HOW TO: Use An Electronic Japanese Toilet

The high-tech Japanese toilet. That's what so many of you may have heard about Japan.

While others of you might be wondering why I'm writing this as a how-to. But considering how many blog posts I've seen by people who travel to Japan and inevitably get doused by one of these toilets, I believe a "how-to" is in order.

My first encounters with these toilets weren't much to speak of, except for the fact that I sometimes spent far too long trying to figure out how to flush, as I assumed if there was a panel with that many buttons, one of them must be the flush button. After desperately pressing them all and being surprised or nearly squirted, I later saw, embarrassed, a normal-looking handle on the back of the toilet itself, just like in the States.

3 Things for Spring

Spring is upon us, more or less, and soon (if not already, wherever you might be) the sakura will be showing off their bright petals. And unfortunately, spring also means hay fever for many of us, and the obnoxious "yellow sand" (which I've heard has been particularly bad in places there recently). The posts below might help you find ways to help your poor sinuses, how to find a nice place to do hanami, and what you should know about yellow sand (and how to deal with it).

Happy Spring!


15 Ways to Survive Hay Fever Season
Some of these are ideas you're likely already familiar with, but some might surprise you.

And you might also want to check out HOW TO: Find Pollen Counts in Japan.

Yellow Sand in Japan - How does it affect you?
It dirties your laundry and can affect those with allergies or lung conditions, among other things. I've explained why you should know about it, how to check levels where you are (in English), and how you can protect yourself.

HOW TO: Find a good hanami spot (cherry blossom viewing)
It's well worth it to find the less crowded spots -- and of course you can also find beautiful places just by exploring the area where you live (recommended!), but you can look up spots to check out (in Japanese). Here's how to do that.

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HOW TO: Prepare for an Earthquake in Japan

It's still March 10 here in the States, but it's March 11 now in Japan. I hope we can all take a moment to remember those who have been affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster and also support and help those still going through difficulties in any small way we can. Although my family has been going through a lot this past year, I feel it fades in comparison, and my mind sometimes goes back to that day and following weeks. It's not something I can forget. And my post last year at this time says it all really. 

I do want to share today's guest post with you from WaNavi Japan. If you're living in Japan or planning to move there at any time in the future, I recommend preparing yourself (and family, if applicable) as much as possible. Have an emergency kit. Stock some dry food and lots of water. Know where to get information, especially if you don't understand Japanese, so you can protect yourself (and your family). WaNavi Japan explains more about all this below.

-Ashley


Everyone knows that Japan is an earthquake-prone country, but the events of March 2011 made it much more real for many of us living in Japan or considering a move to Japan. It’s easy to think that since you can’t predict when or where an earthquake will occur, or what damage will result, you can’t do much to prepare for one.

This is not the case.

We can learn how to be prepared by seeing how Japanese society prepares and educates their citizens to respond to earthquakes.

Disaster risk management includes both planning for and responding to disasters. In Japan planning starts early -- young children are educated about how important it is to stay safe. They learn to hide under a table or cover their heads when the shaking starts or when they hear an earthquake early warning alarm.

When you feel shaking, try to protect your head and stay calm. Once the shaking stops, you need to get accurate information and respond appropriately. The more you know about the information sources available to you and what information you need, the more likely you will be able to stay calm and make the best decisions about how to react.

Important Information and Communication Tools

Surviving in Japan's Top Posts of 2012

Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます！

Surviving in Japan had another huge year of growth, including getting over 1 million pageviews since I started it a couple years ago (over half of those this year), which surprised me considering I was juggling not only that, but my other writing work, a baby, moving, some emotional stuff, and just trying to keep our clothes clean and the crumbs and dust bunnies under control. It's been a difficult year, which I'll go into in another post, but today I'd just like to share the top posts of 2012.

HOW TO: Deal With the Low Point of Culture Shock [Your Advice]

You know what? You are awesome. When I wrote that post about my low point of culture shock, I had no idea what kind of response I would get. It scared me to be that vulnerable and honest, even though I felt it was something I needed to write. But the comments poured in. And the emails. You offered wisdom and advice, and some of you said you've been feeling the same. 

