Hey guys, I hope you’re all well. I will start my first full time job ever as an ALT this coming April. I would like to ask all the male ALT’s for advice on what wardrobe you’d advise for a guy just starting out. I am not well versed in formal/office work clothes in general so I may have questions about very fundamental things. I am asking in this subreddit because I’m assuming all of you are most familiar with the dress code of ALT’s in Japan.
At the current moment I have the following in my wardrobe:
\- 1 Grey Suit Jacket and 1 matching pair of trousers
\-1 Navy Blue Suit Jacket and 1 matching pair of trousers
\- 1 Pair of formal shoes. I have no idea what they are called. All i know is that they aren’t the best quality and have an almost square ending towards the toes.
\-1 formal shirt
\-1 pair of socks for wearing with the suits
\-1 Blue tie
That’s about it. I know its not much and I really want to make it better. I really appreciate your help!!
Extra note: I don’t know if this will make a difference in the selection of clothes or not, but I sweat a lot in summer. Thanks again.
Edit: You people have all been so kind. I’ve learned so much and I appreciate all of you for your detailed responses. Thank you for being my virtual older siblings for a minute!
24 comments
It really depends on where you are and your company. Some of the teachers I’ve seen wear sweatpants and a hoody so nothing too fancy. One suit and one tie is fine. You’ll probably only wear it on your first day anyways. Slacks and a shirt with a collar is the standard from what I’ve seen so pretty simple
Suits are good. You are gonna need a fresh shirt plus undershirt for each day you work. Personally I have 5 of each and do laundry at weekends. I wear shortsleeved shirts all year round but be prepared to be met with utter bewilderment if you get caught wearing short sleeves in winter! During winter months I wear a wool sweater over my shirt when it’s particularly cold. You are also gonna need fresh socks for each day you work. Not sure if you are in Japan already but if you are in any way tall, heavy, broad-shouldered, long-armed you should secure all of this stuff before coming to Japan. I am 6’2” /189cm and have gorilla arms, hence the short sleeves.
This is just my experience so feel free to disagree, but where I am, shirts need to have a collar. It could be a polo or dress shirt, but it must have a collar. Polo’s are great in the summer, and dress shirts with a sweater over that for winter do the trick. Of course, the dress code could be different where you end up, but buying a few more collared shirts may help you! I would get a few in neutral colors, black, gray, blue, white, and alternate! Keep an extra shirt in your desk just in case. There is no air conditioning or heat in public schools, so I also recommend thermals for under your trousers and thick socks for winter. For shoes, it’s okay to wear sneakers, but I would keep them neutral colored as well. Buy a good pair of black or white sneakers for your indoor teaching shoes. Wear your tie and jacket for the opening ceremony. Also kind of a strange tip, my students give confused looks if they realize you aren’t wearing an undershirt… I don’t know why this is. Seem to be that an undershirt is a must. So, I would bring a few! Just my take. Good luck!!!
Bring lots of shirts that fit, and 2-3 pairs of formal-ish slacks/trousers.
I wore a shirt and tie with formal trousers most of the time, and a suit for school events. Can’t really go wrong with that. Many people wear t-shirts/undershirts under their shirts here.
Get the nice ties made in Korea with the zipper. The Korean ones on US amazon look legit and will make your life easier.
You may not even need a suit and tie. A lot of ALT jobs are good with polos in summer or sweaters in cool. Sweaters are almost always okay at any teaching job.
Don’t need the dress shoes past the interview imo. Tennis shoes with a suit/polo/sweater basically screams “teacher” in Japan. So do what everyone else does and save your feet.
Every school will have its own personal do’s and don’ts regarding wardrobe, so be ready to adjust your expectations in that regard. I will say almost every school I thought at expected full business formal on day 1 (for you, jacket, blouse, tie, pants, shoes) and on any special event days, but prefered the teachers be more comfortable on other days (for you, shirt, tie, pants, shoes).
Some of the teachers do walk around in track suits. You are not Japanese. You cannot get away with this, so do not plan on it. If you have a track suit, bring it, you maaaay get to use it for a Sports Day, but assume not.
Also, remember you *will* need Outside Shoes and Inside Shoes. Inside shoes can be as simple as a pair of slippers, but you will be standing and working in them, so I recommend something both easy to get on and off, as well as supportive.
You’re going to sweat. A lot. Back before global warming was literally making the elderly and young drop dead in their tracks, none of my schools had AC in the classrooms. I’d bring a second shirt to work to change into after the first was drenched in sweat. These days, more and more schools will have AC, but you still have to *get* to the school.
