Austrian arrested for having sex in Shinto shrine

A 61-year-old Austrian man has been arrested for having sex with a partner in the grounds of a Shinto shrine in Kesennuma, Miyagi, on the morning of August 22.

The sexagenarian has been arrested on suspicion of disrespecting a place of worship, according to multiple media reports on August 23.

Curiously, the man has not (yet) been charged with public indecency, which might well apply in this case, since they were spotted going at it in broad daylight by other shrine visitors, who then notified the police.

The man was reportedly a tourist but it is not clear if his female partner (or rather, accomplice) was Japanese, or even why she was not arrested (media reports at the time of writing do not specify) — since it takes two to tango.

She is apparently in her forties and a resident of Kesennuma, so is likely to be Japanese. Perhaps they met online and arranged a hook-up. But why at a shrine? Did one thing lead to another and they couldn’t control their lusts? Had the man seen a shrine-themed Japanese porn (yes, these exist!) and hoped to re-enact the scenes? Or was this just a case of good ol’ exhibitionism fetish?

Either way, he’s a very energetic for a man in his sixties!

The unnamed man is reportedly not cooperating with police in Kesennuma, quite sensibly refusing to speak to interrogators until he sees a lawyer. Unfortunately, that’s not really how detention works in Japan and he may not see a legal representative for some days or even weeks.

Overtourism is a currently major problem in parts of Tokyo as well as smaller places like Kyoto, Nara, and Miyajima. As such, we should commend the man for going to a less-visited place like Miyagi.

But perhaps our feisty Austrian should have controlled his desires and made use of a love hotel, instead of a public and religious location.

The current social media and mainstream media moral panic about overtourism is driven partly by snobbery and anger over “bad manners” by tourists, which this latest incident is unlikely to quell. Admittedly, some visitors do treat Japan like an amusement park, perhaps more so than they would when abroad in other countries because of its “weird” and exotic reputation. On the other hand, a few people blocking the train with their suitcases, an increase in trash, drunk people doing silly shit — this is all par for the course in Japan anyway with domestic tourists or locals.

Moreover, this act of depravity in a shrine is arguably in keeping with the history of matsuri festivals in Japan, which were often excuses for peasants to get drunk and make merry, and have sex.

Lots of rural folk shrines have phallic imagery too, not to mention the famous and very well-attended fertility festivals in Japan.

The Onda Festival in a shrine in Asuka, for instance, features a man dressed in a Tengu mask fucking a “bride” (another performer in a mask) on a stage in front of visitors.

The abundance of shrine maiden (miko) costumes also attests to the popularity of the figure in cosplay and adult role plays. There are also lots of miko-themed masturbators.

The sacred and the profane are not clearcut in Japanese Shinto!