From my heart, thank you.

Lately I often feel so disconnected from "home" and the relationships there, but your kindness reminds me that I have meaningful connections here, and that no matter what, I'm not alone. Your kind words and shared stories have helped me much more than I could say. 

And, many of you said it sounded like more than just culture shock, and how I've been feeling is certainly is more than just that (I often seem to experience more than one thing at a time, annoyingly). But as I've analyzed and separated them out, it was so strange for me to realize that this low point just appeared earlier this year, even though it didn't really a couple years ago when I was dealing with labrynthitis. 

Since I wrote that post I do think things have been looking up a bit (aside from the lack of sleep and having a baby and too much work). Now I only hope I get through winter without being too affected by SAD... 

And I know I still owe some of you an email or comment response. I promise I'm not ignoring anyone; I try to write meaningful responses and I have far too much on my plate at the moment. But please know that I thank you for writing or commenting, and that I will make my best effort to get back to you if I haven't already. 

That said, I'd like to share some of the advice you offered in terms of dealing with culture shock. For anyone reading, not all of it may apply or help you, but there are a lot of good ideas and you might find something that could help in your situation.

HOW TO: Apply for a Credit Card in Japan

Editor's note: This post is the second part in our short credit card series. The first post explained how to find a credit card, with a brief poll for those who've tried to get cards or have been successful. You can, of course, apply for credit cards in person (such as at stores, banks, etc.), but you'll usually need to be able to read and write in kanji. Today David is going to walk through you how to apply for a credit card online. 

Of course, the application may vary a bit by card, but the information asked for is generally the same.  

- Ashley

Editor's note Nov 8, 2012: The credit card ranking site we previously linked to now appears to be down and not working. Unfortunately we will have to do screenshots over for a new site, so if you do apply via a site, use the screenshots below as a basic guide for the Japanese and translations. You can search for クレジトカードランキング for sites or try the credit card section on kakaku.com.

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So you've found a credit card that you would like to apply for and you've made sure that you meet the qualifications. Now let's look at how you can actually apply for a card (online). 

HOW TO: Find a Credit Card in Japan

Editor's note: This topic has been a long time coming. Several of you have wrote in asking what we know about credit cards in Japan, have we been able to get one, which ones are recommended, among other questions.

As we just recently moved, the costs of said moving were on the high end of things (enough for me to end up in tears more than once, because ya know a teacher's salary isn't anywhere close to "we're doing well"). So I suggested to David (husband) that we get a Japanese credit card, just in case.

And in case definitely happened. But on the bright side of things, we were approved for a few cards we applied for, the Rakuten card, the J-West card and the Luluca card (specific to Shizuoka). We initially applied for the Life card but weren't approved.

After talking with different people, it seems that some people are able to get certain types of cards easily, while others haven't been able to get any cards. So we ran a poll to get your answers - you can find the results here.


Words to Know

Japanese	Hiragana	Romaji	English
人気ポイント	にんき　ぽいんと	ninki pointo	Why it's popular
年会費	ねんかいひ	nenkaihi	Yearly membership fee
ETC 専用カート	ETC せんようかーど	ETC senyou kaado	ETC Card
発行期間	はっこうきかん	hakkou kikan	Time till card issued
海外旅行保健	かいがいりょこうほけん	kaigai ryokou hoken	International Travel Insurance
国内旅行保健	こくないりょこうほけん	kokunai ryokou hoken	Domestic Travel Insurance
ショッピング保健	しょっぴんぐほけん	shoppingu hoken	Shopping Insurance
利用限度額	りようげんどがく	riyou gendo gaku	Limit
付帯保健	ふたいほけん	futai hoken	Supplementary Insurance

When we were looking at different credit cards to potentially apply for, we discovered a credit card ranking site that I'll use as an example in this post.

Editor's note Nov 8, 2012: The credit card ranking site we previously linked to now appears to be down and not working. Unfortunately we will have to do screenshots over for a new site, so if you do apply via a site, use the screenshots below as a basic guide for the Japanese and translations. You can search for クレジトカードランキング for sites or try the credit card section on kakaku.com.