Not an ALT, but starting my job at an eikaiwa in April. They require a suit and tie every day, so here’s my setup:
-black suit jacket and pants
-charcoal suit jacket and pants
-dark grey sport coat and black pants
-white dress shirts, 1 for every working day of the week and 1 or 2 more to be safe
-standard white undershirts
-a few ties, standard, dark, solid colors like red, blue, grey etc. I’ve been told to avoid a black tie because it looks like you’re attending a funeral. I’ll be bringing my favorite black tie along anyway
-tie clip
-1 pair of black dress shoes, square-ish tips, 1 pair of brown oxfords. I like to have black and brown for the sake of having options
-standard black & dark grey dress socks. I also have a collection of fun socks (tacos, guitars, etc.) and I’m gonna ask my boss if I can get away with them
-1 black belt, silver buckle, probably gonna get a brown one too
-a few nice watches (diver, chronograph, dress piece) (had to mention that cause I’m a collector and it’s my favorite part of the outfit 😜)
-looking into some sort of leather briefcase, never really liked the backpack w/suit look
Good luck with your job man, DM if you have any questions!
I worked directly for a city. In the summer I wore shorts and a short sleeve polo shirt. No way in hell was I going to wear a suite on normal days. Sometimes I taught in elementary schools. I am sure I was more active in my elementary classes than most gym teachers.
BTW, most schools should have a locker for you. I would keep a change of clothes in my locker. In the summer it was brutally hot, I would wear a t-shirt in the morning and change into a fresh shirt.
Go to a place called Aoki–you can find them relatively close to many major stations in Tokyo at least–and buy a few (not only one or two) cheap suits (6 to 9 is better) in dark gray.
Buy at least 5 (or, better, 6 or 7) white shirts.
Go to a used clothing shop and buy 6 or more acceptable neckties. I saw a mess of reasonable ones for ¥100 each at a used clothing shop just yesterday. Make sure you get a different number of neckties from the number of suits.
The numbers are important because if you just wear the clothes in rotation it’ll be weeks before you wear the same outfit, and you’ll never catch yourself underdressed. You’ll also be prepared for job interviews and the like because you’re not going to want to be an ALT forever.
Sounds like you’re pretty much good to go. Although I would
recommend having at least 5 business shirts (one for each day). White business shirts are perfectly fine. Also, don’t forget you’ll need a pair of indoor only shoes. It’s recommended you wear something comfortable like sneakers and use your business shoes for outdoor only. Avoid slippers for indoor only shoes because if you are caught in an emergency, you don’t want to be running around in slippers.
They sell summer weight sport coats at Uniqlo that are much cooler than anything wool. Shirts you’ll need a few of and I usually stick to white because it shows off giant patches of sweat less than darker colors. Ties are your way to keep things visually fresh…get a few. That’s what most people will notice anyway. IHerb carries strong antiperspirant that will help and it’s reasonable. Don’t cheap out too much on shoes as you’l be standing and walking a lot. Careful of just buying basic black slip-ons and wearing them with everything. Monk strap looks good, imo. See also – [https://bespokeunit.com/shoes/trouser-coordination/](https://bespokeunit.com/shoes/trouser-coordination/) . Finally, keep in mind that black is very formal in Japan. Many places prefer that you go a tad more casual with navy, grey or dark brown attire. I wasn’t allowed to wear a black jacket at my first job, buy YMMV. Good luck!
I know you’ve gotten lots of replies, but definitely ask someone who teaches in your area about what they wear, if you can. Dress can vary wildly. Some dispatch companies, like ECC and Aeon, will have strict requirements. They’ll probably make it known early to you if that’s the case.
I taught JHS at a city in Nagano and while I wore a suit on important days, it was never expected of me during regular teaching. I usually wore a plain white button down tucked into dark chinos. I skipped ties in summer or during winter when I wore sweaters, mainly because my neck is too thick for Japanese shirts. I just kept 5 days worth of iron-free shirts that I washed every week. I also had 5 heattech undershirts/thermals and 5 airtech undershirts for cold/hot. Just one suit jacket/trousers and a lot of ties (character ties are frowned upon but fuck it, you’re the ALT, let the kids think you’re fun). I had a pair of business shoes but my commute was mostly walking so I switched to sneakers both for indoors and out, which is generally acceptable.
I’m a manlet so I found it easier to just buy non-suit stuff from UNIQLO on arrival to save luggage space. If you’re tall, then maybe worth buying in advance. Especially if your shoe size is higher than 11.
Not sure if they’re easy to find where you’re coming from, but once you get to Japan, invest in a bunch of “cool biz” short-sleeve button-up shirts from any decent store that sells business dress. They are pretty good at controlling sweat patches–breathable synthetic fiber and light colors.
Are you already in japan or are you coming from overseas for the job ?
