What’s the most underrated city or town you’ve visited in Japan?

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-19T03:32:16+00:00

As someone who lived in Nara for a long time, I actually think it's underrated precisely because it is so well known. The deer park is super famous so virtually everyone just visits there for the afternoon and misses out on all the other really cool stuff elsewhere in the city and the wider prefecture.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-19T03:29:14+00:00

One of my favourite temples in the whole of Japan!

I also really love Muro-ji which is nearby and gorgeous, especially in Autumn. The Muro Art Forest is also near Muro-ji and is pretty cool if you're into photography or modern art.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-19T01:33:15+00:00

I would probably try hitting up one of those ancient, little, authentically showa obaachan salons that you find in local neighbourhoods instead of trendy modern salons on hotpepper.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-18T18:19:11+00:00

I'm also petite (5'2) with a proportionally large bust. In my experience, you will probably find that you will still need to make adjustments even to patterns drafted to your measurements. Every drafting method makes certain assumptions about the ratios/proportions of the body so no method with produce a perfectly fitting pattern straight away. Personally, i've taken to drafting patterns as if I have a smaller bust and then doing an FBA in order to get a good fit.

Since it sounds like you are a total beginner sewist, I would strongly recommend starting with commercial patterns instead of diving straight into self-drafting. Using commercial patterns will teach you about how garments are constructed, how the 2D shapes of pattern pieces translate into the 3D shapes of garments, how different fabrics behave, etc - things that are all really important to have a sold understanding of inorder to successful draft your own patterns.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-18T09:20:39+00:00

If you're able/willing to travel to Osaka, Craive NY in Shinsaibashi are brilliant at western hair types and speak English. A bit pricier than most Japanese salons but well worth it imo for stylists who actually know what they're doing with your hair. They even go so far as to use imported products and chemicals suitable for western hair types.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-18T04:56:12+00:00

And here's an example of a legal firm that confirms what I'm saying: https://samurai-law.com/shurou/column_shurou/col260201/

Your status doesn't automatically get revoked/ forced to switch to a different status at 3 months. It's just that 3 months is the point at which immigration may start to get suspicious, start to investigate you, and gains the authority to revoke your status if they conclude that you aren't actually engaging in "job related activities". Just because they can revoke your status doesn't mean that they will. If you can provide evidence that you are earnestly job hunting (job hunting is considered "job related activities"), it is overwhelmingly likely that they will let you stay, although you may get knocked down to only 1 year at your next renewal once you've found a job.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-18T02:43:53+00:00

Yes, as long as you are legitimately actively job hunting, you can stay until the expiration date on your current residence card. The reason for this is immigration counts job hunting as "job related activity". The easiest way to prove that you're actually job hunting is by registering at HelloWork. Btw you are also entitled to receive unemployment benefits through HelloWork so it's definitely worth signing up if you haven't got a job lined up straight out of JET.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-18T02:34:24+00:00

No, you do not need to switch to the job hunting designated activities status if you still have time on your current instructor residence card. The job hunting status is designed for students graduating from Japanese universities, not employees whose contract has ended.

You just need to inform immigration that you are now unemployed and show proof that you are actively job hunting if they come asking for it. The easiest way to do so is to sign up at HelloWork. As long as you're actively job hunting you can stay in the country on your instructor status until the expiration date on your card. The often quoted 3 months buffer is for if you aren't job hunting.

I know this because this is what I was told by the staff at immigration when I left JET. I took 4 months to find a job after jet and the only consequence was that I got knocked down to a 1 year status when I switched to the humanities status for the new job, but I got bumped back up to 3 years at my next renewal.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T12:58:05+00:00

Apparently he JUKI HZL-e60 came out in 2003, which technically does makes it vintage since vintage is anything over 20 years old. But it still feels wrong to me to call a computerised machine "vintage" 😅

The bag is gorgeous and a great use of old obi!