HOW TO: Use Your Dehumidifier in Japan

Forget what I said about it being relatively dry and pleasant around here... Today the humidity took a big jump with sporadic thunder and showers. So those dehumidifiers will come in handy after all!

Now that you know what type of dehumidifier to get, or at the very least, what to look for, let's talk about how to use it.

Unless, of course, you enjoy pushing buttons at random until the machine does what you want. No judgement here, I did the same thing for a while a few years ago! The joys of being functionally illiterate, right?

Here's a lovely picture with the English translations for your reference, and I've also added a chart below if you want the complete breakdown of each kanji or to copy/paste the words.

How to Manage Afro Textured Hair in Japan

For those of you lovely ladies (or gents) living in Japan who might be struggling to take care of your Afro textured hair, I have a couple helpful videos to share with you today (shared with me by readers of SiJ). And if you haven't already, you might also be interested in reading 4 Tips to Maintain Black Hair While Living in Japan, from Amanda of Whoa...I'm in Japan?

Help for Curly Hair in Japan

Some of you may remember a Q&A we had a while ago about where to find a hair diffuser in Japan. Claire wrote in to say that she was able to buy a hair diffuser for less than 2000 yen at the hair salon Toni & Guy (found in various prefectures throughout Japan).

She also suggested a salon whose owner is familiar with how to work with curly hair, for those able to travel to Tokyo:

For anyone with curls in the vicinity of Tokyo, I found a wonderful salon - Nepenji in Ebisu. The owner, Kiyoko, is fluent in English and trained at the Devachan salon in New York, which specialises in curls. She not only gives me the best haircuts I've ever had (as in, I want to bring her back to England with me whenever I eventually leave!) but she has completely revolutionised my hair regime. My hair is in better condition than it's ever been before and she's the first stylist I've ever met who I feel completely relaxed with (haircuts for me often equate to trauma, esp. in Asia, but she just KNOWS what to do!). They also do amazing treatments and sell Deva (sulfate-free) products, which Kiyoko gets sent over from NY. 

If you've got curly hair and have any tips, suggestions or places to share, let us know in the comments!


Ali echoed Toni & Guy:

I totally agree with the Toni & Guy suggestion. I have naturally curly hair which I then perm to make even curlier, and Toni & Guy in Hamamatsu was the best place for me. They really understood my hair, and my hairdresser even spoke a bit of English (although I think that guy has left now). As for products, I found it quite hard to get good serums, but there were some you could find in the larger drugstores. 

HOW TO: Use an Air Conditioner in Japan

Given that we're in the height of summer now with the rainy season behind us, temps are soaring across the country and folks are suffering from heatstroke left and right, this might be a good time to look at how to use your air conditioner, especially as I've received several requests for this post. Of course, we should all be trying to do our best to save electricity or finding other ways to cool off, but now that we have a baby, I understand the importance of regulating the temperature somewhat (or else, we NEVER sleep at night due to a cranky, hot little one).

And if the heat and humidity are enough to actually affect you negatively, then please be careful and cool down as needed. It's crazy (in a bad way) to see how many people are falling victim to the heat, this year and every year.

Back to your air conditioner. Keep in mind that aircon makes and models vary -- some have only the most basic features and others a long list of options. I'm using our air conditioner remote as an example for this post, but there are remotes that differ to some extent. Some features might be called something else under different models, as well.

HOW TO: End Your Battle With Mold in the Bathroom

If you've lived in Japan for any length of time, you know how frustrating it can be to keep the mold away. (And if you haven't lived here yet, well, you'll soon find out...) It grows like a wild beast here. I thought we had pretty bad mold in the pacific northwest in the States, but it's terrible here. I mean, if it isn't rusting, it's probably molding at some point.

OK, maybe not everything, but it does feel like it sometimes!

Not to mention, I'm allergic to it.

It's been four years in Japan and every year I realize more and more just how hard it can be to WIN the mold war, short of bleaching everything in sight (which, I don't do, for various reasons).

