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I'm old-fashioned when it comes to bras. I like them in neutral colors and plain designs. No laces, frills and shocking colors. It's for practical reason. I like wearing well-fitting and light-colored tops. If I wear a colorful bra, it will show through. If I wear a lacy bra, it will make creases on my top. I didn't realize it's not easy to find this kind of bra in Japan.
For starters, I didn't know if I looked at the right place. I visited the Shimamura, Entetsu department store, AEON department store, Don Quijote and Uniqlo. They're considerably big stores but their bras are too girly- all lace, foams and frills. They're perfect for those wanting to look nice and cute for their men but that's not my purpose. I just need a simple, plain, white bra! They have plain walking bras but the material is too light it won't cover enough what it's supposed to cover. I don't know if Japan has a special underwear store or something but I didn't find what I was looking for in the stores.
After raiding these stores, I went to Entetsu-One supermarket to buy a drink. Lo and behold! It's where I found the bra closest to what I want. They have no plain whites so I settled with a beige bra with small laces on the bottom of the cup. (It still has laces!) At least the laces aren't on the cup so they won't mar my tops. I felt accomplished after buying that bra. Now, I know where to look.
From this bra-shopping, here are the things I learned:
1. Buy your bra from your home country.
This is the main lesson for me. I should have bought tons of bra when I went home last year. That would have saved me time and money. Not only it's hard to find the kind of bra I want but bras in Japan are pricier. The plainest ones cost about 10 USD. Average frilly bras cost about 20 to 40 USD.
If you needed to buy a bra and can't wait until you get home, take time to window shop to find the bra you need. I would have settled with Shimamura's bras but I wasn't comfortable. I don't want to settle for less just because I was lazy.
2. Take time to fit the bra
In the Philippines, women use inches to measure their bra size. In Japan, they use centimeters. My bra size in Japan is different. Also, half of the bras in Japan I looked at have thick foams. I'm okay with foams (I'm actually thankful for them), but it's not comfortable to wear something that has a bigger foam than the actual flesh. So find the fitting room and try that bra on!
3. Japan is heaven if you want lacy bras
Japan's the perfect place to buy pretty bras, sassy bras and seductive bras. They're everywhere and they really look great. It just so happened that I'm not looking for those kind of bras. But if I ever needed a bra with a personality, I know I can easily get it here.
For more information on bra-shopping in Japan, check these links:
1. Foreigner's Guide for Bra Shopping in Japan
2. The chastity bra that only opens when you find true love
3. How much should you spend on bra?
