this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2026

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Megadeth guitarist becomes voice of reason regarding tourists dancing at shrine in Japan (soranews24.com)

submitted 1 week ago by sundray@lemmus.org to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

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[–] HeronHouseHamilton@lemmy.zip 93 points 1 week ago (2 children)

When the greatest thrasher of all time tells you to be respectful, you'd better fucking listen.

[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 63 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Especially when he's lived there for 20 years and has sufficient fluency to be asked onto live television as a commentator.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago

Not just commentary, but actual hosting of shows.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Fujiyama

The title might as well have said "host of rock Fujiyama, Marty Friedman"

[–] sundray@lemmus.org 26 points 1 week ago

I'd be sweating bullets, that's for sure.

[–] undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 57 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Really fucking tired of shitty people ruining tourism all over the world.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago (1 children)

People have always been shitty tourists. We just have cell phones now. And influencers, I guess.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think its more influences and social media driving this bullshit. You can't go anywhere touristy (including Japan including locals) without seeing influences hogging space to take thousands of photos with dumb poses so they can select the one photo that makes them look good "with little effort."

I saw it in Tokyo Disney with 10 women who all looked identical taking identical photos all right next to one another. I saw it in Sensō-ji with Japanese women dressed in kimono blocking both sides of a bridge to take a zillion photos. I've seen it in Hawaii and Mexico. Shit disgusts the fuck out me and I think these people are pathetic as fuck as well as the people who follow them.

[–] StillAlive@piefed.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I didn't go to many touristy places and it was great. No crowds or queues.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I generally avoid anything touristy and try to explore areas where locals live. Sometimes if you’re there already you have to look though.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Was just in LA and shocked at how people will just take up the entire sidewalk in Hollywood boulevard to take a photo with their favorite star. You’re walking along in a crowded area and almost run into them when they suddenly stop.

[–] int_not_found@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Tbf having things that tourists are attracted to (& thus take photos with) in the middle of the street is really stupid from an city planning perspective.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I mean that was set up back in the 1940s, or possibly earlier, when there were far fewer people in Hollywood and you did not just travel for funsies.

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 17 points 1 week ago

They should do what the Koreans do and start punching shitty tourists in the face.

[–] CalemitousVariantK@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

The wrong people have money everywhere.

[–] Malica@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Only the shitty ones can afford to travel I guess

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Yeah, that's it.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Marty is the GOAT guitarist.

[–] sundray@lemmus.org 6 points 1 week ago

Hell yeah!

[+] rabber@lemmy.ca -6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Alexi Laiho was better

[–] ZC3rr0r@piefed.ca 17 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Discussing who "the better" guitarist is/was is about as pointless as championing a particular time zone. Being more or less skilled at the instrument (especially at the level of skill both posses(ed)) is largely irrelevant to the quality of the music they are able to make. In fact, one of the traps many virtuoso musicians fall in is to create demonstration pieces for their skill that are entirely bewildering or boring to the casual listener.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Regarding your final statement: see Buckethead... Absolute virtuoso that has played on hundreds of albums. Most of his solo stuff is just wanky self indulgent noodling - Unlistenable

Soothsayer... Yes... Awesome... But also sterile and lame.

[–] rabber@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's all subjective. Just poking a little fun.

I think Marty is superior to Alexi from a technical standpoint but Alexi is by far the better songwriter while also being able to sing while playing leads.

I think that probably the best overall guitar player of the same era is Jeff Loomis: https://youtu.be/id3_l_tqArY

Most underrated probably goes to Vogg: https://youtu.be/HHPGGMjHapw (he cites Limp Bizkit as an inspiration lmao)

one of the traps many virtuoso musicians fall in is to create demonstration pieces for their skill that are entirely bewildering or boring to the casual listener

I really like that and I think that is primarily what separates the good from the best. There are hyped guitarists that don't even make music in my opinion (Tim Henson for example)

The best guitarists to me are those that inspire others to play guitar. That's my most important criteria (and Tim Henson is doing that so what do I know)

I never got into Marty UNTIL I was already into guitar. I was already a Megadeth listener and I never appreciated Marty until I learned to play guitar

The top 5 responsible for me picking up the instrument were Alexi Laiho, Townes Van Zandt, Abbath, Jon Nödtveidt, and Don Anderson I would say. Those are examples who I knew were amazing at guitar when I didn't know anything about music yet

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Alexi was the shit, but no way was he better than Marty IMHO.

