A Thai travel influencer has apologised after facing widespread criticism for filming herself lying on protected alpine plants inside a Japanese national park, prompting backlash from both Japanese and Thai social media users.
The controversy erupted after Japanese X account @masanews reshared a video featuring the influencer, identified as Nat, accusing her of damaging protected vegetation on Mount Komagatake in Towada-Hachimantai National Park in Akita Prefecture.
According to the post, the plants shown in the video are protected species, and visitors are prohibited from entering the restricted area where they grow. Local reports also noted that park officials regularly patrol the site due to repeated incidents of tourists crossing barriers and damaging fragile vegetation. The incident has reignited discussions about responsible tourism and the importance of respecting environmental regulations while travelling abroad.
The footage was originally uploaded to Nat’s Facebook page and Instagram account under the name No Plan Trip, where she has more than 130,000 followers on Facebook and over 22,000 followers on Instagram. The video showed her lying among white flowering alpine plants on the mountainside.
The clip quickly drew criticism from Japanese social media users, many of whom argued that Nat, who currently lives in Japan, should have known and respected the country’s environmental rules. Some users even called for authorities to deport her.
Following the backlash, Nat removed the video from her social media platforms and issued a public apology in both Thai and Japanese on July 7. She admitted her mistake, said she accepted the criticism and promised to be more careful when producing photographs and travel content in the future.
Nat also reaffirmed her love for Japan and encouraged people to continue visiting the country, describing it as a destination filled with beautiful places worth exploring.
Despite the apology, some Thai netizens questioned whether her statement adequately addressed the environmental damage, arguing that it focused more on posting the video than on the impact of her actions.
Others resurfaced an earlier social media post in which Nat had urged travellers to obey local regulations, previously criticising another tourist for ignoring restrictions to take photographs in a flower field. Meanwhile, many supporters encouraged her to learn from the incident and continue promoting tourism responsibly.
