Many women wore "Happi" coats (robes that reach ... would be difficult to open up that part of the festival to women due to the physical aspect. Japan's government last year said it would push ...

Sources said prefectural government officials also observed festival participants repeatedly hitting the horses with traditional “happi” coats or ropes. Although such behavior “cannot be ...

Instead, many wear "happi coats"—long ... gender barriers but also preserving tradition. Another naked festival in Japan at Kokuseki Temple in the north announced that this would be its last.