So how can you keep it from taking over? And when it's spreading it's nastiness around your bathroom, how do you get rid of it? Here are some ideas:

HOW TO: Find Allergy-Friendly Food in Japan

Today I'm happy to share with you this fabulously helpful post from Kirsten Adachi of Cooking in Japan. If you have food allergies, and you're living in or moving to Japan, Kirsten has explained, with translations and phrases, everything you need to know. -Ashley

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A while ago someone on Twitter asked about soy free miso and was referred to me for help. After a quick Google search in Japanese I found out that you can buy miso (and soy sauce) made from quinoa. This piqued my interest despite not having any food allergies myself -- just sensitivities to things I don’t really like anyway (dairy and peanuts). I thought that this would be a perfect topic for Surviving in Japan.

Info source: Report from Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2002, 2005)Chart translated from here.

Food Allergens Required to be Labeled   材料7品目 (zairyou nana hinmoku)

Image source

If you look through food allergy information in Japan you will come across a list of seven over and over again. These are: eggs, milk, wheat, buckwheat, peanuts, shrimp and crab. Products containing these ingredients are required to be labeled.

Why these seven? According to the allergy handbook produced by the Japan Consumer Affairs Agency these seven allergens can produce the severest reactions (think anaphylactic shock). In Japan eggs, milk and wheat make up 70% of food allergies.

Internet in Japan: Broadband (High-speed) Options and Basics

Are you heading to Japan this summer? Wondering what you're going to do about internet? Needless to say, trying to sort through all the internet information can be, for many of us, a bit daunting, confusing, and to put it bluntly, a headache. I've attempted to cover the basics of broadband internet in Japan today, with some help from Chris Green of Asahi Net. Asahi Net is a leading internet service provider (ISP) in Japan and the June sponsor of Surviving in Japan. And, as usual, I would love to hear your thoughts, stories and experiences regarding internet in Japan in the comments!

Two Types of Providers

First things first, as this might not be the case in your home country: Internet services in Japan are typically unbundled services (cable internet is usually not), meaning that one company usually provides the line and the other establishes the internet connection (in other words, the internet service provider, or ISP is typically separate from the company who sets up the line and rents you the modem, although this isn't always the case). As for companies that provide the line and hardware, NTT East and NTT West are the main ones, though KDDI and some other companies also provide these services, often because they lease the line from NTT East or NTT West.

ISPs, called プロバイダ (purobaida) in Japanese, are the ones that get you an internet connection. There are many, many of these around the country -- some of the big ones include Asahi Net, Yahoo BB, OCN, So-net, @nifty, Biglobe, etc. Most only offer Japanese support, so if you're looking for English, you might find some helpful information here, or check out Surviving in Japan's June sponsor, Asahi Net.

You can sign up with NTT East or NTT West on your own and then sign up for an ISP separately, if you prefer, or, you can sign up with an ISP and they will pass your application to NTT East or NTT West directly. You may either end up paying two bills each month, or a combined bill, depending on which option you go with and the ISP you choose.

And this is another possible service that can help get you hooked up (all in English).

Main Types of Broadband (High-speed) Internet in Japan

Fiber-optics / FTTH (Fiber to the home)  光ファイバー

Fiber optics, or FTTH, as it's also called, is the fastest and most popular option for internet in Japan, with a max speed of 100 or 200 Mbps (or 1 Gbps for the au Hikari service), depending on your location, and thus service and line/wiring. There are two types of FTTH: family/home type and "mansion" type. The former is usually for standalone houses (and is more expensive) and the latter for apartment buildings with several units. The mansion type is cheaper than the family type and ADSL. 

One downside to FTTH though is that it's not available everywhere yet, so depending on where you live, you might not even have the option for FTTH. Also, if it's not already installed in the building (if you live in an apartment building, etc.), you will have to request permission (via a special form) from the owner to have a line put in.

Connection time, from the time of application, can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks, or possibly longer during peak season (March/April and August/September, sometimes around the New Year holidays as well). If you're hooking up the mansion-type service, then it will probably be closer to two weeks, and if the family/home type, four weeks. These are just in general though; there are always exceptions.

