{"id":37730,"date":"2019-11-20T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T21:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=37730"},"modified":"2021-07-28T21:09:21","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T12:09:21","slug":"kimono-manual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/kimono-manual\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Learned Driving a Manual Car Wearing a Kimono \u2013 Apparently, Traditional Clothing Can Be a Traffic Violation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kimono and Manual Cars<\/h3>\n

The other day, we celebrated my daughters\u2019 Shichi-Go-San, and as their mother, I also wore a kimono. Time flies\u2014my youngest is already three years old. Since she was born, it feels like both a long time and just a blink of an eye\u2026<\/p>\n

In the past, many children didn\u2019t survive past age seven, so rituals like Shichi-Go-San were created to pray for children\u2019s healthy growth<\/strong>. I\u2019m truly grateful that our children have grown up healthy and well.<\/p>\n

Since the shrine for the Shichi-Go-San prayers is about a 15-minute drive from home, I decided to take this opportunity to try driving a manual car while wearing a kimono<\/strong>. Chances like this don\u2019t come around often.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That said, driving in zori sandals felt unsafe, so I changed into sneakers for driving.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Before getting in, I thought:<\/p>\n

Since a kimono restricts how much I can open my legs, driving might be tricky. But well, as long as I change shoes, I should be able to drive without much trouble<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I was wrong (-_-).<\/p>\n

First, getting into the driver\u2019s seat while wearing a kimono was surprisingly difficult. You can\u2019t open or lift your legs freely, so you can\u2019t just step in normally<\/strong>. I had to sit down on the seat first, then swing each leg in one by one. Plus, the obi sash on my back (it was an otaiko knot)<\/span> took up space, so I had to sit closer to the front edge of the seat\u2026<\/p>\n

That meant my head bumped the roof, and on top of that, I had to be careful not to dirty the kimono<\/strong>, so just getting in was quite a challenge.<\/p>\n

Once seated, I noticed again:<\/p>\n

That obi on my back is seriously in the way…<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Because of the obi, I couldn\u2019t sit deeply with my back against the seat. I had to lean forward quite a bit and sit around the front half of the seat<\/strong>, but then the steering wheel was too close to drive comfortably.<\/p>\n

So I tried moving the seat further back than usual, but then my foot couldn\u2019t reach the clutch (maybe I just have short legs, lol)<\/span>. After a lot of trial and error\u2014\u201cthis way, no, that way\u201d\u2014I managed to adjust the seat so I could just barely press the clutch and hold the steering wheel, and set off.<\/p>\n

Once driving, I didn\u2019t experience any jerking and could drive as usual, but clutch operation at higher speeds was quite difficult. Because my driving position wasn\u2019t good, every time I pressed the clutch, my leg had to stretch out fully, my heel didn\u2019t touch the floor, and I ended up controlling the clutch mostly with my toes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After about three minutes of driving like this, I thought, \u201cNo, this is dangerous\u2014I won\u2019t be able to react quickly in an emergency.<\/strong>\u201d So I had my husband take over driving.<\/p>\n

We pulled over, and when he took the wheel, I noticed quite a few people on the street staring at my kimono-clad self. They probably never guessed this car was a manual transmission\u2026 lol. Then my husband said,<\/p>\n

\u201cNo good. I\u2019m wearing my dress shoes with pointed toes today, and when I press the clutch, the tip hits and it\u2019s really hard to drive smoothly. Driving shoes really do make a huge difference…<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

He said this with a knowing tone (laughs).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Better Not to Drive in a Kimono<\/h3>\n

After some research, I found that in some prefectures, driving a car while wearing traditional Japanese clothing can actually get you fined.<\/p>\n

\u30fbIn Fukui Prefecture, a monk driving in his robes was issued a traffic violation ticket.
\n\u30fbThe robes were ankle-length, causing both feet to be tightly together, and the sleeves were about 30 cm long, which could catch on the steering wheel or shift lever\u2014these were the reasons for the citation.
\n\u30fbTraffic regulations are set by each prefecture\u2019s own rules.
\n\uff0aSource: Kuruma Erabi.com \u201cIs it illegal to drive wearing furisode or montsuki hakama?\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Hyogo Prefecture, where we live, there are no specific rules about clothing for drivers, but I still think it\u2019s best to avoid driving a manual car in a kimono. The main reason is that you can\u2019t get into a proper driving position<\/strong>. It\u2019s not just about not being able to open your legs; the obi on your back is a bigger issue.<\/p>\n

Because of the obi, you can\u2019t sit firmly back in the seat, which means you can\u2019t assume a proper driving posture. That makes it dangerous because you can\u2019t react quickly in an emergency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Also, unrelated to the kimono, I was reminded once again of how important driving shoes are<\/strong>. Driving a manual really depends a lot on your footwear. Being able to fully depress the clutch, having a rounded heel, and feeling close to your own foot\u2019s natural movement are all crucial.<\/p>\n

You really don\u2019t know until you try\u2026 From now on, I think I\u2019ll avoid driving in a kimono.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u7740\u7269\u3092\u7740\u3066\u3001\u30de\u30cb\u30e5\u30a2\u30eb\u8eca\u3092\u904b\u8ee2\u3057\u3066\u307f\u305f\u611f\u60f3\u3092\u66f8\u3044\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u5f8c\u304b\u3089\u8abf\u3079\u305f\u3068\u3053\u308d\u3001\u9053\u8def\u4ea4\u901a\u6cd5\u9055\u53cd\u306b\u306a\u308b\u770c\u3082\u3042\u308b\u3088\u3046\u3067\u2026\u7740\u8863\u306e\u898f\u5b9a\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u3082\u3057\u3063\u304b\u308a\u8abf\u3079\u305f\u4e0a\u3067\u904b\u8ee2\u3059\u308b\u306e\u304c\u3044\u3044\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=15555"},"categories":[2],"tags":[203],"yoast_head":"What I Learned Driving a Manual Car Wearing a Kimono \u2013 Apparently, Traditional Clothing Can Be a Traffic Violation - \u30dd\u30eb\u30b7\u30a7\u304c\u308f\u304c\u5bb6\u306b\u3084\u3063\u3066\u304d\u305f - \u30aa\u30fc\u30ca\u30fc\u30ba\u30d6\u30ed\u30b0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A mother shares her experience driving a manual car while wearing a kimono for her daughters\u2019 Shichi-Go-San celebration. 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