The sign for temple drawn on this wall. Why?

The wall is situated in a maze of bars and izakaya in the back of Sangenjaya – so the need to urinate is high and late night the risk of ‘getting caught’ relatively low. But whom, even in a drunken state would pee on a temple sign? Thomas Stovicek spotted very similar thinking during our field study in Delhi, but with enameled pictures of gods.

Symbols that deflect actions. And with lo-power no-power digital displays turning up in ever more places, the ability to customise the symbols/message to increase its impact. Would you pee on a wall with a picture of your lover looking down? Mother? Boss? Diety?