Yes, you absolutely should buy jeans in Japan, as it is renowned for producing some of the highest-quality denim in the world. Known for meticulous craftsmanship, raw selvage denim, and vintage-style techniques, Japanese jeans are durable, unique, and often feature handcrafted details. They are an ideal souvenir for fashion enthusiasts.
As a tourist, it is unnecessary to wear business attire, but dress nicely, as the Japanese women do not dress in grubby clothes. Jeans are seen infrequently, shorts rarely, unless they are longer length walking type shorts. Most women wore crop length pants. The Japanese women do not wear t-shirts as we do in the US.
It is recommended to wear a thin short-sleeved shirt, a sundress or any clothing made with a breathable fabric, especially from July to August. Shorts are acceptable, except at some shrines or temples. A cap or hat and shades are great to have for sun protection. If you can, bring an umbrella too, in case it rains.
The denim fabric is untreated, which means that no water or chemicals were used to create a washed effect. Also, since the jeans aren't treated, the denim fabric is in its best condition possible. Due to this, raw denim tends to last longer than its washed counterparts.
New Jeans proved its hot local popularity by reaching the top of Japan's Oricon annual rookie rankings. According to the agency ADOR on the 10th, Newzins (Minji, Hani, Daniel, Harin, and Hyein) ranked second in the "Rookie Ranking" by artist in the "Oricon Annual Ranking 2024" announced on the same day.
What IS Selvedge Denim?! The Complete Guide: Is It Better, Do You Wash It, and The Raw Denim Culture
Should I buy denim in Japan?
For travelers seeking the ultimate Japanese souvenir, a pair of world-class, locally-made denim jeans is a perfect choice. Japan is globally renowned for its high-quality denim, a product of meticulous craftsmanship in every step, from material selection to sewing and dyeing.
The "two-finger test" for jeans is a simple way to check waist fit: fasten your jeans and try to slide one or two fingers (index and middle) between your skin and the waistband; if they fit comfortably without being too tight or too loose (sagging), the jeans likely have a good fit, allowing for slight bloating or movement after wearing. It's a quick gauge to ensure the waistband isn't cutting in but still holds securely.
The "333 rule" in clothing refers to two popular minimalist fashion concepts: the viral TikTok trend of using 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 shoes to create numerous outfits (9 items total) for styling practice, and the more extensive Project 333, where you select 33 items (including clothes, shoes, and accessories) to wear for three months, excluding essentials like underwear, workout gear, and sleepwear, to simplify your wardrobe and reduce decision fatigue. Both methods focus on versatility, quality over quantity, and creating a functional capsule wardrobe.
However, when wearing black in Japan—especially a black suit to a business occasion—never pair it with a white shirt, black tie, and black dress shoes. In this case, the color turns into a symbol of mourning, appropriate only for attending funerals.
Oversize is popular in Japan. As long as you're not going anywhere with a specific dress code then you're pretty much free to wear what you want. You'll be fine!
The "5 Outfit Rule" is a mindful shopping guideline: before buying a new clothing item, you must be able to immediately envision styling it in at least five different, distinct outfits using clothes you already own, ensuring versatility, reducing impulse buys, and building a more functional wardrobe. This encourages thoughtful purchases that get more wear, preventing clutter from items worn only once or twice, and helps create a cohesive, mix-and-match capsule closet for various occasions and seasons.
In Japan, DO be quiet on public transport, take off shoes indoors, use both hands for transactions/bowing, learn basic phrases, and respect queues; DON'T eat or talk loudly while walking/on trains, blow your nose in public, point with fingers, tip, or stick chopsticks upright in rice, as politeness, cleanliness, and consideration for others are paramount.
In sum, the Squeeze-Out Right enables a shareholder holding (directly or through one or more wholly owned subsidiaries) at least 90% of the total voting rights (a “Special Controlling Shareholder”) to force a cash acquisition of the remaining shares held by the minority shareholders.
You should avoid visiting Japan during Golden Week (late April to early May), Obon (mid-August), and the New Year holiday (late December to early January) due to high crowds and prices.
While holding hands is generally fine in Japan, kissing in public is strongly frowned upon and considered awkward or inappropriate, making it best to save passionate displays for private settings like hotels or homes, as it goes against traditional Japanese modesty and personal space norms, even if younger people are slightly more tolerant.
And just be warned, you're going to feel very out of place walking into a smart Tokyo restaurant wearing shorts. A better option is a clean pair of slacks or khakis. Jeans are also good, but they should be on the new side. On top, new-ish T-shirts are okay, but you may be happier with a collar on your shirt.
Most Japanese denim is woven on vintage shuttle looms. These machines are rare today. Their weaving speed is only about 1/4 to 1/6 of modern high-speed looms, so the amount of fabric produced daily is tiny. However, this inefficiency creates a soft texture with natural unevenness.
Japanese denim has a reputation among jeans lovers for being the best in the world, and is a product category that UNIQLO take pride in producing. Many of our jeans, including our selvedge denim, are made by Kaihara, a denim manufacturer in Hiroshima, who we have been in partnership with since 1998.
The cheapest months to fly to Japan are typically January, February, and early March, especially after the New Year's rush, due to winter being the low season, with potential deals in the shoulder seasons like late May/early June and late November/early December, avoiding peak cherry blossom (late March/early April) and summer (July/August) times.
