I’m finally done with my move, my cat appears to have adjusted to the dogs and now all that’s left is for me to prepare for my upcoming trip. For the next few weeks I’m going to be documenting what kind of things I’ve been doing and what others should strongly consider before going abroad to Japan. This will mainly be aimed at women since I’m a woman and  don’t have experience in shopping for clothes in Japan for men.

Stock up on essentials before you go

If you’re 5’4″ and no bigger than a size 8, congratulations –you will have no problems shopping in Japan. If you’re 5’7″ and have a curvy figure, finding clothes will be more of a problem than it is in the states. Even when I was at my thinnest in Japan (which was the smallest I’ve ever been) I still had a hard time finding clothes that fit me properly.

The biggest problem I had was finding new pants. In Japan, the pants are cut to be shorter than what you would find on the racks in the states. Almost everything is pre-cut to fit the petite frames of Japanese women. If you’re not a petite size or bigger than a size 10 in jeans or larger than a 34C for bra sizes, I recommend stocking up on pants and bras BEFORE you go to Japan. I also recommend bring one or two tight-fitting pairs and a slightly smaller bra in case you lose weight while you are over there.

Buying tops for Japan

By far the biggest problem I’ve noticed in my wardrobe is the number of low-cut, cleavage enhancing tops. These types of shirts are OK to wear in America, especially in the summer. In Japan it’s considered immodest to bear your cleavage as freely as we do here. Women’s shirts in Japan are cut a lot higher because of Japanese culture and customs. Bowing is very common in Japan, and while Japanese bows are quick and to the point, you still don’t want someone looking down your shirt while you’re doing it.

If you have a number of low-cut tops, either don’t bring them or experiment with layering. Get some solid color tanks to wear under your skimpier shirts so you don’t have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe.

Listen to what people are(n’t) saying about your clothes

In Japan, saying what you really mean isn’t exactly chic, so listen for any veiled criticism about your outfit. Comments along the lines of “Oh, you are showing off so much skin” should not be taken as a compliment. Remember, Japanese people sometimes have a hidden context, so please keep an open eye and ear to how people are reacting to you.

During a bout of fantasy online shopping yesterday, I saw Old Navy’s new theme for the spring season: Urban Explorer. After watching their television ad, which inexplicably has four women driving in an open -top jeep through New York City I got to wondering, what is with the desire for safari themes? Is it supposed to make me look like a strong, independent woman, or is it supposed to make me look like someone who just really really likes khaki?

For example, their most prominent feature is he introduction of “Women’s Safari Rompers,” a one-piece khaki short-suit. This lovely piece of beige is something I would where nowhere. One-piece suits do not work for anyone over the age of 5 or larger than a size 2. What amazes me is that they don’t even give this piece a real number size. Instead I would be forced to decide on squeezing into a medium or a large depending on how I wanted to look, skanky or like an idiot wearing a safari suit.

Another thing I found laughable was their brilliant idea to put the word “safari” in front of anything they made that is in khaki or forest green. This can be seen in the “Women’s Button-Tab Safari Shirt,” which is the same shirt they’ve been selling for years.

But if for some reason you do like the safari theme. Don’t worry there’s a wide range of safari items for you to choose from like: safari shirts, safari shorts, safari shirt dresses and safari clutches.

There was one cute dress in the collection, but unfortunately it was made out of polyester, and I tend to look for fabrics that are a little more durable and not so cheap looking.