BANGKOK, Nov 19 — A Thai content creator has managed the rare feat of irritating two nations at once after clambering onto the roof of a parked car, whipping off his shirt and breaking into an exuberant dance outside the famed Fuji-view Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Japan.
The clip, posted by Jack Papho, was barely three hours old before it was engulfed by more than 12,000 furious comments.
Many accused him of embarrassing Thailand abroad; others simply unfollowed him in silent protest.
Japanese media quickly piled in, running headlines lamenting the “disgrace to Thailand”, and noting that the antics were particularly unwelcome amid the country’s worsening overtourism problem.
The incident played directly into long-simmering complaints about unruly foreign visitors.
Local sensitivities are no small matter at the Lawson in question.
The perfectly framed Mount Fuji view has made the spot both internet-famous and locally infamous: residents have complained of tourists jaywalking, blocking traffic, leaving rubbish, and generally turning the postcard-ready backdrop into a civic headache.
@jack_papho69 แม้ใครจะดูถูกฉัน ไม่สนใจคำพูดเหล่านั้น #แจ็กแปปโฮ เสียงต้นฉบับ – แจ็ก แปปโฮ
Authorities have even floated access restrictions after repeated crowd-control issues.
Into this stepped Jack, whose post-viral response — a blend of defensiveness, chest-puffing and unhelpful comparisons with other nationalities — only deepened the ire.
Influencers such as JapanSalaryman, Pigkaploy and Golfwashere lined up to explain, in painstaking detail, why the stunt was tone-deaf at best and inflammatory at worst.
The fallout has now escalated beyond finger-wagging.
A Thai Facebook user has submitted an open letter to the Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs calling for Jack’s passport to be revoked under Thailand’s 1977 Passport Act, which allows cancellation if a holder behaves in a way deemed harmful to national security or public order abroad.
Online, many cheered the idea on, insisting the YouTuber had tarnished the nation’s image.
Some netizens even urged Japan to go a step further: cancel any existing visa and bar him from re-entering the country — permanently, if possible.
For now, Japanese authorities have made no public comment, perhaps hoping the storm will die down faster than a TikTok trend.
Jack, meanwhile, has offered no sign of contrition.
But given the scale of the backlash — spanning two nations, several influencers and a Mount Fuji viewpoint that has had quite enough — his next trip to Japan might be limited to the digital kind.
AloJapan.com