Dress Codes in Japan

[jhalton]

I'm just curious to what differences people currently working in Japan notice about dress codes and working culture.

I've read that most jobs require very conservative business attire, and most customer service employees or retail that I came across while I was there looked like it took them 4 hours to get dressed in the morning.

What kinds of attire do those of you who've worked there have to wear, and what industry were you in? I work in design, and in America it can be acceptable to wear dress jeans to an interview, so I imagine a design firm in japan might not be typical "salaryman" attire, though I have no idea what the actual standard is, and when meeting clients we need to match their style anyway so I'd like all of your opinions, mina-san

[Taurus]

I remember going on a tour of various videogame offices in Japan and the dress code was exactly the same as it was in the UK, ie. extremely casual, except for some sales/management types who chose to wear regular suits.

Now I'm an assistant language teacher. I go to work in smart trousers and a shirt (occasionally with a tank top), but I wear a suit for formal ceremonies. The other teachers wear a real mix, from suits to sportsgear (even the non-sports teachers), though they all have a smart set of clothes in their locker should the need arise.

[jhalton]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm in america, never been to UK so I don't really know how styles and customs are there either....

I had to look up what "smart trousers" were, haha. We just call em "khakis"


So they keep a set of dress clothes at work in case they need to change? That sounds like a good idea. It's much better than wearing a suit every damn day.


But it's good to know that creative professions retain their open dress codes across countries. I'm also guessing that you plan to interview with video game offices when you're done with your english teaching term, good luck with that. —but—I thought the video game market is almost completely american now....