Authorities in Kyoto have decided to trial-cut 30 square meters of bamboo along the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove path to address rising graffiti damage. A city survey identified about 350 plants affected since spring this year. The measure, developed in collaboration with local residents, aims to distance the bamboo from tourists to prevent further defacement.
The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove path in Kyoto's Ukyo Ward is a beloved walking trail through a dense bamboo forest, attracting domestic and international tourists with its enchanting scenery. The broader Saga-Arashiyama area, celebrated in many tanka poems, is designated as a special historic landscape preservation zone under Japan's Law on Special Measures Concerning Preservation of Traditional Scenic Beauty in Ancient Capitals.
A city investigation revealed that around 350 bamboo plants along the path have been damaged by graffiti since spring 2025. An inspection on October 6 confirmed carvings including hiragana, kanji, and English names like “Kate” and “Yoshitaka” on stalks lining both sides of the bustling tourist route. According to the Kyoto city government, the city-owned land along the path spans about 2.3 hectares, with an estimated 7,000 bamboos growing naturally.
Kyoto prefectural police stated that the graffiti could constitute destruction of property. The Kyoto Botanical Gardens noted that while surface damage is unlikely to cause bamboo to wither or fall, the carvings will remain once made.
In response to the worsening issue, local groups such as a nearby shopping district association have covered the damage with green masking tape. Since October, warning posters in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean—reading “Please don’t deface the bamboo forest. Defacing the bamboo should be a crime”—have been displayed on fences along the path and on about 50 rickshaws.
On November 5, city officials and local residents held their first emergency countermeasures meeting, deciding on a trial cutting of 30 square meters of bamboo on city-owned land, including damaged plants. Though tree and bamboo cutting is generally prohibited in the area, the city plans this as a special preservation measure to push the groves farther from the path, out of visitors' reach. Misao Hashimoto, chief of the city’s scenic preservation division, said, “The bamboo forest is a shared property of the citizens. In particular, as the beautiful landscape of Arashiyama has been maintained through cooperation from the local community, it is extremely regrettable that it has been deliberately damaged.”
The grove has faced graffiti before; in 2018, after about 100 bamboos were defaced, the city erected fences. Damage decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to fewer visitors but has noticeably increased with the rebound in tourism.
On Wednesday, November 19, in a joint effort between the municipal government and a local environmental nonprofit, about 20 bamboo plants were felled on both sides of a 30-meter section of the path. Four of the cut plants had been defaced. The city said it will review the impact on the scenery and consider additional removals.