Shopping Challenges

I'm a little strange in that I'm a woman who doesn't enjoy shopping. I like it to explore for strange things and Engrish and get out of the heat or cold, mostly. When I need something, I tend to just go get it then leave, as long as I'm not distracted and can find what I want quickly.

Maybe the annoying greetings are my least favorite part. It's definitely not one of the parts of Japanese culture that I've gotten used to. It drives me crazy that shop staff use the polite high pitched and nasaly voice. (It catches me off guard when I sometimes make polite comments in Japanese with a tiny bit of that in my voice... it becomes unconscious I suppose. )

I'm lucky in that things actually fit me better in Japan than back home because I'm of the average height for Japanese women. It took a little time to get used to the measurements and to learn what size I am in the metric system. These days, the clothes for women are quite on the large side too, so I often feel like my size would be too big. I guess I just don't like the current style of flowy oversized clothes. They feel either too bulky or like they're going to slide off.

Of course some items are still a challenge for my height, which is strange. For example finding pants that fit the length of my legs is always hard. I find that when I try on any 'cropped pants,' they are about the right length for long pants on me. I'm guessing tons of Japanese women have this problem as well, so maybe they shorten the pants? Maybe it's a proportion problem in that I'm short but not a size xs or small.

I wish I could shop online, but I feel a need to touch the fabric and see the actual color before being confident I want to even try anything on.

I also find that my age is a little tricky. Clothes are usually marketed to teens and women in their twenties, maybe thirties. Other than that it's something a grandmother would wear. There isn't a lot of clothing marketed towards women in their 40s or even 50s.

I end up sticking with my favorite, Mujirushi, for neutral tones, natural fabrics, and not crazy prices for quality basic products. 

These days I think there is more flexibility for womens' clothing sizes. Do you have any luck with Japanese clothing or are the sizes impossible for you? Do you just wait for visits home to do clothes shopping?