Autumnal wear....

[autumnheart]

I'm going to Tokyo for a week on Wednesday.

The last I checked, the weather will be around 12 to 20 degrees depending on the time of the day and the strength of the wind (and of course, the rain, if any).

I bought a long (3/4) wool coat from Zara for cold weather but don't know if it'll be an overkill?
If I wear that, does it mean I can wear short sleeve inside?
I'm only going sight-seeing and shopping (no Mt Fuji or Disney).

On one hand, I'm one who's very afraid of cold (always have cold palms and feet), yet on the other hand, I don't want to bring too many clothes/cardi/thick jackets and leave no space for shopping!
That coat is taking up half my luggage, so if I bring a short thinner jacket, more space will be gone!

Help please!

[Aphrael]

Tokyo isn't that cold until Jan/Feb when it starts snowing and the snow melts. Most malls are heated and you won't be spending much time out of doors unless you live very far from the stations, which will probably be the main mode of transport. I'd say all you need is a short-medium length jacket. A full coat will be too much and you have to carry it in the malls as it will be too warm, which can get heavy. Having said that, Tokyo isn't that much of a shopper's paradise anymore. Enjoy the trip, but be prepared for mostly window shopping apart from makeup.

[autumnheart]

Honestly, I don't think there's much to buy since it'll be mostly autumn/winter stuff there now.


guess I'll eat and walk there.


Thanks!

[babyflite]

Why don't you hand carry the coat instead? Most people take their coats up with them as like you said, coats take up too much space in the luggage and also you might need it the moment you arrive and step out of the airport.

Personally unless if the weather is under 10 degrees, I don't really wear a full wool coat. I get by with a cardi/jumper underneath a medium weight jacket. But, I can take the cold quite well compared to most people. If you're the sort that gets cold very easily then it might be a good idea to take the coat along.

Anyway if the weather is good and the sun is out, you can probably get away with wearing a short sleeve shirt underneath your coat/jacket. However if it's windy, it can feel a lot colder. I recommand you to layer. Wear a tee/shirt inside, and then another cardigan or jumper followed by the coat. You don't need to bring that many jumpers. Since you're wearing another layer underneath (plus you don't really perspire in winter), the jumper doesn not really get dirty so you can wear it at least 2 or 3 times. Another adventage about layering is that you might want to take off your coat sometimes when you're indoors coz of the heating but it may still be too cold to just walk around in a thin tshirt.

Do you have cashmere cardis/jumpers? If so bring them along as they're thin and easier to pack compared to wool ones and they keep you just as warm.

For a week trip, you should be able to get by with the coat/jacket, one tee/shirt for each day (bring both short and long sleeve so you can wear whichever depending on the weather), 2-3 jumpers/cardis (likewise a thinner and thicker one will be good)and of coz don't forget a scarf and beanie since you lose a lot of heat through your head.

[Aphrael]

Enjoy the sushi, but I found that the food was best in Osaka, at the main shopping district of Umeda (mei2 tian2). There's a steakhouse which uses Australian beef and it's named after the Australian town of Whyalla. Best steak I ever had. Tokyo's food is very metro, and is altered from most of the authethic tastes, while Kyoto is more traditional and tends to be watered down. Osaka gets the best of both worlds. A bit OT, but I couldn't help but think of it. Also, I bought tons more stuff at the Umeda chikagai in Osaka than Tokyo. But Harajuku, Shibuya are pretty fun to walk around in. Can't say the same about Shinjuku or Ginza, very forbidding. A week in Tokyo is way too long but if you want to get out of the country for some fresh air it's a good change of environment. Shinagawa is a good hotel district to stay in, close to the station and it does have some small malls, though hugely expensive. You can actually take the Shinkansen to visit other cities ... Yokohama is close to Tokyo and there are quite a few malls just next to the station, including Marui, which I love visiting. It also has specialty shops which have a more Japanese feel. HTHS.

[autumnheart]

thank you so much for the info.
are you staying in Japan?

after deducting 1st and last day, we actually only have 4 full days.
(leaivng on 15th, 5pm flight, so only half a day left)

will be staying at Shinjuku area, near the west entrance of the station.
might venture out if time permits.
we haven't really plan our schedule yet.
most probably visiting one area each day.



