A YouTuber with 2.4 million subscribers named Fidias Panayiotou, with three others, was seen in a video dodging train fare, obtaining cash and free food from locals in Japan.
While Panayiotou's followers acclaimed his audacity, the video received a lot of adverse reactions from social media users.
Social Media Users React to Panayiotou
According to The Guardian, Panayiotou posted a video and was caught riding trains and buses with three others not paying their fare.
In the video, he would pull the trick of locking himself in the toilet, pretending to be unwell on the bullet train when the ticket collector asks for his fare. Then, he takes off to another train and performs the same trick.
Other parts of the video show the group begging for cash to pay for their tickets. In one of his clips, he was also seen in a hotel pretending to be a guest to get a complimentary breakfast. "I just have access to a five-star Japanese buffet. And we're leaving the hotel without getting caught and without any problem," he said to the camera.
The clip was uploaded on X, formerly known as Twitter, and the users reacted negatively and accused them of taking advantage of Japan's reputation for well-being and hospitality.
"Another strange, annoying YouTuber from abroad emerged. In addition to this guy Fidias, the three others should be arrested," one X user said.
Furthermore, another X user wrote that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. The user, who is also from Japan, would not want the visitors to destroy their environment. The Japanese warned that if there were a lot of foreigners like this, they would not want them anymore in the country.
The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said that in some areas and during specific periods, bad manners associated with inbound tourism have impacted the lives of local residents.
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Panayiotou Apologizes to Japan
On Tuesday, Panayiotou apologized in the comment section of his uploaded video. He said that he was sorry if he made the Japanese people feel bad and that it was not their intention, but they would research more about the culture of Japan to prevent such acts from happening again.
Several incidents of foreigners misbehaving, such as drinking in public and littering, were the usual cause of inconvenience in largely law-abiding Japan. Some influencers show the livelihood and culture of Japan in their videos. However, some only visited the country to gain online popularity.
In 2017, US YouTuber Logan Paul posted a video of a dead body in a Japanese "suicide forest," which garnered six million views before being taken down as the video violated Japan's cultural norms and laws.
He was labeled as "disrespectful" and "disgusting" after he fooled around with friends about discovering the body in the Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji. The Japanese government is currently working to aid overtourism. They are also moving to put more expensive train tickets and musical trash bins.
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