INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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Japanese monks are now showing off how agile they can be while dressed in their
robes
Japanese monks have been skipping, skating and juggling to show how unrestrictive their traditional attire is.It comes
after a monk was fined by police for driving while wearing a kimono because it "could affect safe driving", according to the Yomiuri
online.Monks have been posting videos of themselves on Twitter doing agile acts with the hashtag "I can do this in monks' robes".And it's
not just skipping ropes - many of them are taking on more ambitious pursuits.The monk was stopped by police last September while on his way
to a Buddhist memorial service in Japan's Fukui province, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.The article was only published in December and seems
to be what has sparked the now viral hashtag.The officer reportedly said that the "sleeves and length" of his robes would affect his
driving, the newspaper said.Road traffic law prohibits the driving of a vehicle in clothes that may affect safe driving, but not all
Buddhist monk robes are subject to the violation, Yomiuri cited an official as saying, leaving the rules vague
The monk, who has not been named but described as in his 40s, said he had been driving for 20 years in monks robes and had never been
fined.He could face trial under local traffic laws if he does not pay the traffic fine.
