"Do NOT touch Cherry Blossoms": Mizkif issues apology after being called out for doing pullups on a Sakura tree

American Twitch streamer Matthew "Mizkif" has issued an apology after being criticized for posting a video doing pull-ups on a cherry blossom tree in Japan. Matthew was lambasted by Japanese content creator Kaho Shibuya who described watching the video of him using sakura branches for pull-ups as heartbreaking.

On April 6, 2025, Mizkif issued a long statement on X and explained he "immediately regretted" posting the video of doing pull-ups on a Sakura branch. The creator also said he had not realized the severity of his actions beforehand. Noting that the video had been deleted, he wrote:

"A few days ago I did pullups on a cherry blossom tree. I posted the video and went to bed. The moment I was informed by a friend on the severity of the situation, I immediately deleted the post and regretted my decision."

Mizkif also warned other foreigners traveling to Japan not to touch the cherry blossoms as the trees are "sacred in Japanese culture":

"I do not want to promote my actions as proper, they were wrong, and should be seen as such. To any viewers, or tourists coming to Japan, please understand these trees are sacred to Japan. Do NOT touch Cherry Blossoms. They are sacred to the Japanese culture and are extremely delicate."

Mizkif concluded his statement with an apology and said he hoped other people would learn from his mistake. The Twitch streamer also directed his fans to not "attack" those criticizing him online:

"And to my viewers, please do not attack anyone for critism of me in regards to the cherry blossom trees. I am ok with the criticism and understand it was wrong. I hope through this people can learn from my actions, and if you ever go to Japan be mindful of the their cherry blossoms, culture, and property. I apologize for doing those pullups on the cherry blossom tree, and I promise I will continue to be better."

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Kaho Shibuya calls out Mizkif for being "really rude" in Discord chats after criticizing him for doing pullups on a Sakura tree

Japanese content creator Kaho Shibuya was one of the first people to call out Mizkif on social media on April 5, 2025, for posting a video of him doing pullups on a Sakura tree. Hours before Mizkif's apology, she accused him of sending several "really rude" messages to her for calling him out.

Kaho Shibuya divulged what Mizkif had texted her:

"He sent me a personal message shi**ing on me, that's why, and it's over 'me, me, me'. There were three me's in three sentences."

She drew parallels between the Twitch streamer's behavior and that of his community that had been attacking her online:

"Okay, so your community actually reflects you. Wow! I was shocked, I was shocked. And he actually deleted that comment later on from Discord. Of course, I screenshotted as evidence."

Kaho Shibuya went on to state that she was very disappointed in Mizkif, calling his now-deleted messages rude:

"I was so disappointed, I got so personally disappointed. Up until that I was like, 'You know what, he didn't know, they didn't know.' I was going to help them have the opportunity to explain themselves, even to the Japanese community and to the English community. And yeah, really rude response. Really rude."

On the same broadcast, Kaho Shibuya went on to read one of Mizkif's alleged messages:

"Now I have Johnny Somali account on ME, you don’t realize what you’ve done to ME, please leave ME alone."

She maintains that her criticism was not personal and that it was a general statement toward tourists who disrespect Japanese culture.