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not at all! 2006/10/19 03:47
5'9? No way. I am 6'2 and was usually the tallest person around by maybe half a foot. At 5'9 you'll fit right in.
by Mike rate this post as useful

wow 2006/10/21 01:17
i had the same question. (very popular question). Because I'm 5'7 and i'm female. So I was sure that I would get stares'n stuff. But I feel much better.

i would just get stares from some girls. lol!

Ganbare yo minna-san!!
by nihon-jin ja nai rate this post as useful

I have a similar question 2006/10/21 02:00
I'm a very big-boned African American girl 5'6 tall... so like 166cm? I don't know. I forgot.

Will I feel out of place? Will I be seen as unapproachable? I don't want to be lonely while I'm studying/working in Japan!

I'm not fat, but big on top. I have muscles. I work out. I run. I just can't help my genetics y'know. So how do you think I will be welcomed?

I am shy and nice. I hope I can meet some people.
by Big & Shy rate this post as useful

tall?? 2006/10/22 00:35
how about being 2 mertres tall?? im guessing ill tower over most people, seeing as i look over everyones heads anyway
by Kratos Kashim rate this post as useful

- 2006/10/22 00:57
people, you will be the centre of attention many times because you are a foreigner.......fat/thin, tall/short, black/white, does not matter.

and then it depends on how you deal with it that will make it positive or negative and each situation requests another approach, just go with the flow and get over it.

this doesnt only go for japan but almost all countries.
by Ja rate this post as useful

Yes, they stick out no matter what 2006/10/22 01:05
but you can't deny(even how great your personality and confidence is) that certain characteristics will make you stick out MORE for the good or the bad.

Just like everywhere else.
by Foreign sticks out no matter what rate this post as useful

Michael Jordan size in Japan 2006/11/27 10:41
I'm a 24 yrs old 198cm (6'6") guy. Especially in my home country I don't consider that as extremely tall. About the 2 times I visited Japan I can tell you this:

Yes, I generally get a lot of stares, but although the initial reaction by Japanese is usually amazement at my height, I get treated just as any other person would. I have never gotten any negative remarks. Usually, both children and older people react very positively and interested, sometimes with a sense of admiration. Especially with children you can become quite popular. My host families treated me really nice and perfectly normal in a way that being at home with them made me totally forget the whole height thing.

When I visited a local high school I got harassed by girls who wanted to know if I had a girlfriend etc. as if I was in a boy band. Kind of a strange situation, but I sure got a lot more attention than my slightly lesser tall friends, which resulted in quite some envious reactions :) It seems young people there associate height with being a model, so being tall in Japan is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sure, walking around in very crowded places or entering a train packed with people (mind your head) is a sure way to make you stand out even more, so you have to be able to handle being looked at and getting the same question over and over again (though plenty of people also seem uninterested). If you're able to cope with that, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to function normally as a tall person in Japan.

And don't forget there are other tall foreigners in Japan, as well as tall Japanese, although much more rare! A famous example is 193cm or 6'4" model Megumi Kawamura. I also spotted what seemed like a Japanese basketball team at the airport, with plenty of guys around my height.

So I'm 6'6", I've been to Japan, survived, and though the answer is yes, I felt tall, I actually enjoyed my time over there enough to make me wanna go back next summer. My host family already urged me to pay them a visit too, and I got quite some friends there I agreed to meet again.

Good luck & I hope this helps anybody who feels 'too tall' for Japan.
by Delta rate this post as useful

Thank's Delta 2006/11/27 10:52
Your post makes me feel a lot better, as I'm around your height and I'll be moving to Japan next year.

I have one more question though: Will I be able to buy any clothes (that fit) there?

I'm 195cm tall and I weigh 115 kg. I'm not fat, but I'm quite a stocky looking guy. Will I have to resort to short and shirts that weren't designed to be skin tight?
by Mikaveli rate this post as useful

Reply 2006/11/27 11:21
I'm build pretty light-weight for 198cm though I'm not extremely skinny either. My longest stay in Japan was 1 1/2 month so I never had real need to buy new clothes over there. I once bought a souvenir shirt 'XL' though and it's way too big for me. I guess if you look hard enough you may be able to find wearable shirts and perhaps shorts. (I actually found a store for big men in Kobe). They have some hiphop stores as well with these huge shirts, I guess they'll fit anyone.

Still, I know guys shorter than me who couldn't fit any shoes in Japan. I found slippers that I kind of fitted (I broke my own pair). But if I'd stayed longer I would probably have had some send over from my home country.

