A sunflower farm in Chiba opened its field to the public for free, but far more visitors came than expected. This caused problems like traffic issues and people trespassing. Because of this, the farm decided to cut down the sunflowers and end the event early.
On July 31, Fuji TV reported that the event was canceled because of misbehavior by foreign tourists. However, the farm disagreed, saying this was misleading. They explained that both Japanese and foreign visitors caused trouble, and some foreigners followed the rules. They didn’t want people to blame foreigners alone.
Fuji TV’s report didn’t provide clear proof that only foreigners were causing problems. After criticism, the words “foreign tourists” were quietly removed from the article and headline. Fuji TV later admitted the wording was misleading and said they should have written “tourists, including foreigners.”
The farm explained on Instagram that they didn’t have proper facilities like parking, and that they hadn’t expected so many people. The sunflower field was originally meant to improve the soil and give nearby residents something to enjoy—not to attract crowds from outside.
by MagazineKey4532