Embarrassing fashion faux pas has these players dressed in the same way that Japanese people dress dead bodies.

It’s been less than a week since the Rugby World Cup kicked off in Japan on 20 September, and since then, we’ve witnessed sweet victories and bitter losses, as national teams and their fans travel the country to compete for the 2019 trophy.

With a total of 20 teams going head-to-head in the tournament, locals in Japan have come out to show their support for visiting nations as they play at stadiums in rural towns, and one of the teams who recently received a warm welcome was Canada, who arrived in Fukuoka, Kyushu last week.

The team was spotted in a relaxed mood ahead of their 26 September match against Italy at Hakatanomori Stadium, shown here in a video that was shared widely on the official World Cup Twitter account. The video melted hearts around the globe as team members hopped off the bus one by one, dressed in yukata summer kimono.

With tenugui cloths wrapped around their foreheads, obi sashes slung around their waists, and traditional geta sandals on their feet, the team were enthusiastically getting into the local spirit and locals loved it, with one onlooker even stepping in to help one of the larger players with his footwear.

Take a look at the video below:

▼ The moment a rugby player gets an assist from the sidelines with his footwear.

People fell in love with the team and their excited salute to their host country, and while Japanese viewers were happy to see the men step out in their traditional garments, they couldn’t help but notice one thing: they were dressed like the dead.

In Japan, it’s important to be aware that there are two ways to wrap a yukata around your body. The correct method is to wrap the right side of the yukata towards your left hip first, and then wrap the left side over the right. Wrapping the yukata the opposite way — right over left, as these rugby players have done — is reserved only for the dead, when their bodies are prepared before the funeral.

▼ Remember: Left over right.

If people really wanted to get picky, though, this was just one of a number of fashion faux pas that would have traditionalists turning over in their graves, as you’re not really meant to flash your thighs in the robe and have your big toe sticking out of your footwear.

Still, the team’s friendly enthusiasm won everyone over that day, as people in Japan were touched by the players’ desire to immerse themselves in Japanese culture. After all, as we’ve discovered before, Japanese people love it when foreigners wear kimono.

Source: Japaaan
Featured image: Twitter/@RugbyWorldCupFR
Insert images: Twitter/@RugbyWorldCupFR, Pakutaso
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