I have a 6'7'' friend weighing probably around 100kg who will be going to Japan for a few months next year though, and in his case I would make sure you bring plenty of clothes to last for a while.

So I can't say I have too much experience with buying clothes there, and though you occasionally might find some clothes that fit, I guess you should be prepared for the worst. At least when you are going to stay for a longer while.
by Delta rate this post as useful

Tall 2006/12/2 05:31
You will stick out anyway, if you don't look Japanese.
Don't let it bother you, most people are very friendly. Take care in the clothes and shoes you take with you, shopping may be difficult and you won't want to waist too much time on it!
by Karine Van Nyen rate this post as useful

not a big deal 2006/12/7 08:41
trust me you won't feel out of place. I did but I feel out of place everywhere. Im about 6'10" or about 208 centimeters. Going to japan wasn't as difficult as i thought. When I was 14, I was about 6'2 or 6'3" I didnt think I would grow anymore because of my parents average height of 6'1" and 5'3". (Although I have a 6'5" grandfather). I was suprised to encounter so many tall young japanese men. I saw a few guys about 6'7" and plenty of 6'4"s. You will feel small if anything and height doesn't matter anyways so who cares.
by jay rate this post as useful

Hmm.. 2007/2/20 19:14
Well, I've been to Japan once.. I'm 6'4, gay guy generally attracted to taller guys and a japanese gay guy taller than 6'4 would be a dream, I think. I didn't even think they exsisted. I saw maybe 3 guys taller than me but I didn't get much of a chance to go Tokyo hopping anyway. The gay population would be the question in my case.. I went with my couisn, a friend and my grandma so I wasn't out wandering for my interest.
by Michael rate this post as useful

height 2007/4/20 09:43
I am about 170, so i think i might feel quite small. I hope to go there this or next year's summer.
by Bulat rate this post as useful

I think I'll feel too tall too 2007/4/21 20:42
I'm 1,65cm which isn't that tall here, but in Japan?! -_-. I think the guys don't have to worry at all, though. Most girls like tall men - same in Japan. Sadly the other way round it's just the same, most men only like small girls...
by Mikki rate this post as useful

... 2007/4/25 23:50
Height? you're not serious.
Being asian doesn't go hand in hand with being short...
Maybe in the fifties american movies...
My hypothetical answer is this:
no, you're not going to stick out unless you're a complete jerk to people. isn't that how it works everywhere?
by Ryan rate this post as useful

>.> 2007/5/3 05:49
I'm around 6ft, 14 years of age.

I'm shorter than most of my friends in school.

The tallest guy in our year is about 7ft2. and he's also 14, theres also about 7ft person who's just turned 15 in jan.
by Ry rate this post as useful

Tall Japanese people 2007/5/3 16:49
Recently in my area of Tokyo I have seen a young Japanese woman who I would say is about 6'3" (about 190cm)- I am 175 and I came just past her shoulder! I have a few Japanese female acquaintances who are the same height as me as well. Japanese people are getting taller by the year, being Asian definitely doesn't mean being short any more.

Especially in Tokyo you can see people of all kinds, all heights, weights, clothing styles- you have to be REALLY different to stand out very much.
by Sira rate this post as useful

I just like looking up.. 2007/5/27 23:38
hey,I am a man,about 1.75cm and I like ladies taller than me and I know a lot of guys like that so I dont think this is an issue..if anyone is interested in shorter guys, feel free to contact me..cheers.
by julen rate this post as useful

Exaggeration 2007/7/1 02:46
I find the claims of tall japanese to be hilarious. Most of you are referring to anecdotal evidence ofsomeone being taller than you. Even at 5'9''you will be taller than close to 90% of men and easily taller than 99% of women. Every nation has tall people but the extent of this varies. The current average height of men, at their peak, is 5'7''. I don't even think of 5'7'' as tall for a woman. If you are 6'0'' or taller you would be able to rest your chin on a majority of people's heads and be able to see over virtually everyone's.
by josh rate this post as useful

height 2007/7/1 09:08
Average height varies hugely with age. Sure 5'7 is probably the average height for all age groups and many older men barely come up to my shoulder, but younger guys are considerably taller. I live near a high school and regularly find myself in the midst of a group of teenage boys who are all my height (5'9) or taller. Teenage boys now are on average 20cm (8 inches) taller than their grandfathers- quite a jump.

Yes, the Japanese are shorter on average than most people of Caucasian or African descent but that doesn't mean that a 5'9" woman or a 6'0" guy will feel like e freak, which is what the original post was asking about.
by Sira rate this post as useful

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