We've been using FTTH for the past three years and it's worked out really well. We had to have the line installed in the beginning, but I started the process a month before moving so we had internet when we moved in.

Japanese Phrase Cards for Vegans, Vegetarians, People With Food Allergies, or Other Dietary Restrictions

For those of you who are vegetarians, vegans, have food allergies, or any other kind of dietary restriction, it can be difficult when you're out and about in Japan to ensure that the food you're eating doesn't contain anything you can't eat. Not just for those living here, but travelers as well.

Maki, of the amazing food blogs Just Hungry and Just Bento, created printable pdfs (in A4 or US letter size) with cards that list English phrases for dietary restrictions and their Japanese translations.

She currently has cards for:

• vegetarians
• vegans
• pescatarians
• folks who eat poultry and fish but not meat
• wheat allergies
• dairy/lactose allergies
• nut allergies
• shellfish/shrimp allergies
• soy allergies
• no alcohol

You can also get a "fill in the blank" allergy card.

So the next time you eat out in Japan and aren't sure how to explain to the server what you can or can't have, you can just pull out the appropriate card. Or if you're going to a party or something like that, you can let the hosts know about your dietary restrictions ahead of time by sending along a card.


Happy eating!

Printable cards for communicating dietary restrictions in Japan | Just Hungry

Where to Find Tall and Plus Size Clothing in Japan

There were so many responses to the Q&A I posted a couple weeks ago that I thought I would compile everything into this post for a more comprehensive list to finding tall and plus size clothing in Japan. Keep in mind too though that sometimes what is considered tall or plus size here is, in many cases, similar to standard sizing in many western countries. Ultimately you'll want to check the sizing guides and measurements to see what might work for you.

And, this is probably obvious, but there are numerous places to shop online overseas and have things sent to you, or companies that will ship the items to you in Japan instead. Be careful of import taxes though - anything leather especially, like shoes, or more expensive items might set you back quite a bit (check the link for more details on that).


(Most of the stores I've listed below are online sites only available in Japanese - you can use a browser translation tool or something like Rikaichan or Rikaikun to help you navigate.)

If you're looking for outdoor gear (clothes and/or shoes), you can find an extensive list of stores and brands here that sometimes do carry larger sizes.



Men and Women

Uniqlo carries some "plus size" clothing in its online store (up to XXL), for women and men.

Isetan has an online tall size (166-175cm) women's shop and also plus size shops for women.

Isetan also offers a tall and plus size store for men online. (If you live near an Isetan you might want to check out the store also.)

Aoki, a store with shops across Japan that focuses on suits and formal wear, has tall and plus size clothing for men and up to 3L plus size for women (link is to online store). The women's selection isn't as extensive as the men's.

Cecile (online) offers plus size clothes for women, men, teens and kids. Also has larger size bras.

Polopony (online store) has some larger sized tshirts and athletic wear.

Ito Yokado has a selection of plus-size clothes (thanks to Meredith for suggestion).

Tokyo: "Comme ca in Shinjuku store also has some great European sized clothing for women, men, and children. I also surprisingly stumbled upon some elegant, yet pricey, plus sized clothing (non-straight sizes) in one of the numerous store boutiques in Takashimaya in Shinjuku."

Women

Nissen has a tall size online women's shop.

Rope is another Japan-based store that offers tall women's sizes online.

LLQueen focuses specifically on women's plus size clothing (online).

Chayclub also sells women's plus size clothes online.

Shimamura, a fashion store located around Japan, reportedly has some plus-size clothes (thanks -chai- for the tip!)

If you live in a major city with a Costco, you might want to check out their selection (thanks Bruce for the tip!)

Though this is technically ordering online, J.Crew, which used to be in Japan, has a Japan store and ships to Japan, and offers tall and some plus sizes for women, and tall sizes for men. (They also have up to size US size 12 shoes for women, but if you get anything with leather, the import fees can be outrageous.)

L.L.Bean has some US sizing, according to Bruce, and good selection.

