Newbie needs advice!

Welcome to Expat.com, eriqhenri!
You're message has been transferred to Nagoya's forum to enable a better visibility and responses.
Wishing you good luck in this new venture
Maybe the network of American expatriates in Nagoya could be helpful for some specific questions, such as the clothing?
Good luck
Arlette

Thank you Arlette!!!

Sounds like you are going to be an assistant language teacher. Your offer is what is being offered now days. You might look at Freebell apartments in downtown Nagoya if you want a lower rent. Almost everything is included or just a slight charge.

I commute an hour and a half each way to school. I take two subways and the bus to get to my work. Yes, it is a long commute. At least the subway I use for most of the trip is not too crowded so I can get a seat. But now that you know what the commute can be you really need to decide if you can handle it. It is a long boring commute.

I find eating out too expensive because the portion size here is so small. I eat at home almost always and I do use the "Cook Do" packages and just add meat and vegetables. I find the fish here to look like fish we would bait our hook with back home. Also I find I just like meat, the smell and everything else about it.

Driving is too expensive here. At my apartment complex a parking space runs about 45000 yen a month. If you fill up your tank expect to pay about 8000 yen. Subways arent cheap so make sure your employer pays your travel cost. I spend about 1000 yen a day getting to and from work.

Hopefully this has been helpful.

Hi-
It's easier to buy your size clothes (and especially shoes) before you get here.  Also, Land's End and Nordstrom's ship here.
Best Wishes!

I think you should stock up on clothing before coming to Japan. My husband and I both cannot wear the sizes here. For foot wear we can find crocs and slippers in our size which is about an American 8 to 8.5.

The Japanese people describe themselves as being flat with the western people being round. That is somewhat true although I am seeing a fair amount of Japanese teenagers and adults with a lot of weight, meaning they need much bigger clothes than what is being sold here.

Japanese women tend to have a longer torso, shorter legs, no butt and a very slight bust. Basically they do not have much in the way of curves which is different from most western women. That is why it is difficult to find anything that fits here.

The men here tend to have narrow shoulders, very very thin frame, and very short legs. My husband cannot find jackets, shirts or pants that can fit him here either.

Another interesting thing that I have been told by Japanese women is that traditional clothes are still made the same way that they always have. They havent taken in account that people are taller and wider. Therefore many Japanese women who would like to wear a kimono cant. That made me feel better when I couldnt fit into a kimono.

I was able to find a larger size sandal for my son while I was in Kyoto. He wears a 10.5 to 11. So if you are in a place where tourists are, you might find larger sizes. Not many tourist actually visit Nagoya.

Even though I cant wear the kimonos, I shop for them at the flea markets at the temples and cut them up and sew quilts and bags out of the fabric. I have also noticed a number of older Japanese women who do the same thing, sewing purses, bags, and making shirts with the fabric.

Just one more bit of information, I saw on a video blog that JC Pennys actually will ship to Japan.

VERY good information! I'm not a small guy. A corn fed midwesterner so I've alway's had a challenge here in SE Asia.
So funny you mentioned JC Penny. I'm know them well...Target too.
They also have much better prices I suspect than in Nagoya. I'll be doing my shopping before! Thanks a bunch!

eriqhenri wrote:

Hi All. Long time expat here with a offer in Nagoya. Anyone care to chime in? Theyre offering 260.000 minus 62.000 for a VERY nice apt. Will I starve? lol. Also...shall I stock up on US clothing pre-move? Regarding sizes and cost? I'm in the Phillipines now so own NO cold weather wear.

hi! how are you doing? are you still in the Philippines? im glen BTW, im from Manila Philippines, and ive been staying here in nagoya for 3 years now.

it would be nice if you could bring some clothes w/ you because its really hard to find a size that fits you right, im not that big but i've had problems buying clothes/shoes here.

i think  philippine's clothing size is generally bigger compare to the Japs.
since Philippines is a tropical country, its very hard to find winter clothes but since we have a lot of Malls (and i mean A LOT) that offers US brands i think you can find one.
and also its really fun to shop their because the price is cheaper and there's a lot to choose from compare here where its kinda expensive (but you can always buy from discount shops if you dont mind using used but not abused clothes) and the shopping malls are not that big  (you'll know what i mean when you get here)

if there's any thing you need to know just feel free to ask.

eriqhenri wrote:

Hi All. Long time expat here with a offer in Nagoya. Anyone care to chime in? Theyre offering 260.000 minus 62.000 for a VERY nice apt. Will I starve? lol. Also...shall I stock up on US clothing pre-move? Regarding sizes and cost? I'm in the Phillipines now so own NO cold weather wear.

You won't starve, but you won't have much extra money to travel or do fun things. I would say to find some kind of parttime tutoring or something as well to give you a bit more financial leeway.

You should probably stock up on all your basics for clothes. Though it is certainly possible to get clothes that fit here unless you are extremely tall. My husband is 5'11" and generally has no problem aside sleeves being slightly short. Uniqlo is a great place. And in Nagoya, you wouldn't have any problems.

Shoes depends on the size you were. I would again, bring basics (work shoes, indoor shoes, athletic shoes, sandals) and then you can look for other shoes if necessary. Nagoya will most certainly have stores that provide larger than average sizes. There is also Amazon.jp, and of course, you can order online from many different stores. My husband wears about 10.5-11 shoe size in general, and he can usually find athletic shoes.

And, you will definitely want some cold weather clothes (thicker jacket, long sleeves, etc.) for winter here. Though you can probably find basics at stores like Uniqlo, Gap, etc.

For more info about what you may need, you can check out this site:

survivingnjapan.com/2010/07/moving-to-japan-read-this-first.html

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask me questions at any time.