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Nagasaki Prefecture’s Shinto shrine, Watazumi Shrine had officially banned tourists from ever stepping foot on the grounds of the religious area, after multiple accounts of offensive behavior led to frustration among the shrine’s priests and locals.
In consideration that Watazumi Shrine had served as model inspiration for one of the locations in Ghost of Tsushima, the decision to ban access to the shrine was not an impulsive one.
There had been complaints of tourists smoking, littering and spitting on shrine grounds on more than one occasion. One tourist was found cycling around with a mountain bike on restricted grounds and have claimed many have stolen the good luck amulet charms sold at the shrine, the omamori.
5 years prior, the shrines handlers have voiced out their intents to ban visitation for all foreigners if the behavior persists, but had to back away from the policy. However in 2024, one of Watazumi Shrines workers had confronted a Korean tourist as he littered his cigarette butt and spat on the grounds. The situation did not stop there as many Korean tourists expressed verbal abuse towards the shrine workers and littering garbage everywhere from food trucks in the area. In light of the incident, the shrine has barred Korean people from entering, which later extended to anyone who is not a worshipper.
On March 23, the Watazumi Shrine officially announced their policy on their Instagram page, stating as of Sunday, March 23, entry into the shrine grounds is forbidden to anyone who is not a worshipper. Additionally, any form of photography, videography of any kind of the shrine’s torii gates is also strictly prohibited. They will also reject sightseeing tour buses for both domestic and foreign groups, further stating the catalyst of the ban after multiple acts of disrespect over the years.
Although a ban has been stated, it may prove near impossible to enforce. As Japan’s largest and more famous shrines include an admission fee, many others like the Watazumi Shrine do not have that policy. There may some difficulties to ward off trespassers before the policy manages to go into full effect.
Furthermore, to many tourists looking to experience the real life areas that inspired the worlds of their favorite games, they must be wary of their surroundings. Although a sacred site allows visitors into their grounds, it does not give the visitor the right to abuse their stay.
