Acceptable Tourist Fashion for Tokyo and Kyoto?

[mzamike]

Originally Posted by sarasi

For women as well shorts are becoming much more common although you are unlikely to see a woman over 40 in shorts.

Women over 40 shouldn't be wearing shorts anyways...JUST JOKING

[egenglert]

During my flight to Tokyo, there was a full family, wearing some sort of creepy tourist uniform, we're talking the straw hat, Hawaiian shirts (except for the mom who was wearing a Hawaiian muumuu), the Bermuda shorts, and sandals, with cameras around their necks, and the kids were teenagers, so all I can say is, don't wear that or I will cut you. (I won't cut you, I'll just lose all respect that I have for you, which is quite a bit since you are concerned about appropriate clothing to wear in a foreign country, unlike that woman in Malta who kept walking into the church with bear shoulders, and as the Maltese are very conservative Catholics, that was a definite no-no, which I knew, but she clearly didn't do her research).

Sorry, ridiculous tourists wearing inappropriate clothing is a pet-peeve of mine.

[bELyVIS]

What cracks me up is women wearing high heels in places they shouldn't. I've seen them hiking and on the beach with them.

[cheshirechic]

Originally Posted by egenglert

During my flight to Tokyo, there was a full family, wearing some sort of creepy tourist uniform, we're talking the straw hat, Hawaiian shirts (except for the mom who was wearing a Hawaiian muumuu), the Bermuda shorts, and sandals, with cameras around their necks, and the kids were teenagers, so all I can say is, don't wear that or I will cut you. (I won't cut you, I'll just lose all respect that I have for you, which is quite a bit since you are concerned about appropriate clothing to wear in a foreign country, unlike that woman in Malta who kept walking into the church with bear shoulders, and as the Maltese are very conservative Catholics, that was a definite no-no, which I knew, but she clearly didn't do her research).

Sorry, ridiculous tourists wearing inappropriate clothing is a pet-peeve of mine.

It's definitely my pet peeve as well, hence the thread. When I've been in Europe, I avoided the "ugly American" uniform like the plague. On one trip, a friend of mine decided to wear a short skirt when we went to a monastery and, needless to say, it was quite the faux pas.

I bought some barely-above-the-knee French Connection shorts that are dressier, with pockets and pleats. They're pretty loose too, so I'm not too worried, but I DID pack some pants just in case.

Thanks!

[Xentron]

So I'm guessing jeans and shirts are ok then.
I'm going to Tokyo next year so knowing what to wear is a relief.
Shorts that go 5" past your knee's is alright then?
Those 3/4 length pants for the summer time.

[GrimmjowCrack]

why would it matter if you stuck out as a tourist, just outta curiosity?

[Nyororin]

why would it matter if you stuck out as a tourist, just outta curiosity?

I`ll give my answer for this one...
Having traveled quite a bit and lived in Japan for quite a while - people simply react differently and treat you differently if you`re a "tourist" in their eyes. Being a tourist isn`t a problem, it`s standing out as an obvious one. It makes it harder to see normal life, and people will steer you toward "tourist" areas. It`s really hard to explain if there is no contrast you can make...
People tend to make the assumption that you don`t really know anything and that it would be pointless to tell/teach you as you`re just a tourist and will be leaving in a few days anyway.

[GrimmjowCrack]

thats rly sad, cause i plan to move to japan (eventually) and i dont think id ever change the way i dress for the social benefit

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by GrimmjowCrack

thats rly sad, cause i plan to move to japan (eventually) and i dont think id ever change the way i dress for the social benefit

I think it depends upon what you normally wear.
People will treat you how they perceive you. If you dress in a way that indicates you are a tourist, people will treat you as a tourist. If you dress like someone who doesn`t give a crap about how you look or what people think of you, people will treat you that way. (In other words, without too much respect.)

And if it is a way of dress that stands out, you will (surprise!) stand out - and likely not in a positive way. There are times in life where there is so much more benefit to adjusting your look according to the circumstances than to refusing to budge on it. If you`re willing to put up with the negatives, that`s fine, but most people aren`t.

[Barone1551]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

What cracks me up is women wearing high heels in places they shouldn't. I've seen them hiking and on the beach with them.

The odd part is this was the Japanese students when I was in Japan. Not the tourists. All the girls that hung around us wore high heels all the time. we went on a hike up a mountain at Miyajima. It wasnt an impossible hike but it wasnt easy either. They wore heels the whole way... it was pretty amazing actually.

And when I was talking about shorts earlier, I was talking from a guys standpoint. I didnt see many guys wear shorts. But I dont think you would stick out as a tourist if you wore shorts all the time.