A gymnast and social media influencer has faced severe backlash after filming herself climbing and dancing on a sacred Shinto shrine in Japan. María del Mar Pérez Banus, originally from Chile but now based in the US, posted a video showing her hanging off a torii gate—a traditional entrance marker to a Shinto shrine—while moving her feet to the song 'Cha Cha Slide.'
The clip, since deleted from her account, was reshared on X (formerly Twitter) by user MasaNews3, where it amassed over 33 million views. Critics quickly condemned the act, with one user calling her a 'stupid attention seeker' and another branding it 'extremely disrespectful.'
'What stupidity is this?! If one can't respect another country's culture, they have no business going there,' wrote one commenter. Another added, 'It should go without saying but please don't use sacred objects as gym equipment while visiting Japan.'
In response to the outcry, Pérez Banus issued an apology video. 'I really wasn't thinking about what I was doing,' she said. 'I want to apologize a thousand times. Please stop sending me messages and comments, I'm really sorry.'
Shinto shrines are places of worship and are considered dwellings of the kami, or Shinto gods, according to Japan-Guide.com. Torii gates mark the approach and entrance to a shrine, signifying a transition from the mundane to the sacred.
