A Buddhist monk in Japan is refusing to pay a fine he was given for driving in a religious robe. The priest in his 40s was stopped by police while he was driving a car to attend a memorial service.
The incident happened in September in Fukui City on the Sea of Japan coast. The monk was fined for driving while wearing traditional religious attire. Police said the robe could impair safe driving.
The police add wearing monk's robes while driving does not necessarily constitute a violation, but the robe in question had 30-centimeter-wide sleeves that could get caught on a lever or other controls. They also note the kimono he was wearing underneath the robe was too tight to allow him to press the brake pedal when necessary. The police say the combination of tight and loose clothing could impair safe driving.
The monk has refused to pay the traffic ticket worth about 55 dollars. Nishi Honganji Temple in Kyoto is the head temple of the monk's denomination. It says it's important to abide by the law, but issuing a traffic ticket because of the robe is not acceptable.
◆robe（聖職者の）衣服、衣装a long loose piece of clothing, especially one worn for official ceremonies
◆memorial service告別式、法要
◆attire衣装、服装clothes
◆impair損なう、害するto damage something or make it not as good as it should be
◆abide by～に従う、～を守るto accept and obey a decision, rule, agreement etc, even though you may not agree with it