I go to gap and wear the button shirts and khakis every day. in the winter i wear a tie with it.
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i wear a suit for ceremonies and my first day.
Congrats and good luck. I’ll give you some other random advice.
Think about buying toe socks when you get here. A lot of foreigners get some nasty feet when they’re adapting to the climate.
Buy nice shoes and get them repaired. Shoe repair shops are very common and cheap. You’ll see Japanese teachers wearing sandals or sneakers with suits. That’s your call. I can’t do that.
Most common is a tie and a nice dress shirt. I’m a SHS ALT but I wear hoodies and crewnecks everyday for work other than for ceremonies where I must wear a suit.
If you’re able to fit clothes in Japan I recommend not over-buying before you come. You may be expected to dress at least semi-formal every day (proper dress pants and a button-up shirt) but there is an equally likely possibility that you will be able to dress casually. It depends entirely on your school situation. Always go into it erring on the side of formal but they could very well let you wear a tracksuit everyday. I only say this because I bought a bunch of cool-biz clothing expecting there to be a strict dress code but ended up wearing tracksuits 80% of the time because I was so active every day (this was at an elementary and junior high school). Uniqlo is cheap and easy to access so just bring a few necessary pieces to hold you over and buy more once you’ve figured out what the expectations are. (Disclaimer: not a male but my male ALT friends in my area dressed even more casually than I did)
Get short-sleeved formal shirts.
Then, when you get here, get a cheap summer suit. You probably won’t have to wear a suit during the summer months, but you may once or twice and you want a lighter suit for those times.
You’re good to go.
Everyone is giving good advice for a “worst case” scenario of you having to dress up in a suit every day. I think you should listen to them and bring enough clothes for that situation. Especially for your first day, you want to make a good impression and show them you do know how to dress up.
However, depending on where your teaching and which grade levels, you can look around the teacher’s room to see what everyone else is wearing and at the bare minimum match their average level +1.
I currently work at elementary schools and kindergartens and the teachers wear everything from business casual to VERY casual. It’s especially noticeable at my KG’s where everyone has to run around outside with kids and paint with toddlers and deal with all other kinds of messes. Nobody is going to expect you to wear a suit in that kind of situation. I wear jeans during the fall / winter and shorts on especially hot summer days and no one cares because they all do it too.
When I worked at a high school it was a different story and I would always wear a collared shirt, but wasn’t afraid to wear one in a color other than white or something with a bold print. No one was bothered. Every situation is different, so don’t be afraid to adjust when you get here.
Also, graduations, new student ceremonies, etc. all tend to be formal. Most teachers keep a spare set of dressier clothes in their lockers to change into for the ceremony and then change out of once it’s over.
I brought a bunch of suits and dress shirts only to find out that my school was fine with me wearing tshirts and sweaters, as long as they were mono color or not crazy. Now they’re gathering dust in my closet.
If you aren’t worried about finding stuff your size here, I would hold off on spending a lot of money until you know your school’s policy’s because they’re all different.
Others have covered it pretty well. I’ll just say this: if you are quite tall, or not a small/small to medium size, have long arms or big feet, make sure you buy *everything* before coming to Japan.
It’s hard to find clothes here if you are tall, have long arms, a thick neck, or are just generally larger than average. Most Japanese men are on the shorter, skinnier side, so it’s difficult and expensive to find clothes outside that narrow range of sizes.
You don’t want to wind up in a panic because the only shop in your little country town doesn’t carry big/tall sizes. 🙂
Needing to duck when going though doorways and having your feet hang off the end of the bed is a common problem for men here.
In summer, most schools allow sportswear
I got you covered with the male fashion advice, bro. As others have mentioned after you repeat your introduction lesson twenty times you’ll probably be in a track suit like the other teachers and chimpira. You’ll see many of them wearing crocs but don’t sacrifice your dignity.
Looking at the clothes you have already, you only have an outfit for ONE day because you have one formal shirt and one pair of socks. You didn’t mention your undie situation but I imagine it’s equally dire. You’ll probably be hang drying your clothes so keep that in mind.
I like to buy clothes when back in the U.S. because there’s a lot more variety and higher quality clothing is cheaper in the U.S. than in Japan. But your typical business attire in Japan (think Uniqlo, Aoyama, Perfect Suit Factory, etc.) is cheap and very durable. However, there’s a lot less choice for colors and patterns, if you check any of those websites you can see what I mean. So if you wear something like a solid purple shirt and a Jerry Garcia tie that you bought in your country you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
It sounds like you should be able to find your size here so I don’t think you need to buy anything really. However, if you can’t wear sneakers at work then you should bring over some good dress shoes with rubber soles so you don’t slip when it rains. Sneakers are affordable here, quality dress shoes aren’t.