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| Clothing Clothing for work and for your free time should indeed be different. Because you are sort of a citizen-level ambassador, at first at least it's a good idea to wear semi-professional clothing to work, skirts or slacks with nylons, and blouses for women, and casual-to-dress slacks, shirts and ties for men. Take your clothing cue from a respected senior staff member, if you find that the atmosphere at your school is more relaxed. Occasionally you will be asked to wear a dark coloured suit for meetings, ceremonies, graduations and funerals. You neednft go out a buy an Armani or clothing appropriate for executives of a Fortune 500 company. However, please prepare to bring clothing that is at least above that which you wore to lectures in university. Please note that things such as tank-tops/vests and revealing clothing are not appropriate at school. You can save those things for the night life. Summer in Japan is hot and humid, bring cool comfortable clothing, nice tees and shirts. Even though it's usually sunny during the days and rarely stays below freezing, it does snow in the winter in Sendai, so you will need a warm coat, and several sweaters. You can send your winter clothes by sea-mail (to your school address) and they should arrive in time. In Sendai, the malls have several foreign shops such as Eddie Bauer, LL Bean, NEXT, Laura Ashley, and sporting goods stores, however they carry a lot of petite sizes. Prices are more than at home, but are sometimes reasonable when you figure you would have to pay for shipping and handling if you were to order it. However, bringing catalogues from home or having them sent would not be a bad idea. It may be easier and cheaper to shop with a company you are familiar with, even if it is long distance. Women Clothes that fit western women in width and length are often hard to find in Japan. Sports wear shops are plentiful, but again, length and waist sizes may be a problem. Bras are usually padded and difficult to find, even for average bust sized women. Nylons come in limited colours in the larger sizes, and then only up to a North American 14 or so. Be sure to bring these types of items with you, or plan on stocking up during trips back home. Men Clothes to fit average western men are difficult to find. If you are tall or have long limbs, bring everything you think you are going to need. Shoes for Men and Women You may have heard already that Japanese take off their shoes when they enter the home. Well, not only is this true for homes, it's also true for the workplace, public gyms and even some hospitals. A change of shoes for wearing inside school is a must. Rubber soled slippers, sandals, i.e. (Birkenstocks type) or sport shoes are typically worn. Indoor shoes for sport will come in handy for times when you're asked to play with the students in the gym or if you're planning on joining a sports gym. Whatever you pack, think comfortable and multi-purposeful and you will be fine. Shoe size in Japan is measured in centimeters and sizes up to 28 cm for men (aprox. size 10 CN/US, Size 9 UK) and 25 cm for women (Size 8 CN,/US, Size 6.5 UK) are available, however it is recommended that you bring your own. You might be able to buy shoes that are larger than 28 cm, but selection will be limited and they are usually more expensive. Also, keep this in mind if you plan on going snowboarding or skiing. |