Comments on summer clothing in Japan

Hi all,

Before we left for Japan, I had lots of questions about clothing in Japan, and thought I'd share my observations now that we're back.

We visited Kyoto, Nara, Koyasan, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Tokyo. I will say that it was **VERY** **VERY** hot and muggy. Due to the energy crisis, the Japanese do not air condition to the extent that most places in the US do.

Those who said we wouldn't "blend in" were absolutely right, especially since one of my daughters is blond, and the other a redhead. Both my husband and I are overweight and that was also a "not fitting in" thing.

For some reason I don't understand, even in the heat, many Japanese women wore tights in addition to shorts or skirts. There were some younger men (teens, 20s) wearing shorts, but not older men. Many Japanese women wore heels--I still wore comfortable flats everywhere.

My husband wore khaki dockers and polo shirts everywhere and was always appropriately attired.

I had brought both sundresses and capris, and I found the sundresses were more appropriate wear. For one, they were cooler, and for two, they are a bit dressier, which was appropriate, even in the heat. My teenaged daughter also wore sundresses most days. My dresses were knee length or slightly below; hers were shorter, which makes sense given our respective ages.

My older daughter wore cargo pants and oversized t-shirts most days, which was more casual than any of the Japanese women or men I saw.

No matter how appropriate it might have been, tights and/or arm coverings were out of the question for me in the 95 (F) heat with 85-90% humidity.

The heat really was overwhelming for us, especially the first week when most of our sightseeing was outside and the heat and humidity were extreme. We took cold showers every evening so we could sleep.

Japanese business women still wear tights because it's seen as proper. The arm coverings are actually to protect the skin from sun exposure. They tend to use a physical block from the sun rather than just sunblock.

And by the way, most places in the world do not use AC to the extent us in the States use it. It's a lot greener.

In the muggy summer heat I actually found it more comfortable to wear tights with my dresses, as I then I didn't have problems with sticky legs!