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jhough37

jhough37

soon to be in Isesaki!
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Okay here's a question for ya,

I am moving to Japan in about two months for at least a year. I am trying to make decisions about clothing to take. I know I am going to need business attire for work, and I feel pretty confident about the amount I have to take with me, but just casual clothing is what I am curious about. Should I bring a bunch of tee-shirts? What about jeans? Shorts? Shoes? Which leads into the second part of my question. I'm a big guy, about 6'4" and 280lbs, size 13 wide shoes. I have some trouble finding clothing that fits me here in the states and I imagine that it would only be more difficult in Japan. Any suggestions on finding larger size clothes while I am there? I have been told that as far as the business suits and such go, to travel to either Korea or Thailand and contact tailors there for cheap, tailored suits so that isn't a major concern, I am just worried that should something bizarre happen to my clothes, it will be tough to find anything quickly.
 
First of all, congrats on your upcoming stay in Japan. 8-) Hmm... yeah, you would definitely have trouble finding anything off-the-rack at least (and that goes for the shoes too). Tailoring in Japan is VERY expensive if you want to get it professionally done and you are probably better off buying a new article or outfit as it may cost the same or even less, heh. I have seen on occasion, certain dept. stores will carry a "Big and Tall" section (for lack of a better desc.). They usually have lots of casual attire in 3-5XL size (I have even seen some suits sold at some Daiei stores in that range). Truth be told, your best bet if you are just concerned about casual clothes is to buy what you need now (or anticipate), take as much as you can with you when you go, and when the need arises, have friends or family ship you the articles you need via freight. Takes a while but in terms of cost, is probably your best bet.
 
There is a 'Big Man's' store in in Ameyoko in Ueno (Tokyo) that I know of.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the quick replies. What kind of casual clothing should I look at bringing? A friend who spent time in Japan said he almost never wore jeans, usually kahki's or something else, and that he wished he would have brought more polo shirts and stuff. I mostly wear tee-shirts and jeans casually, but should I look at picking up some more polo's or "golf" shirts or things like that?
 
Depends on where you're planning on staying (not only living but also in the event you get to travel around a bit). Summers can get awfully hot and Nagoya was certainly humid (moreso than I remember back home, heh). Almost everywhere you go indoors will have AC of some sort though so if you plan on being outside a lot I think a couple (no more than three maybe) pairs of jeans for Spring and Fall, one or two pairs of Khakis for summertime, and then if you're like me... shorts for the entire summer duration, heh. Staying casual is a good rule of thumb too when you travel around because a man of your size on a densely packed train or subway for instance might start to sweat a bit so you want to go light and stay away from layers. I'm starting to sound like one of those Queer Eye guys...
 
I'm not sure about the U.S., but in comparison to Australia (where I live) what's considered casual in Japan is a little more formal, or maybe fashion conscious is more accurate of a term. You might feel a little underdressed if you wore the kind of 'casual' things in Japan that are considerd normal here.
 
Excellent, that is the type of information I was looking for, Index. I have noticed the J-kids I see around the university here usually are dressed a bit more formal when they are "casual".

As far as densly packed transportation and sweating goes that really shouldn't be that big of a problem. I don't really have a sweating problem and we get some pretty warm weather where I am from so I am somewhat used to it. 😎
 
Also, if you're going to wear a T-Shirt, you know those kind of shirts that have silly english phrases on them? I've heard they are popular in Japan. Probably any phrase would do except maybe explict or vulgar ones, I guess.
 
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