Thai tourists criticized for writing on Japanese bridge to express love

The incident caught the attention of online netizens after a Thai man earlier this week shared a picture of the handwritten graffiti writing "Beer Love MayVy 2024," with "Love" demonstrated by a heart sign.

The man said he posed for the photo in the Nakameguro district of Tokyo.

His post has received over 7,000 likes and 700 shares, with Thai netizens saying the graffitists must be Thai people because "Beer" is a common nickname for Thais while "Mayvy" is a popular Thai woman’s nickname, The Thaiger reported.

Other netizens criticized the couple’s behavior for defaming Thailand’s reputation.

"It’s a shame for Thais," a netizen wrote.

"The couple should not write graffiti on any public facilities, especially in Japan where people are extremely disciplined," another commented.

Under Japanese law, writing on public properties will result in imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to 300,000 yen (US$1,958).

This was not the first time foreign tourists have been caught defacing popular tourist attractions.

Last year, a British tourist was caught engraving his and his girlfriend’s names into an internal wall of the Roman Colosseum with a key, according to Business Insider.

He was criticized and forced to make a public apology.