(opps... better not get off-topic, else it'll be shifted to the "tokyo/Japan" thread)

back to autumnal wear, i find jeans not really good at keeping cold out.
would corduroy be good?

[baobei]

Corduroy would be good, but might seem to be overkill.

I usually do well with thick cotton pants, or sometimes just polarfleece jogger pants tucked into knee high boots ( horse riding look )

[Aphrael]

Nah, you don't want to be wearing thick pants in the mall, just restricts movement. It's seriously not that cold, and Japan doesn't have cold winds like Beijing or Sydney. At least not when there aren't any tsunamis.

I don't live in Japan, just went there quite a few times so I've been to most of the cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sapporo. Would still like to go to Otaru in Hokkaido and Fukuoka, since I didn't get to spend much time there.

[babyflite]

I agree with Aphrael, you don't need super thick pants. If you find jeans not warm enough, you can always just wear woolen stockings or thermal underpants / long johns inside. They may not be the most fashionable but they do help to keep your legs warm.

[autumnheart]

the corduroy i have are not the usual thick kind.
just simple Giordano which I think is much thinner than the usual?

now I really don't know if I should bring the coat.
:roll:

[babyflite]

It might be safer to bring it along if you're the sort that gets cold easily? Also since it's a 3/4 coat it will help to keep the top half of your legs warm if you find jeans not warm enough. But if you decide not to then just make sure your jumper/cardi is thick enough.

[visee]

I just came back from Japan about over a week ago. Tokyo was quite chilly, esp in the mornings and evenings/night. But during the day is quite ok, about 12-14 degrees.

I think the 3/4 wool coat should be ok. You can just hand carry it just in case. Although while I was there, the gals mostly wore shorter jackets or thin 3/4 coats. Some wore really nice fur lined denim jackets. Paired with either pants or jeans, or skirts with knee high boots.

Quite similar to the coats at this website:

http://www.0101.co.jp/topics/ad_train/

For my trip, I also brought a 3/4 wool coat and a short fleece jacket with me, but ended up wearing the jacket more often cos it was more body fitting and kept me more warm. My wool coat was a M size and while it was thicker, it was looser and didn't keep me as warm. So it'll be better to wear a long sleeve top inside if your coat is loose so the air doesn't get in as easily. I think just two layers should be ok, a long sleeve top inside the jacket and jeans/pants. The shops are all heated and the air is only chilly outside. I wore thicker socks inside my shoes and it was warm enough.

Yeah, not much clothes to buy at this moment cos its mainly the autumn/winter fashion (ie coats, jackets and loads of knitted stuff). My major stash was food and cosmetics!

Enjoy your trip!

[autumnheart]

<img src="http://a1216.g.akamai.net/f/1216/955/6h/images2.nordstrom.com/images/store/product/large/128986.jpg" width=300>

mine is something like this and I really don't know if it'll be an overkill.

I haven't cut the tag yet, so I was thinking of going back to Zara and have a look later during lunch time (quite rush though).
If I can find something shorter, I will get a refund + exchange, else I think I will have to stick to it.
(flying off tomorrow 6am)

I got it in size small, so it's not too bulky.
Still, the length makes it heavy.

I'm in such a BIG dilemna now!
I'm quite afraid of cold, so I'm scared that I'll regret it if I get a shorter one, but yet, I don't want to be bringing this big coat and end up wearing a thinner, shorter one.
*sigh*

[littlemiss]

I think your coat is alright, the most important thing is a scarf, when it get cold, you just need to wrap around your neck. If you are really afraid of cold, you might want to get a glove as it's quite cold at night.

You should bring the coat onboard too, it's might be cold when you touch down into narita airport and when you are in your transportation to the hotel.

[visee]

I think your coat is ok. Better to be warmer than freezing cold! And a 3/4 coat is more versatile for winter as well.

If you're only going to be there for 4 days, I think one coat would suffice, bring it with you on the plane, and wear a thicker long sleeve top on the first day just to see if you're comfortable with the weather. Jeans are quite ok actually. I wore jeans throughout my entire trip there, even when we went to colder areas where the temp was less than 10 degrees.

A scarf or pashmina would be good if you're really afraid of the cold. Gloves may not be necessary unless you're going to be outside most of the time. I didn't use either although I had them around.

Have fun!