History of Japan
Following the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese ruling class sought to tame the commoners so Europeans might not think they were little more than savages with a bone in their nose. Public nudity and urination were banned in the bigger cities, where foreigners were most likely to visit, and various backward, barbaric, and disgusting religious rituals were outlawed. The upper class took to wearing Western clothing. For the commoners, traditional garb continued to be the norm.