In Japan, personal appearance is often taken as a reflection of one’s attitude toward work. Dressing professionally will go a long way toward being taken seriously by your Japanese colleagues.
You don’t have to erase any signs of personal style or imitate the way your Japanese coworkers dress, but try observing your work environment for cues on what is acceptable.
Take the following info as a general guideline because schools can differ.
What to wear
In the school environment, you will probably find that most of your coworkers do not wear a suit every day, but the men wear button-up shirts and slacks, and the women wear blouses and slacks or a skirt.
You should always bring in a blazer for opening and closing ceremonies.
What Not to Wear
- Sleeveless tops
- Shorts
- T-shirts
- Jeans
- Sandals
- Tight-fitting clothes
- Anything that falls above the knee when you’re sitting
- Anything with rips or tears
Cool Biz
During school holidays or other days when there are no classes, some teachers might dress more casually, in jeans and t-shirts. Exceptions are also made in hot weather, this is often referred to as ‘Cool Biz’, when polo shirts might be okay instead of suit shirts, for example.
Tattoos, Piercings, Nail Polish
These are all very ESID but are usually prohibited for students and therefore teachers as well. Jewellery and dyed hair (unnatural colours) usually fall into this category too.
