entering. There may be times when staff are present. In that case, they will guide you.”

Due to Tsushima Island being accessible by ferry from Busan in Korea, it is a particularly attractive destination for Korean tourists to visit.

The island sits directly in the center of the Korea Strait, making it accessible from both Japan and Korea

It seems that this accessibility is causing issues for the shrine, particularly as they single out Korean tourists as being the cause for having to restrict access to specific facilities.

Whilst no nationality was provided for the tourist who carried out the disrespectful act that has led to the announcement of a tourist ban, many commenters have suggested the statement was also aimed at Korean tourists in particular as they make up the majority of visitors to the island.

Following the announcement, the shrine has issued further statements advising that the “tourist ban” is not an outright ban on visitors to the shrine.

The shrine have advised that “worshippers”, defined as those who have respect for the shrine and reverence for its gods, can still visit.

As this includes the majority of tourists who behave in a manner that is respectful of local traditions, it does appear there is no outright ban as such and that the statement issued was perhaps issued in haste and anger at the situation the shrine found itself in, caused by the actions of specific acts of disrespect.

It has also been confirmed that photography can still be carried out, provided this is done in a respectful manner.

Anyone looking to visit the shrine purely for “tourism” purposes has been advised to stay away from the area for the foreseeable future. This includes visiting solely to take photos or content for social media, which have been described as activities that would constitute treating the shrine as a “theme park”.

The shrine have advised that anyone considering visiting should determine whether they fit the category of “tourist” or “worshipper”, with only those who can confidently put themselves in the category of “worshipper” being welcome at the shrine.

If you’re visiting any shrine in Japan, it’s important to remember that they are first and foremost places of worship.

Whilst many do welcome tourists, this is normally on the basis that they wish for tourists to have a deeper understanding of their religion and they expect tourists to act in a respectful manner at all times whilst on shrine grounds.

For those wishing to visit Tsushima Island or Watazumi Shrine, provided you are respectful and polite during your visit, you should still be able to see everything the island has to offer.

Source: Watatsumi Shrine Threads