Japanese Women Ascend to Top Tier of Floats
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When five teenage girls take their places to play bells aboard the parade floats in the Gion Festival in Kyoto, Japan, next week, they will be the first to do so in 300 years.
Since the 18th century, the upper deck of the floats, considered a sacred stage for court musicians, has been off limits to women.
“Times have changed,” said Shigeru Fukami, head of the organizing association. “We can no longer find a convincing reason to keep rejecting women from participating.”
Japan’s indigenous Shinto religion holds that women are impure and must be kept clear of land considered sacred.
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