[–] vic_rattlehead@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

Marty is SUCH a class act! I last saw him the evening of a snowstorm, so not a huge turnout, but he and everyone in his band were incredible. His rhythm guitar player was sick so their tech stepped in to thunderous applause. Chargeeee absolutely brought down the house! Waka has such a good stage presence, and Marty himself does an amazing job of highlighting all performers he shares the stage with.

[–] tigermountain@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I find it unfortunate how easily social mores can change for the worse.

[–] AfterlifeAdventures@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Peace sells but magas not buyin nor isreal(fuck isreal)

[+] Grimy@lemmy.world -21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

https://xcancel.com/hokkori_buzz/status/2096184819755651380

I don't really know how to feel about this. It's important to respect cultures and all that but it's also just dancing. It seems like they are celebrating the place instead of really disrespecting it. Honestly, the disrespect comes more from turning it into a tourism spot in the first place. Charging tourists to come into your sacred shrine kind of takes away the sacred aspect of it imo (edit: not the case here I think but still)

Would you do the same thing in a church or a mosque?

I don't see anything wrong with dancing in a church either. I actually think if a priest came out and complained about people dancing in his church, he'd get overwhelmed with mockery. (I don't mean during a service but normal wandering around hours).

If a place is so sacred you can't dance in it, then it's too sacred to let tourists in either.

[–] smokin_shinobi@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is why people hate tourists. If you can’t respect the culture and tradition of a place then just stay home so you don’t ruin it for the people that will be respectful. If they tell you something is sacred just listen. If they say a behavior is inappropriate just listen.

They let tourists into their sacred site because it’s amazing and they want to share that. They just don’t want you being a disrespectful dickhead, it’s not a big ask.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

I don’t see anything wrong with dancing in a church either

Here's the problem: it's not your place, it's theirs. It doesn't matter what you think or you believe. When you go there, you go with what they think and what they believe.

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

[–] TipRing@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Let me explain it as it was explained to me when I lived outside my home country when I was young.

When you travel or live abroad you are a guest. You should be on your best manners as you would if you were in the home of a stranger who invited you over. Further, you are an unofficial diplomat for your home country and should act with that in mind for as long as you are there. Don't insist your culture, your language or your sense of entitlement upon your hosts.

[–] mastod0n@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Sharing your culture also means to let people access sacred places to some extent. Think about famous Mosques in Istanbul for example.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world -3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ya I get that but they are treated like tourism spots. Mosques and churches where a bad example. Here's a passage (the last bit was in bold in the article) and pic from the link. It just seems like the shrine itself doesn't really treat it with reverence so dumb tourist behavior is kind of to be expected.

I get it but we also live in a society where people will sometimes dance at locations they perceive as public enough. I find it annoying no matter the location but it doesn't seem like a big deal either.

Many of Japan’s religious sites do not have or cultivate a heavily solemn atmosphere. The streets leading to major shrines and temples are often lined with restaurants and souvenir shops, and a mood of levity isn’t seen, in and of itself, as sinful or inappropriate, even on shrine/temple grounds. The sprawling layout of sites such as Fushimi Inari can also contribute to a casual atmosphere, as moving about the spaces between structures can feel like a walk in the woods or stroll in a garden. As such, while shrines and temples are religious sites, they might not necessarily feel like “sacred ground,” in that they don’t impose the same sets of strict regulations and restrictions that term might imply in other cultures. However, just because visitors aren’t expected to be somber at Japan’s shrines and temples doesn’t mean it’s OK for them to be flippant.

[–] hraegsvelmir@ani.social 8 points 1 week ago

It just seems like the shrine itself doesn't really treat it with reverence so dumb tourist behavior is kind of to be expected.

That's certainly not what I took away from the bit you quoted. I read it more as "Since acceptable attitudes aren't limited to the super solemn, dour ones common in Western churches and holy sites, you can understand somewhat how foreigners might not understand where exactly the limit is in acceptable behavior, but this is definitely past it, so don't do it."

Your very statement about them not treating the site with reverence reveals the crux of your misunderstanding. You keep considering this situation with your norms, by which the shrine's staff fall short of their duties, ergo they're not being reverent. The whole point of the article is that, while standards for behavior and attitude at holy sites in Japan do permit a wider range of expressions than is common in the West, it doesn't mean you have carte blanche to act as you please, and while Japanese people will overlook gaffs relating to the finer points of their etiquette, this is too grave a faux pas and risks significant consequences as concerns Japan's attitude towards foreign tourists in the future.