They sensed that she was flipping their bird culture.
Gymnastics influencer María del Mar Pérez Banus has been accused of “insulting” Japanese culture after performing a “vulgar” acrobatic routine at a shrine.
A deleted Instagram video of her seemingly sacrilegious sequence has since been shared on X, where it has racked up over 19 million views.
The 25-year-old acrobat, who boasts over 140,000 followers on a page she shares with her sister, was said to have executed the display at a Torii, a symbolic gate that marks the entrance to a Shinto temple.
It is often seen as a boundary that separates the human world from the spirit world, Need To Know reported.
In the clip, Pérez – who hails from Chile but lives in the US – is seen hanging from the red structure like a pull-up bar as he spins while the hit song “Cha-Cha Slide” plays in the background.
Commentators were not amused by the dirty dance.
“This shows disrespect for Japanese culture and religious customs,” said one outraged viewer in a post translated to X. “I hope you never come to Japan again.”
Another said: “Foreigners don’t know anything. If they break something, they will just run away. I wish you would stop.”
One even cited a passage from the local penal code which states that “any person who publicly disrespects a shrine, Buddhist temple, cemetery or other place of worship shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding six months or a fine of not more than than 100,000 yen.”
Following the backlash, the winner posted a video of herself apologizing to fans for the insensitive stunt, claiming she didn’t understand the significance of the shrine.
“I really wasn’t thinking about what I was doing,” Pérez insisted in his mea culpa. “I want to apologize a thousand times. Please don’t send me messages and comments, I’m so sorry.”
She added, “I hope you can understand, thank you very much.”
In 2019, Pérez competed for Chile as a rhythmic gymnast at the Pan American Games and also won a silver medal at the South American Gymnastics Championships.
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Image Source : nypost.com