Job Discussion Forums

madeira · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 182 Location: Oppama

I'm going to disagree about cotton, at least in the winter. It holds moisture and you'll freeze.

Wool, cashmere, silk for winter. Heck, even synthetics are OK, although cashmere is pretty cheap these days... and Japanese sweaters should fit you. Muji usually has cute ones.

Your employer will probably give you an ironing board, but mine was tiny and square. I never got used to ironing stuff while kneeling... so I bought stuff that doesn't require much.

seastarr · Joined: 22 Sep 2006 Posts: 76

In areas that aren't Tokyo or Osaka, shoes go up to a US size 8.5, or 25 cm. Sneakers are easier to find in bigger sizes. Dress shoes are really hard to find. I lived in Kyushu and the only store that I ever found with bigger shoes was Zara in Fukuoka. There is also a Birkenstock store there with bigger sizes. The only store I really shopped in while I was in Japan was the Gap. They go up to a large top and an US 10 bottom. There are some exceptions to the small sizes, but you have to look pretty hard and try on lots of stuff. Uniqlo was alright, but the pants were quite short. I would reccomend bringing enough stuff to get you by for a few months at least. I waited untill I went to Malaysia to buy shoes, they have up to a 10 there. If you have any other questions about what to bring, let me know, I am a big shopper and really checked out what was available when I was there.