Company tells me I shouldn’t wear hats?

Uco, I meant are you saying my joshi was weird for not also asking what I'm wearing on my private time? I can't believe there would be companies that demand to know that. I mean, what difference would it make to know that an employee wears, say, gothic, or オラオラ系 when he or she is not at work...?

Uco, I meant are you saying my joshi was weird for not also asking what I'm wearing on my private time?

No, I meant that your joshi was weird for separating your commuting time from your private time, unless you're wearing a badge or uniform and the joshi meant "think very carefully what you wear with your badge/uniform". How would people on the train know whether you're on your way to work or you're on your way to enjoy your day off? That's what I meant.

By the way, your joshi never "asked" you to do anything. The joshi merely made a casual suggestion to a newcomer at lunch time based on his/her personal opinion. So if I were you, I'd say "Thank you for your suggestion." and then go over my contract and whatever rule book I had been handed as an employee, and if it doesn't say anything about hats I would just wear them.

No, I meant that your joshi was weird for separating your commuting time from your private time, unless you're wearing a badge or uniform and the joshi meant "think very carefully what you wear with your badge/uniform". How would people on the train know whether you're on your way to work or you're on your way to enjoy your day off? That's what I meant.

OK, now I see what you mean. Well, I thought it was strange too, since I never wear my badge and have not been required to so far. As you say, nobody would know where I work unless they follow me to right in front of the building. As another poster said above, it might just be that joshi who just wants to to conform along with everyone else, because "nobody wears hats in our company/industry".

By the way, your joshi never "asked" you to do anything. The joshi merely made a casual suggestion to a newcomer at lunch time based on his/her personal opinion. So if I were you, I'd say "Thank you for your suggestion." and then go over my contract and whatever rule book I had been handed as an employee, and if it doesn't say anything about hats I would just wear them.

That's true, but since this is Japan, I rarely take things at face value and try to read between the line if someone at work "suggests" something to me,\. I interpret it as them being their Japanese self, i.e., saying things in a very roundabout way and expecting that I just "read the air" and get the hint. So my interpretation of the joshi's words was that I may not under any circumstances try to be different by wearing a hat, or else it's going to have repercussions in some way, shapre or form.

That's true, but since this is Japan, I rarely take things at face value and try to read between the line if someone at work "suggests" something to me,

I think it's difficult for Japanese people to understand this because they just "know" the difference between a personal comment or opinion, and someone actually pointing out something we are doing wrong or need to do differently but couched in an indirect way. For those of us non-Japanese who have been living in Japan for some time, we can get so hyper-sensitive about these things that it can be really stressful!

I remember when I first came to Japan I happily took a compliment at face value about my shirt being "nice"... looking back, I was clueless about the nuance that it was actually a little too low-cut to be appropriate at work! But once I realized that, EVERY compliment became cause for concern and was carefully examined just in case I was doing something wrong, even the ones that were actual compliments. After a coworker complimented a skirt of mine on the colors one day, I didn't wear it again because I figured it was too bright for work. That same coworker almost a year later asked me "why I never wear that pretty skirt anymore". "Because I thought you were trying to tell me something!" I said in frustration. Ahhh, I still can't always tell the difference!

Anyway, I guess maybe Uco's point is that it may just be that particular coworker's opinion about hats, and not the company's at all. But for us, it's often so hard to tell the difference!

Even though I'm Japanese I sometimes do double check what exactly the person means like "do you think I should do it like this?" or simply by summarizing wha the person said. I wonder why you guys don't do it.

"it may just be that particular coworker's opinion about hats, and not the company's at all."
YES. that is CLEAR.
by what reason you concluded ?
if your joshi wants to tell the "order", which is NOT related to the business (like this case), it must be done in secret, privately. (not be told in the presence of other coworkers.)
what the joshi told in this case, is his "kind advise". not his opinion.
of course, you can deny his advise. then, you have a risk that you will lose his future advises to live comfortably in the company and Japan.

in this case, one of clever and elegant ways is that you told him "YES, you are right. and I will do that."
now, it is spring. still there is a lot of time to become hot. you can CHANGE your mind at that time.
I think you have a tendency to want to overcome others by any kind of ways, if others say the opposite opinions. that will diminish your potential ability. you will be recognized as 面倒くさいやつ. and you will lose "real friends" of Japanese.

Well, like the other guest says "we" Japanese don't really know "the difference between a personal comment or opinion, and someone actually pointing out something we are doing wrong or need to do differently but couched in an indirect way." I would even compliment Japanese friends and end up having them get the wrong idea that I criticized, and vice versa.

And that is precisely why we have phrases like "Thank you for your suggestion." And it's really up to the individual to judge if it was meant for good purpose or not (by going through contracts and such). I think these things are universal to a certain extent. Japan is not as special as you'd think.

I don't know how many "Thanks" I told my senpais/joshis when I was a company employee, and I gladly ignored most of them, often by confirming with other colleagues. I mean, hey, this is a free country. Let the joshi express his/her opinion! And let them be wrong or weird or whatever. It's not wrong to be wrong or weird or whatever either. By the way, no one gives out "orders" during lunch time. That's one of the best things about lunch time!

Does your company consider legally your commuting time as a working time (as some European countries have started it)? If so, then you had better follow the company's rule.

Recently, I brought my children to see the pediatrician in Tokyo and was very surprised to see a girl at the reception desk with a Emo-Lolita-mixed style outfit with an arrogant face (no nurse uniform). My children went to the reception, she just ignored. Also, my colleague in the office uses textile-bottomed cheap hotel slippers (even hotel name is written in Kanji). Now I am seeing more and more paradoxical things here in Japan.

When entering the house (room) as well as the company, there was an era of common sense to take off the hat.
However, if I wear a hat to hide my bed head, I do not want to take off if possible.
People who are faithful to old customs may feel uncomfortable for those wearing hats in the room.
I worked in an office, of course, at the office, I was taking off my hat both at work and in the cafeteria. (Because I often wore a suit, the opportunity to wear a hat was small)
If you are wearing a warehouse or working at a factory and wearing a hat at work, you may not need to take off your hat.
However, I think that it is better not to wear a hat if it is a job to deal with customers.

Uco - I apologize for my presumptivenss.

And also, just in case you were wondering, I'm not a woman. So I don't really plan on using an umbrella or parasol. For that matter, I've never seen any men do this.

Well you've probably never seen any other employees of your company wearing hats either. So you're willing to conform to gender norms but not the norms of your company. Just do as you please then.

A couple of years ago I would've readily agreed with you but after 8 years in Japan I'm definitely on the side of your superior. If I saw a guy wearing sunglasses and/or a hat with his suit it would instantly impact my opinion of his company. 「〇〇会社はこんな方を雇ってるね」

I know it's troublesome to you as an individual but this is the kind of society we live in.
Appearances are important.

S King, you misunderstood the question.

Can you wear casual clothes on your commute to work, then change into your suit once you arrive at work? A lot of people do that at my workplace, especially in summer. Maybe that would avoid the problem of misrepresenting the company.