Dress Properly for Men in Japan University

Hi! I have never been to Japan before. I am 23 years old.

I have just been enrolled in a University as an Engineering Master Student under a young Professor (around 35 - 45 years old i presume).

I have a few questions regarding "dressing etiquette" in laboratory and daily life (by which i mean in class, laboratory discussion, etc.).


1. Is it considered "uncommon" or "too catchy" if i use formal shirts and trousers? i mean single color basic long sleeve shirts tucked in basic trousers with belt.
I am too anxious if this is considered as an inappropriate to most of my colleague.

(ps: I am an in-office-working man, i feel most comfortable in this kind of clothing, in fact they filled 85% of my cupboard)

2. You might say that i am a little bit old-fashioned, but i like to wear simple black shoes/loafers (dress shoes) type to work. I feel comfortable in them (for indoor and walking around the city".

Will this be inappropriate too? (ps: i only have one, yes just one sneaker, and it doesnt go really well with my clothing style lol).


Apart from my "customs" from my working days, i grew fond of that style of clothing, hence made me unconfident if i use simple t-shirts or sneakers. So please give me advice.

Thank you so much!

Don't fret over your clothing !

The clothing you describe is obviously what was appropriate for your office job. If you feel comfortable in that, wear it, but don't be surprised to see a lot of the students wearing more casual clothes. Maybe you can, over time, mix the more office like clothing with some pieces that have a more casual look. A pair of jeans with a plain colored collared shirt looks fine. As summer approaches then wear a short sleeved top. As for your shoes, whatever is comfortable to move around in. Lots of young people wear sport style shoes, Adidas, Nike, etc. Look on the website at some of the University pages, and you will see a big variety of clothing on the youth in the photos.

Good Luck with your studies, you have a wonderful opportunity.

I'm a university professor. All lab people here at my university, including us professors, wear casual clothes under lab coats. There's nothing wrong with dressing up a bit, but, in general, the attire is quite casual. Of course, if you expect to go somewhere directly from work, or if you have guests or a meeting, it's good to have a nice blazer handy to toss on. That's at my school and at other universities that I regularly visit.

Hi! Thank you so much for your kind answers! I do really appreciate them, thank you!


To LoveJapan :
Thank you! Yes, i am just too anxious that it would be considered too much or overdressed haha. I guess i am gonna wear them anyway, because i dont have others lol, apart that i am very comfortable in them.

I get anxiety over this kind of thing because i see from some photos that most of the students there only wear simple t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers (sometimes flip flops).



To University :
Thank you! So formal attire is okay for daily life and classes? Very well, i am so relieved.

Yes i agree with you, Sir! A blazer or a jacket would be good for some events

It doesn't have to be T-shirts and jeans. Simply wearing buttoned down cotton shirts without ties along with cotton chino pants will make you fit in perfectly. Not that you must fit in.