Job Discussion Forums

[feisty-red]

I'm 5'7" and honestly, that's like an inch or 2 taller than most woman here if that. Many are my height. So I don't really think I'm that tall.

But...ladies (or gents) is this tall over there in Japan? As in I will have trouble finding clothes to fit? I wear anywhere from an 8-12 depending on who makes the clothes as I'm a bit on the curvy side. Are there clothes available for curvy girls? My other issue: can I find bras?

Also my shoe size is 9...from what I've read this borders on impossible to find shoes for in Japan. Anyone else in my boat my comments on this?

I'm asking this bc from what I've read I border on big/tall (I think so anyways.)

If it helps I will be living in Funabashi, Chiba. Which is close to Tokyo from what I can see from the train schedules.

Thanks much!!!

[J.]

but you are probably not going to have much of a selection in clothes. I'm 5"5'/ 165 cm and most everything is too short in the legs, too short in the crotch, the sleeves are too short, too narrow in the bust, shoulders and back. The sizes are cut extremely small here, so a large is like about a 10 I think, but narrower and shorter. I guess you might find some stretchy things to fit, maybe in places like uniqlo, but frankly, clothes are expensive and on shopping trips it can take a long time to find anything. Also the styles will be different, maybe good, maybe bad, depending on what you like. Hip hop is still pretty trendy here with young people but the clothes are pretty/very expensive. Bras are horrid! They are all padded and stiffly molded or totally covered with stiff lace. Very uncomfortable. I think you would be well advised to bring all your work clothes and some off-work outfits and extra bras. Then you can pick up some fun stuff here and there, as time and finances permit. You might want to keep in mind that nipple show-through is a no-no and get something that doesn't, at least for work.

With your colouring and height you are going to attract attention, so if you dress in "American" style clothes with your own sense of style, I'd say that will be a plus for you.

[kdynamic]

Bring your own bras! That's the hardest thing to find (unless you're an A or a B). Things are cut differently here because Japanese women have NO asses. So even if you find jeans or whatever that fit in the waist, they will not fit well because they are cut straight through the seat and will also be too short. Sleeve are pretty short too. I have just gotten used to my wrists poking out of my long sleeve shirts.

Shoes: you will be fine when it come to sneakers, but dress shoes and girly shoes usually only go up to a maximum of 25cm (I think a 9 is 26?).

That said, I have bought clothes in Japan like sweaters, skirts, shirts, etc. You will start to get a feel for what you can buy here and what you can't. I see this as a plus though because everything is really expensive here, and when I am not tempted to shop I save a lot of money

[Apsara]

You will find you are several inches taller than most Japanese women. I'm almost 5 foot 10 and tower over many. I also take a size 9 shoe (Japanese size 26) and as mentioned above, you can get sneakers at Nike for example or okay work shoes at a specialist shop like Ginza Washington but generally I stock up on shoes once a year when I go back to NZ.

If you don't mind Gap clothes you won't have any problems shopping there as they have a wide range of sizes, and there are plenty of them in the Tokyo area. I'm long in the legs and arms even for my height and even Gap stuff is too short for me, so I do most of my shopping at Zara and Benetton. Uniqlo sometimes has tops that fit although the sleeves are quite short.

With bras it's not only the size problem, it's the design- they tend to be very padded and covered in lace and frills, and even though I probably fit the bras here I prefer to either buy them online or back in NZ.

[HollyC]

Hi. I'm around 5'8 and I had a hard time finding clothes in Japan. I mostly shopped at either the Gap or at a European store called Zara. It's weird but the pants at Zara are too long for me. I always had to hem them up. For Uniqlo...I could buy some tank tops that fit nice of course, always large but some of the coats were too short in the arm length. the Gap is in american sizes and that's probably the only store that really fit me well. You could go to the higher end dept. stores but you'll be paying a lot of money. As for shoes, that store in Ginza called "washington" which is probably closer to you. I lived between Shibuya and Yokohama so I shopped at that same store in Yokohama. they have really good shoes and cute shoes. I wear size 9 as well so that's where I got all my shoes from. good for going out or working. I hope this helps. Good Luck.

[wintersweet]

We should start a club. I'm 5'9", size 11 wide shoes (not wide in European brands, though), and undoubtedly bigger overall than the rest of the women here. (Sigh.)

There have been several threads here on sources for larger clothes. One option is online catalogs such as LL Bean and Lands' End, both of which deliver to Japan and have good size ranges.

[feisty-red]

So happy to hear replies from you ladies! Thank you.

Gap is a store I have shopped at plenty here in the states as they are EVERYWHERE. Though much of what they have is classic and decent quality, their trendier stuff is just ick. But that means I could get work clothes there if their selection is like it is here.

So I can get sneakers there. Nice. And perhaps going out shoes too? Swell. I hear Japan has really cute shoes, I LOVE SHOES. And as I'm not graceful I have a knack for ruining them while dancing or getting trains. Oops.

As for clothes, my biggest problem is through the hips. In particular I have a bubble butt (think Jennifer Lopez or a black chick). I have a hard enough time here in the states buying pants that fit through the hips and the waist.

And for bras, yep, I'll have to stock up. Good to know.

So how is the shipping? Expensive? I was thinking LL Bean, Land's End and Victoria Secret by mail might good ways to stay clothed. I found a site of places that ship to Japan for free but they are UK stores. (Don't know about the sizing compared to what I am used to.)

[J.]

is not cheap from any place like L.L. Bean but what will really kill you is the import tax. There is actually an L.L. Bean order service (online in Japanese and by telephone in English) here and you can get the catalogues in Japanese but everything is at least twice the price it would be in the U.S. I would definitely not count on buying work clothes here. I've only been in the Gap shop in Osaka, but I never saw anything I would be able to wear to work, mostly casual clothes and really frilly trendy stuff. In general Japanese workplaces tend towards the conservative or classic, think black, navy or grey suit or pants and shirt, sweater etc. ( though colours are worn too.) Separates are fine as long as they're not too tight or bare. Of course if you teach kids classes where you get down on the floor, you can go a bit more casual, maybe something stretchy. I don't think many places allow blue jeans but sometimes coloured jeans are okay, especially if you match them up with a nice top,or maybe a jacket.

There are also L.L. Bean stores all over but mostly they carry only Japanese, ie small sizes, called "Japan fit". The catalogue has a selection of American sizes. There ARE some mail order places online in Japanese, if you can get some help in ordering, that carry larger sizes, called LL here. They have trendy/classic Japanese styles, and you can pay by COD at your door. One of the advantages here is that you can get almost anything, including food, books, or clothes sent to your door and you pay the delivery person, very convenient.

[Apsara]

I also meant to post earlier to say don't order leather shoes online- they attract an import duty of 40%- I found that out the exoensive way!

[virgin]

damn that body is bangin'

[HollyC]

I used to buy basic blouses at the GAP and then pair them up with a cute sweater or something as the GAP in Japan is not really all that. Like someone previously wrote that Japan is on the conservative side. As for going out clothing...I either wore something I took over from the US or...I ordered from Victoria Secret. They did ship to Japan but it was a bit on the expensive side but what are you gonna do if you cant find clothing your size and something that's for going out. I did order a pair of cute sneakers from Victoria's..but I had to pay like 25$ tax on them. I didnt understand why. You can buy sneakers in Japan..although finding women's size 9-9 1/2 was difficult so....I wore men's shoes. hahah. That's always an option. I would just say to bring stuff from home if you can. I would always buy tons when I went home for holiday. Good Luck