Thai couple face backlash for romantic graffiti on bridge in Japan

A Thai couple faced a backlash on social media after expressing their love by writing their names, Beer <3 Mayvy 2024, on a bridge at a popular tourist destination in Tokyo, Japan.

A Thai man took to Facebook to condemn the couple’s action, sharing a picture of the handwritten message on the bridge with a caption that read…

“I visited the Nakameguro district of Tokyo, Japan, for a photoshoot and came across this… I wonder what nationality they are…”

Many Thai netizens agreed that the graffitists must be Thai because “Beer” is a common nickname for Thais. Moreover, “Mayvy” is a popular Thai woman’s nickname with “Vy” added to make it cute.

Netizens flooded the man’s Facebook post with complaints against the couple’s behaviour, stating that the couple should not write graffiti on any public facilities, especially in Japan, where people are disciplined and the laws are strict. Others condemned the couple for damaging the image of Thai tourists and the country.

One netizen stated that writing on public properties will result in imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to 300,000 yen (72,000 baht) in Japan.

Online investigators conducted further searches until they found the Facebook account of the Thai man named Beer who wrote the message.

Volunteer cleaner

Beer recently commented and shared a picture of his message on the bridge.

“Back to this bridge again, but our names written in 2022 already disappeared. We wrote them again this year, 2024. We’ll see if it lasts until 2025 or not. #OurMemory2022.”

Beer’s post was widely circulated among Thai netizens, gathering further criticism towards him and his girlfriend, especially considering it wasn’t their first offence. They had engaged in similar behaviour in 2022. The online backlash compelled Beer to delete the post and deactivate his Facebook account.

The issue gained viral traction on social media, prompting a Thai man residing and working in Japan to step forward and volunteer to clean the bridge. He shared a video on Facebook showcasing his efforts in removing the message from the bridge.

In the video, he can be seen diligently using nail polish remover and wet tissue papers to scrub away the message until the bridge was restored to its clean state. This act of goodwill earned him abundant thanks and appreciation from Thai netizens.

Hopefully, this incident will not be a reason for Japan to cancel free visas for Thai tourists.

Following rumours about the cancellation of free visas due to illegal Thai workers in Japan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Panpri Phahitthanukon, confirmed that Thai tourists would still be able to access a free visa to Japan until June of next year, 2025. He said Japan would reconsider the free visa for Thai tourists after June.