Hi- the title of this question may sound like it's super unrelated to the sub, but I promise it's not unrelated haha. I'm currently in the "maybe, maybe not" stage of a MEXT scholarship- and so I can't know for sure, but there exists a possibility I'll be spending three years in Japan. My worry is that the amount of time between finding out about scholarship results and the plane leaving to Japan is not too big, and because it's a long stay, I'd ideally want to bring clothes to avoid having to buy a lot of stuff there.
My big worry is how I dress. I know that Japan isn't a stereotypical all-button ups and long pants land where people will faint if they see a midriff. Obviously, the people in big cities will be more used to stuff than people in the countryside, or people who live on beach areas, etc. Still, cultural differences are a thing, and I basically want to know how badly my usual clothing would stand out so I can maybe slowly thrift some more 'tasteful' articles of clothing just in case I do get the scholarship (and if I don't, well, new clothes to soothe the sting I guess).
I usually dress in a rather 'exposed' manner, aka lots of crop tops, miniskirts, low rise pants with thongs, etc, due to living in a warm and humid country. I'm a uni student and most of my time is spent either on-campus or around campus, and as such, it's really not odd for women to dress less conservatively. I have my nips and midriff pierced (and am considering hip piercings), so usually I like to dress in manners that show them off (no bra, low rise pants with crop tops, blah blah). It's not really an attention thing (nobody really cares too much, because as I said, uni campus, there's weirder people out there), and it's something I'm comfortable in, but I'm also aware that it's probably because it's more culturaly acceptable here. I don't want to stand out more than I will as a foreigner if I do go to Japan, and with limited suitcase space if I do go, I'd love to know if I should prioritize more tastefu covered clothing and leave behind the croptops and minishorts and whatnot, or if it's something nobody will care much about.
by myceliiumz