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Home - Question Forum
need a suit for a funeral
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Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question,
please post it. Thank you!

need a suit for a funeral 2009/6/2
Tokyo 23-ku
my girlfriend's grandfather passed away yesterday so the funeral will be on next friday. My girlfriend would like me to attend the funeral but i don't have any black suit and I cannot afford to buy one at the moment.
do you know of any place where i can rent a complete set in tokyo and how much it costs?

i would appreciate a fast answer since i only have a few days before the funeral.

thank you very much.

by beto (guest)  

. 2009/6/3
Do you have a friend with a similar height and build that you could borrow one from? I can't think of suit rentals, and I'm sure you do not want a tuxedo, so if possible, maybe borrow some money from the gf or her family, though a friend would be better (of course pay it back as soon as you can) and try Muji, where you could get an affordable suit
by Kazuyuki78 rate this post as useful

. 2009/6/3
Sorry to post again, and also to not ultimately answer your question, but I just remembered a store called Yuzawaya. There are many locations in Tokyo, ask your girlfriend for help locating one. Also, you would be able to buy a white shirt and black tie at Daiso or any large 100 yen store. So maybe Muji or Yuzawaya for the suit, and 100 yen store for the shirt and tie
by Kazuyuki78 rate this post as useful

suits 2009/6/3
Suits are not that expensive in Japan, and your basic black suit can be found at any of the chain suit stores. Aoyama or The Suit often have them for 10,000-20,000 yen. Shirts can be had for 1000+ yen, and Daiso as the previous poster mentioned is a great place to pick up a black tie.

I'm not sure you'll be able to find suit rentals, I was only able to find them for weddings, and the ones I saw were very expensive.

But you'd better head out today because they will take at least a day to tailor the suit.

by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Funeral suit 2009/6/3
Beto,

I would second the suggestion to head for one of the cheap suit chains like Aoyama. I don't recall ever seeing suits at Mujirushi, and their clothes are always twice as expensive as elsewhere, so I'd skip that suggestion, if I were you. Note also that, despite popular opinion, you don't need to get one of those formal mourning suits that all the Japanese like to wear. A regular (plain) black suit is just fine, which means you can get value for money out of it by using it at occasions other than just funerals and weddings.

by Dave in Saitama (guest) rate this post as useful

options 2009/6/3
Beto, if you are young, say in your early twenties or younger, any proper-looking non-flashy attire like these would do.
http://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4548718155774
http://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4548718157563

But if you're a bit older, this will be a good opportunity for you to spend your money on a proper black suit. I think a lot of the larger shops sell them ready-made or they can adjust the size pretty quickly. Give them a call.
http://www.aoki-style.com/item/category/formal.html

by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

thanks a lot! 2009/6/3
Very good sugestions, everyone. If I had known suits were not that expensive I would have definitely bought one, but now I only have tomorrow to do so and I don't think it's going to be ready. I should have gone to take a look before :/
Anyway, the last suggestion should work because I'm in my twenties and it's really cheap.

By the way, I don't even know if I'm going yet. I have only six months with my girlfriend and I'm not that close to her family yet. Since this is a family affair, she told me she was going to ask her father if it was ok for me to go. I asked her yesterday and she avoided the question. She hasn't said anything yet so I think her father didn't agree very much hehe

But that's ok with me. I understand it's family business so I might as well stay out of this for now.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions!

by beto (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/6/4
Mujirushi Ryohin does sell plain suits, suitable for job interviews, funerals as well. Certainly the larger store in Yurakucho would have them. I know the funeral is fast approaching, so just keep in mind that you don't have to spend a lot, just make sure the suit is black (or dark, dark grey) and the tie is black.
by Kazuyuki78 rate this post as useful

muji 2009/6/4
I think there is a big difference between the options available at Muji and a proper suit. The latter will probably serve you much better in the long run for around the same price.

So I'd check out the suit shop options first, as it is only a few thousand yen more, and they may be able to tailor it in time. Even if they can't tailor in time, neither can Muji, so you can always keep that as a backup.

Also, your gf's grandfather's funeral is a time to be as formal as possible. All the men will be in proper black suits and you wouldn't want any reason to stand out more than you already do just by attending.

BTW, I'd confirm that you're even going first. As you metioned, check with the family, and make sure its ok with them and not just your gf. Also, are you aware of the procedures for a Japanese funeral. The family sits up front seperated by gender, so likely you will be sitting alone with the regular attendees and will not be with your gf during the service. Make sure you are briefed on what to expect as it is very different from a western funeral, and could be quite an uncomfortable experience to go in unprepared.

See these pages for more info:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2060.html
http://tanutech.com/japan/jfunerals.html

by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

On a related note... 2009/6/4
actually, you should (have) go(ne) to the wake. It's much more casual than the funeral.
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

thanks again 2009/6/7
In the end I managed to borrow a suit from a friend, I was incredibly lucky. The family was ok about me going to the funeral.

I thank you for your time to help me with the clothes and show me the ethic codes in a Japanese funeral. It was very different indeed. Your links helped a lot because my girlfriend didn't explain a thing to me.

Anyway, I'm very glad with the results. Actually, before that, my girlfriend had asked me to write a message for her grandfather in the back of a picture of us. She wanted to put it inside the coffin with the ashes of her grandfather . I put so much effort into that message as I was trying to use really polite japanese and say some good words (it took me hours). My girlfriend was impressed with my words and was very thankful. I thought that was about it, but then, the message was read in public during the funeral and everyone was astonished to see that a gaijin could actually write good things in japanese. After that many family members wanted to meet "the gaijin boyfriend".
I'm happy because I think I left a good impression and this could be the beginning of a good relationship with my gf's family.

well, just a story I wanted to share with you guys.

thank you again!

by beto (guest) rate this post as useful

Thanks 2009/6/8
What a nice story! Thank you for sharing your cozy corner on such a gloomy-weather day like this.
by Uco in Yokohama (guest) rate this post as useful

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