Wherever you travel in Japan, business attire should be conservative. A suit or suit coat paired with a just above knee length skirt /long flowing skirt or slacks in dark colors like navy or black work well. Avoid low cut blouses and try to wear a camisole or slip under clothing which is of sheer,translucent materials. BTW, the latest fashion craze here for professionals is wearing scarves and tying them into interesting shapes.

D.M.K., Tokyo, Japan

When I travel in Japan I never wear anything too tight or clinging. To make sure that my figure is not too pronounced I wear small lightweight vests over t-shirts and blouses. One of my favorite travel outfits is a dark colored skirt and blouse set, where the oversized blouse is worn on the outside of the skirt. We have to remember that traveling in Japan, we stick out, as foreigners, (gaijin) and the lighter our hair color the more we stick out.

Japanese is a very subtle culture, where for many years the sexiest part of the body was thought to be the back of a woman’s neck, so you can imagine what a Japanese man thinks, when he sees a Western woman wearing skin tight, “leave nothing to the imagination” clothing.

When I travel on trains, I usually wear my skirt and blouse, non-wrinkle, with leggings, to be even more sure I will not end up in a compromising position. As journey women we are dealing with two major cultural issues — the Japanese perception that Western woman are promiscuous and the tremendous curiosity about us. If we use a little common sense about our dress and lots of good will and humor, we can have a really wonderful time with the extremely interested and polite Japanese male.

Vicky Mills, Miami, USA

Make sure your feet are well-kept, especially in the summer months because you will need to take your shoes off constantly. When invited to take part in a tea ceremony, it is best to dress neatly, in plain colors, with pants or a long skirt because you will be sitting on the floor for a long time. Also, if it is uncomfortable to kneel on the floor, as a foreigner it is socially acceptable to sit with your legs bent under one side of you, allowing you to shift your weight to avoid ‘dead legs’ at the end of the ceremony.

Colleen

Avoid showing cleavage
Japan is famous for its fashion-forward clothes and people here (especially in cities) dress up to an unbelievable degree. Yet we are also used to Western tourists wearing sneakers and casual clothes and we’re not bothered by that. The big no-nos in this part of the world are showing cleavage, and allowing any parts of your breasts to show through tight tops. All the Japanese bras have a layer of foam to prevent this. I suggest visitors wear a double layer or a bra with a tiny bit of padding or a heavier sports bra. That should do the trick.

Jen, Tokyo, Japan