temple in Nara prefecture during his visit Friday afternoon, according to local news outlets.
The teen allegedly carved the letter “J” and the name “Julian” at a height of around 170 cm on a pillar at Toshodaiji Temple’s southwest side,. The letter J was 4 cm long and 5 cm wide while “Julian” was 2.5 cm long and 10 cm wide, police say. Nara Prefectural Police, Toshodaiji Temple and UNESCO did not immediately respond to the Star’s requests for comment.: “The boy admitted his act and says it was done not with the intent of harming Japanese culture. He is now with his parents, who were with him when the incident occurred.”
A monk at Toshodaiji Temple told Kyodo News: “We are worried that the same thing could happen again. Even though it may have been done without malice, it is still regrettable and sad.”The defacement of Toshodaiji Temple closely follows a similar incident in late June when a British tourist carved “Ivan+Hayley 23” into the wall of the Roman Colosseum.