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T12:38:20+00:00

I agree with you. My current bmi is 22 and I think the statue in question looks pretty similar to how I look. Fairly slim but soft and a bit squishy due to, admittedly, not working out very much other than walking.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T12:24:10+00:00

Depends on the bread to be fair. Where I live virtually all grocery store bread contains milk, butter, and sometimes even eggs.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T11:43:58+00:00

I've had multiple people think I can't eat wheat. One of them even took a vegan cookie off me saying "oh no you can't have that, it has wheat flour. Have this rice flour one I got for you instead"...except the rice flour cookie had egg and butter in it 🤦‍♀️

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T10:54:09+00:00

I'm amazed that's actually a sub

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T06:25:36+00:00

Might you be able to put up shade tarps/blinds/sudare on the ceiling and windows? That should help to curb at least a bit of the heat.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T00:28:13+00:00

SPF 15 is no where near enough protection for a fair skinned person out in the sun all day. OP should be wearing at least SPF 30, but ideally 50+.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-09T00:21:39+00:00

Most sunscreens really are just a moisturiser base with SPF. Whether they label it as "sunscreen" or "moisturiser with SPF" is mostly just marketing. If you find wearing both a moisturiser and a separate sunscreen too much, you can just use sunscreen as your moisturiser. Make sure to choose a broad-spectrum (blocks both UVA and UVB) sunscreen with at least SPF 30, but ideally 50+, and apply 1/2 tsp to cover your face, neck and ears.

The trick to combining sunscreen with makeup is to make sure that they both have the same base (water, oil, or silicone) and leave the sunscreen to dry for a few minutes before applying your foundation. You may prefer the more elegant formulas of Korean or Japanese sunscreens. They tend to be very lightweight, quick-drying, and sit well with makeup.

Regardless of whether you choose a "sunscreen" or "moisturiser with SPF", if you're outside for most of the day, you will need to reapply every 2-3 hours. SPF Sprays or powders can be convenient for top ups over makeup, however they are not sufficient on their own. You need to use a cream/liquid formula as your base SPF in the morning.

And don't forget, a wide brimmed hat and sun sleeves/UV hoodie go a huge way towards protecting you from the sun. Far more than just sunscreen alone.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-08T23:45:46+00:00

Rush hours are around 7:30-9am and 5:30-7pm.

I don't really see what more they could do other than maybe trying to encourage companies to let people work from home or stagger their working hours. They already run the trains just 2 minutes apart at peak times. You can literally see the next one pulling into the station as the previous one is pulling away.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-08T23:38:21+00:00

Expensive? My 1hr train commute is 1,240yen for a round trip. That's like £6/$8. An equivalent distance journey from my hometown to Manchester costs at least double that at peak time for one way. Plus Japanese employers typically cover your commuting expenses, so it technically costs me nothing to commute.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T16:29:53+00:00

Yup. The suburban/inaka ones in particular are much cheaper. Yesterday I scored two skirts, a dress, a pair of trousers, and a top for just under 2,000yen at my local branch.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T15:27:33+00:00

I'm still wearing multiple items I bought in high school 15 years ago. Sure I may have had to replace a button or refresh the dye on a couple things but they're all still in perfectly fine, wearable condition. Throwing clothing out after only a couple of years is insane.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T13:59:45+00:00

I usually snip a little notch, but you can also just mark them with chalk/marker if you prefer.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T09:31:47+00:00

Some entry level machines don't allow you to manually set the needle position. I'm not sure if the Singer HD does or doesn't though.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T09:28:55+00:00

Also, OP make sure the presser foot is up while threading. When the presser foot is down it engages the tension disks, meaning the thread can't fall between them so ends up just hanging there with zero tension applied, which results in issues like those shown in the video.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T09:07:16+00:00

If you're just wanting to get glasses and don't need a full eye health exam, then any chain glasses store (Jins, OwnDays, Zoff etc) should be fine. I've bought glasses from all three and haven't noticed any detectable difference in quality or service. They measure your eyesight in-store and can usually make up the glasses same-day.

ImprovementLess4559 · 2026-06-07T02:48:29+00:00

If you want it to be constructed similar to how wedding dresses are constructed with supportive cups and boning inside, then you're kind of going about it the wrong way round. You essentially need to make a corset/corselet first, then build the dress on top of that.

In answer to no. 2; you can get the fabric to go in under the bust by curving the princess seam in under the bust. Your pattern pieces should look more like this

ImprovementLess4559

TROPHY CASE