Clothes
It'll be REALLY hot when you arrive,
so only bring summer clothes with you initially.
You will need a couple of dressy outfits for the Tokyo orientation, but I recommend you bring no more than 2 outfits. Your suitcase space will be limited and you don't need a lot of really dressy clothes once you are done at Tokyo. At the office it's acceptable to wear cotton pants and skirts and a nice shirt. Schools have no air conditioning, so bring light, breatheable clothing. Also bring a bathing suit, as there are many pools open in the summer, there are beaches in eastern Aichi and swimmable rivers in the mountains!
Have someone mail all of your winter clothing to you later, cause you won't need it until around late October or early November. (For those of you from balmier climes, buy winter clothing to be shipped to you before you leave. You WILL need sweaters, long underwear, thick socks and heavy shirts, pants, skirts and tights as there is no indoor heating or insulation. I'm from Montreal, Canada and I was cold!)
Now, you may have heard that you can or can't wear shorts, tank tops, track suits, etc... To this I'd say talk to your predecessor, he or she will know the taboos and allowances at your workplace(s). If you can't talk to them for some reason, or they're a different sex or style from you, I'd say err on the conservative side. From what I've heard, most school's are pretty comfortable with you wearing khakis and a nice, light shirt in the summer. Skirts or dresses that aren't shorter than mid-calf, tops that aren't skin tight or too revealing, tank tops that cover your shoulders a little - these are pretty much all ok. Classes won't be in session when you arrive, so things are a little more laid back anyhow.
And remember, you can always send stuff to yourself NOW! Seamail takes 2 months from North America (sorry, I don't know how long it takes from other places, but ask you local post office), so if you send a package before you go you should get it by the first week or so of September, when school starts.
GALS!!
If you are, er, amply proportioned up top you should bring your undergarments with you. Bras don't tend to get any bigger than a B-cup and all are heavily padded.
They do have ones labelled C-cup and larger, but this means that they make you look this size, not that they are meant for those who ARE that size!
Shoes, glorious shoes.....
It can be somewhat difficult to get shoes in Japan if you have big feet. In fact, it's pretty near impossible. Women's shoes go up to about an American size 8 and men's shoes go up to about an American size 10. If your feet are bigger than that, you will not be able to buy shoes easily and will probably have to have them sent from home or mail ordered.
Note: They add a 30% duty fee onto any new leather shoes coming into the country.
The other problem with the shoes is that they may not be anything that you would want to wear once you returned home. Platforms, sequins, open-toed spiked heels with feathers at the tips...sigh!
The key words you should remember when choosing what shoes to bring with you are
slip-ons, slip-ons, slip-ons!!!
Japanese people take off their shoes ALL THE TIME! You may not yet be able to imagine how frustrating and embarassing it can get to be wiggling and hopping around on one foot in someone's foyer, or in the school visitor's entrance in front of your principal and supervisor, as you try to wrestle on your lace-up shoes. VERY. You are big and Japanese entranceways are little. You just can't look bright in this situation. So, choose wisely.....
Initially you should probably bring:
- one comfortable pair of sandals or slippers that you can wear as your school shoes (these should definitely be slip-ons) I have Birkenstocks and they are great for school. You school shoes are not supposed to be worn outdoors, so they should look clean and new even if you've had them awhile. You can buy slippers everywhere here, but be aware that there are few bigger than a men's US-size 10.
- one comfortable pair of dress shoes (again, slip-ons. CAN I stress this enough?)
- one pair of running shoes. You will probably want 2 pair ultimately, one for indoors, like in the gym and around school, and one for outdoors. Running shoes are generally pretty easy to find, they tend to be bigger, plus girls with bigger feet can buy guys shoes. They have all the major namebrands. Guys with bigger than US-size 10, bring 'em or ship 'em.
- one pair of comfortable everyday shoes for outside.