While on the topic of American sizes, Gap in Japan sizes with US sizes (some shirts might seem a bit smaller, but overall they are usually the same). You can locate a Gap near you here. Gap Japan will also be opening an online store in October 2012, for those of you who don't live near one.

Zara has some tall-size clothes, including dresses and maxi-skirts. Ashleylaurent recommends sizing up if you shop here.

Aeon (shopping mall) also has some larger sizes. (Thanks to Haikugirl for the tips).

Tokyo: Haikugirl recommended British store Next, and Ashleylaurent suggested Topshop in Shinjuku for European sizes for taller women and men. Meredith also recommended Smileland in Shibuya.

Tochigi: Stacy suggests Sanki, "it has cheap clothes with labels that read XXXL. That size sometimes fits, and I am about a size 12 US." She also says Sanki is located elsewhere.


Men

John suggested this Kanto-area store for men's plus size clothes:

"There is a shop that sells dress shirts, polos, and suits for plus size men (actually all size men). It's called Sakazen and there's quite a few around Tokyo. The stores generally have like 5 or 6 floors. The prices are fairly cheap, but some floors have more "exclusive" brands which are slightly overpriced. It's worth a visit."

Sakazen also appears to have an online shop.

MD (Mido) carries plus size men's clothing, up to 8L.

Kansai: Big and Tall (Thanks to Blueshoe for the tip). 

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If you have anything else to add, even if it's regional, let us know!

HOW TO: Transfer Money To and From Japan

Editor's note: Many thanks to Peter Lavelle of foreign currency exchange Pure FX for compiling and writing most of today's guest post.

If you’re living in Japan, or know someone who is, one potential problem can be sending money to and from the country. How do you do it? What are your options?

In fact, while GoRemit (formerly GoLloyds) is a well-known service (which I’ll cover in this post), there are other useful alternatives you might want to consider, depending on your circumstances and requirements. Let’s take a look at them.

Some Words to Know

送金               そうきん                           soukin                         remittance

送金手数料　 そうきんてすうりょう      soukin tesuuryou        remittance fee/charges

外国向送金　 がいこくむけそうきん      gaikoku mukesoukin   overseas remittance

外国送金　　 がいこくそうきん             gaikoku soukin            overseas remittance

How To Transfer Money To Japan From Overseas

This is the more difficult question to answer, given that there’s precious little information about it on the internet (a pretty thorough Google search on my part brought up a lot of spam and not much else.) In short, if you want to transfer money to someone in Japan, you have three options:

What You Should Know About Donating Blood in Japan

The last few Lifelines columns I've written for The Japan Times have covered various aspects of donating blood in Japan, including responses from many of you about your experiences (thank you for sharing).

It all started with someone writing in to say that they were turned away by a Red Cross center in Kagoshima because they couldn't speak Japanese. After contacting the Japan Red Cross Society, they clarified that some centers might reject a foreigner who isn't fluent in Japanese because of potential health or safety problems. Ultimately, it's up to the discretion of each center and the overseeing physicians.

In a follow-up column, Foreigners disqualified as blood donors for wide range of reasons, I shared the responses many of you kindly offered. Now, I should state that I don't write the headlines and after seeing this one, I can see that if you read the headline and not the column itself, you might automatically assume foreigners can't donate blood in Japan at all, which is not true. The column explains, through many of your responses, that people are not typically disqualified because of lack of Japanese ability, but rather standard protocol, as is common in probably most or all of our home countries and around the world.

The column did not imply that all foreigners are disqualified from giving blood in Japan. The point was to illustrate that not all donation centers are concerned about language ability as long as you understand what's going to happen and are healthy enough to donate, or have no other reason why you can't/shouldn't give blood.

Nonetheless, I received several emails saying that I was essentially pushing some sort of sensationalist, racist agenda, which again, is not true, and was exactly what I was trying to prove (after checking facts) isn't true.

While I suppose it could be possible that some doctors at some blood centers in Japan are racist, I can't prove or disprove any of that, and investigating that isn't the purpose of the column. It's about helping people, finding facts and sharing experiences.

