Having the right look at work is very important. Appropriate attire will depend on your particular work situation but here are some general guidelines for everyone:
- No slits / rips in clothing
- Have indoor / gym shoes for assemblies
- Take a hand towel to dry your hands after going to the toilet
For details on where you can buy appropriate workwear and/or plus sized clothing please jump to the bottom of this page.
Below you will see some examples of proper work attire from ALTs in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Men’s Attire
“I generally wear business casual to my JHS, but ain’t nobody got time for that at ES. In the hot summer I wear shorts that go slightly below the knee and polo shirts I collect from Sports Day every year.”
“This is a typical JHS outfit for me, if a bit tame. I pretty much wear my everyday clothes. This involves knitwear, bright colours and loud prints. This is an example of an extremely casual work situation. I’m certain that I’m only able to get away with these things because of my relationships with my coworkers. Please exercise caution if you follow my example.”
“Average wear for an average day at junior high school. Those black jeans were formerly work pants but were downgraded to what you see here after the first year on the JET program.”
“I wear this in the winter with heat tech underneath! Cardigans are pretty cheap and really look nice even if you only have a polo underneath.”
“This is what I usually wear when it’s a bit warmer. I work at one junior high school and the formality is really mixed at my school. Some teachers wear suits everyday and some wear dressy tracksuits (?).”
“I am at a large academic senior high school and this is one of my regular warmer weather outfits. I usually go full sleeves in cooler weather and then throw sweaters on top when it gets cold. I sometimes wear polos as well, but nothing with graphics. I started off wearing a tie, but I don’t really like them and since not wearing them I haven’t gotten any comments about it from teachers. My general rule of thumb is always wear something with a collar and tuck that shirt into some dress pants.
“Working at a senior academic high school, this is my regular work wear; slacks (no shorts), collared business shirt (generally roll my sleeves up but short sleeves are fine), necktie and business shoes to and from school. The necktie is optional in summer and a must in winter. Plain, patterned and coloured business shirts are fine, nothing with large logos or prints. Same for sweaters during the winter. Colourful and interesting socks are always work appropriate.”
Ladies Attire
Here are some guidelines just for the ladies:
- Tops should cover shoulders.
- No cleavage (utilize camisoles/under shirts), or tight shirts
- Wear light cardigans over sleeveless shirts
- No hip-hugging pants / slacks
- Skirts / shorts cover or reach the knees (wear leggings / tights at ES)
Now for some examples:
“Today’s work outfit, which I wear to junior high or elementary. On hotter days I wear long skirts at JHS, shorts or shorter skirts at es, and t-shirts at both. In the winter, sweater top and pants bottom, maybe coat overtop.”
“I have a Junior high and three elementary schools I go to every week. This outfit is common along with T-shirts and jeans. I also do a lot of outside activities with the kids. The polo is from a previous undokai for the elementary school I’m at.”
“I usually wear a light cardigan with this, but today is just too warm for it.”
“I work at a pretty laid back junior high school. So whether it’s summer or winter I tend to wear slacks and some kind of button up shirt/blouse. In winter I’ll wear basically the same thing but with a cardigan or sweater or vest over the top. If it gets really cold, I’ll also wear a coat or a jacket. Most of my work clothes were acquired from Uniqlo or GU.”
“Elementary school is pretty casual, no jeans though! But polo shirts and slacks and pants and skirts are cool. Junior High is a little less casual but not formal either.”
“I work at a junior high school and 2 elementary schools. I rarely wear suit or a formal jacket to school. I just always make sure my shoulders are covered to avoid the question of ‘are you not cold today?’.”
“I’m at a high school and special education school. The high school is stricter but I can show a collar bone here or there (however above the knee skirt/dress with my collar bone showing is a no). I bought this from Uniqlo. It’s sleeveless but lightweight during the summer.”
“Both schools summer! I highly suggest bringing skirts for the summer. I also wear a knee brace, so long skirts help.”
“Here’s my scandalous dress. Collar bone and knees were too much for my Japanese co-workers at my high school but fine at my special ed school. I wear leggings to avoid the double takes.”
“Winter for both schools. I layer heat tech underneath and wear leggings or tights.”
“If you want to play with gender norms wear something like this. In some schools, this is what a boy’s summer uniform looks like. I just like having something that isn’t a dress or skirt all the time for summer.”
Academic and commercial senior high school
“As you can see, some of these are more formal than others. Basically for special events I’m asked to dress up. ”
“I even sometimes wear my full black suit (either black dress pants or black skirt and a coloured blazer (I have green, and blue) or a regular shirt underneath and my black suit blazer over top). I’ve worn it at graduation and closing ceremony.”
“Every other day I can dress in anything but jeans, shorts or a tank top. (But I have worn tank tops with a cardigan over top and no one was the wiser, as long as you don’t take it off).”
“A lot of my teachers dress pretty casually, in polo’s and regular pants.”
“In the summer and fall I wear the skirts and capris! I have white cardigans, blue, and black.”
“My teachers don’t have a problem with bright colours so I even wear teal and pink and with purple or pink flowers. ”
“They also don’t seem to have a problem with print, so I have a white shirt with a key, a little mermaid shirt and flowers.”
“A picture of my spirited away cardigan and the teachers and even the students are all over it!”
“Most of my pants are packed because of the summer but I have brown dress pants and burgundy pants and brown jean and a blue grey cord I wear in the winter.”
“Sometimes I look at what other teachers are wearing and if I go shopping and I see something I like, I’ll get it for work. I only have a problem with shirt sizes or shapes, so I don’t do this often.”
“This is what I’d normally wear to my school. It’s a pretty traditional academic high school and the other teachers wear the same kind of thing.”
“I work at an academic high school. This dress reaches my knee and it also has short sleeves. In winter I would wear this dress with stockings and a long sleeved top underneath.”
“This is the school nurse at an academic SHS. She said this is definitely ‘the teacher look’ in Japan.”
“I work at an academic high school so this is the very limits of casual and reserved for in the staffroom on very hot days, before the air con is switched on. I have a cardigan that I throw over the top for class.”
“This is my business trip attire. When I go on a business trip I always wear, or at least take, my suit jacket.”
“For people who want to wear makeup, this is as much as I put on. Japanese summers are super hot and humid, so I don’t bother with foundation. Yes, even your most magical setting powder/spray will be thwarted by Japanese summer. Most Japanese people will do their brows, eyeliner, blush and lipstick. They also wear the same makeup every day. The minimum I do is brows and eyeliner. If it’s picture day, I’ll add shimmery eyeshadow.”
Shops found in Nagasaki Prefecture:
- UNIQLO
- GU
- Aeon malls
- Shimamura
- Recycle stores (3rd Junction, Hardoff)
- Topshop
Internet shopping
- Amazon
- Rakuten
- Yahoo shopping
- Dorothy Perkins
- ASOS
- New Look
- Many UK chains do ship internationally
Shoes
Women’s shoes usually only go to a size 25 (cm). This is equivalent of a US 8.5, EU 39. However, there are some shops that will go to a 26 or an LL if you look around. One such shop is Oriental Traffic which is in Amu Plaza in Nagasaki City.
Men’s shoes usually go to a 27, US 9, so if your feet are bigger than this you may struggle to buy shoes in a store near you.
If you were blessed with feet that do not fit Japanese norms then consider ordering online from either Amazon or Rakuten.