In pretty much any major city around the world, you’re bound to run in to a person collecting money for some cause or other. It could be in aid of curing a deadly disease, cutting world hunger, protecting the environment or even animal rights activists PETA asking for donations when they’re not making online videogames…

In Japan, it’s not uncommon to encounter Buddhist monks, standing still in the street with a bowl in hand, asking for donations. This is a tradition that has existed in Japan for centuries, and, while few busy city-dwellers stop to drop a few yen in the bowl, even fewer would begrudge the monks for doing it since they have scant income and bring a lot of comfort to many people.

A photo that appeared online earlier this week, however, showing what appears to be two monks sitting in a side-street laughing and smoking while counting their takings for the day, has caused quite a stir among Japan’s internet users…

It’s a little-known fact that Buddhist monks in Japan are allowed to smoke and imbibe alcohol. But even with those luxuries permitted, it is expected that monks show reserve and self-control wherever possible.

So to see two monks kicking back in a side street like a couple of high-schoolers skipping class naturally comes as a shock to many.

Smoking while totalling up their earnings, the two “monks” hardly convey an image of piety and dedication to bettering themselves.

The photo, taken by a Japanese Twitter user and published online, have sparked debate across the internet, with many suggesting that these two cheeky chaps might not be the real deal and that cases of “fake monks” are on the rise in major cities across the country.

  • “I’ve seen guys like this pair in Akihabara. They push gold good luck charms on people and then pester them for money.”
  • “They’re in Asakusa and Ueno, too…”
  • “Because religion pays, right?”
  • “I think these guys should be made to carry a permit for begging.”

But, as reporting website Byoukan Sunday points out, whether these men are the genuine article or not, few people would like to see supposedly holy men behaving in this way. After all, who would want to give their spare change to some random guy who spends his afternoons smoking in a side street?

And, if we take a closer look at that photo…

We can see that, not only are these two jokers brazenly counting their day’s takings and smoking, but they’re doing it directly beneath a sign that asks people not to eat or smoke there.

While asking a holy man for some ID before making a donation is hardly the most charitable act, with reports of of men posing as monks in order to make a few extra yen occurring more and more frequently, both Japanese and foreigners alike are bound to be suspicious.

Although the amount these guys make in a day is fairly small, Byoukan Sunday suggests that the average monk collects up to 1,00,000 yen (US$12,500) per year.

And while that’s tax-free, that’s not a bad lot for standing in the street holding a little bowl…

Source / images: Byoukan Sunday Title image: Money Bowl by Jonathan Galbreath.