The Japan Red Cross Society is not against foreigners donating blood (they want people to donate blood, for crying out loud). And that was the point I was trying to make.

I hope that clears things up, but just to make sure I clarified things for all of us, today's column details who can and can't give blood in Japan. So if you're looking to donate blood in Japan, please check out this column for nearly everything you need to know: Safe blood requires strict, and detailed, standards

Also, regarding the part on CJD and BSE (mad cow disease) and all the time spent in various European countries, this part was left out but I think it's important (you'll want to read the column to see what (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) refer to):

• Time from (b), (c) and (d) will be combined for a six month total
• Time from (b), (c) and (d) will be included with (e)
• Time from (b) through (e) and (g) will included with (f) 
• All categories listed will be combined with (g) for the five-year total

Now, if anyone would like to share their successful blood donation stories, please do! :)

Q&A: Tall and Plus Size Clothing in Japan

We've talked about the difficulties of finding tall and plus size clothes in Japan before, but today we have a couple questions from readers regarding trying to find specific stores, so I'm hoping those of you in the know in those locations will have some advice (or at the very least, please share this post around so someone who does know might see it and share). I know are individual stores in certain areas offering plus or tall size clothes, but these vary by city and region. I'd like to compile of list of any known stores for future reference.

Of course, we all know ordering online is an option and many stores ship to Japan nowadays, but in this post we're referring specifically to stores in Japan.

Q: 

"I'm a 6 foot (around 182cm) guy with 30+cm feet. Where can I buy suits in Tokyo that are light enough for Japanese summer weather and large enough for me, and shoes that fit me without, (pardon the pun) losing my shirt?"

- Kerry

"I'm going to Japan this fall to study abroad for a year and I'm desperately looking for advice from anyone in Japan who might know where I can find plus sized clothing. I'm a size 22 US so I know it's quite a stretch, and I am planning to bring a good supply of clothes with me, but... if the need arises, I'd really like to know where I can find clothes in Japan. Thanks so much! PS: I'll be in Nagoya."

- Victoria

A: Because we received so many responses, I compiled a nice long list in this post, instead.

Japan Summer Survival Guide 2012

It's still May, but summer is just around the corner, and the weather lately, at least here in Shizuoka, has certainly felt like summer weather. I've included a roundup of previous summer-related posts below, although note that some, such as the fireworks festival finder websites, haven't been updated yet for 2012 information (but you'll still be able to get an idea of what festivals are held in your area/wherever you're going, and then can look up this year's info later once it's been confirmed.)

More will be added as any relevant new post are published this summer.


The Rainy Season

First of all, the rainy season has already begun in Okinawa, which means it's likely to start earlier than usual on the main islands as well. It's best to be prepared, so check out these 40 tips to survive the rainy season in Japan. After that, why not read 12 more ideas to get through the sticky season of humidity and sweat? If you're stumped as to what to do in the rain, you'll find several ideas here.

The Bugs 

Once the temps go up, they come in droves. The high-pitched buzzing sound you might be hearing throughout the night - multiple times - is those obnoxious mosquitoes. Here are some ways to defend yourself against them, and how to take care of the bites they leave behind.

Don't forget the roaches. Learn how you can prevent them from making an appearance in your home and how to get rid of them, here.

Body and Home

If you're looking for an alternative to air-conditioning that uses less electricity and saves money, you want to try a "cool air fan."And to help control mold and humidity, keep your veggies fresh longer, and deodorize the air, bamboo charcoal, or "takesumi", is quite useful for that, with the added bonus that it's natural.

And to protect yourself from the sun, you'll want this useful guide to sunscreen in Japan.

Recreation

Want to go to the movies in Japan but not sure how to go about it, or how to find an English movie, etc.? Here's everything you need to know: 7 tips for going to the movies in Japan

To cool off, why not head to the pool, or even a water park? Not sure how to find them? Read this.

Finally, the fireworks festivals usually happen from July through September here in Japan, and they are definitely an event you won't want to miss, so learn how you can find them here.