On March 28, 2026, the volunteer group "Samurai Hidetaro," who guide foreign tourists dressed as samurai, conducted an activity in the Saga Arashiyama area of Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City. In response to a recent surge in acts of damage to bamboo, they urged visitors to "Please do not touch the bamboo."
The group conducts these awareness campaigns twice a year, in spring and autumn, to help alleviate overtourism.
In the Saga Arashiyama area, the installation of "smart trash cans" with automatic compression and large capacity along Nagatsuji Street has helped to somewhat resolve the garbage problem. This time, however, they focused on the issue of damage to bamboo.
Seven members of the group held signs along the bamboo grove path, appealing to visitors in both English and Japanese with messages such as "Let's protect natural bamboo."
The 19-year-old male student in his first year at Doshisha University, who came up with the phrase "Bamboo is not paper," said, "I tried to use humorous words so that it wouldn't sound like a command. I hope I can be of some help to the people in the community."
