Chilean Woman under Fire after Pull-Ups on Torii Shrine Gate

Jiji Press

10:21 JST, October 17, 2024

Sao Paulo (Jiji Press) — A Chilean woman has faced criticisms after posting a video on Instagram showing her hanging from a “torii” shrine gate and doing pull-ups in sync with music during her visit to Japan.

The woman, Marimar Perez, has since deleted the post and expressed her remorse in an apology video, saying she did not realize that she was in a sacred place and acted without thinking.

Perez is a former gymnast residing in the United States, who has won a silver medal at a South American competition in 2019, according to Chilean media. She has about 140,000 followers on her Instagram account, through which she frequently posts herself performing handstands in various settings.

The controversial video was widely shared on social media, attracting a barrage of criticism, including telling her to never come to Japan again and saying that it was insulting to Japanese religion.