Polo shirts and shorts appearing as Japan schools ease uniforms

Japan’s schools are loosening their conservative approach to uniform policy to help teenagers beat the heat.

Some schools are allowing students to wear shorts and polyester polo shirts, increasing comfort and washability, and in some cases discreetly offering a gender-neutral option.

“It dries quickly after getting wet in the rain or soaked with sweat,” said Koki Katafuchi, 17, a third-year student at Ureshino High School’s department of architecture. “It seldom sticks to your skin, so you can move freely in it.”

Children who showed up in short pants at a Japanese high school a decade ago would have faced a stern dressing down. Now, schools are acknowledging that they need to make changes amid higher summer temperatures.

One example is Saga Prefectural Ureshino High School, which last year introduced what it calls a casual style summer uniform of polo shirt and shorts. These can be worn as an alternative to the school’s regular summer uniform.

The change was in response to complaints by students who rode bicycles to school. They said it was simply too hot to wear regular shirts and slacks and yet arrive fully dressed.

The school also had concerns about possible heatstroke.

Ichikawa Junior and Senior High School, a private school in Chiba Prefecture, adopted a similar uniform of shorts and polo shirt last school year.

“It’s so airy!” said a delighted Shun Muraoka, a third-year student in the junior high section who rides to school on a bike.

Muraoka said he cycles around 3 kilometers from JR Ichikawa-Ono Station to the school.

“I would drip with sweat when I had to be in a (regular) shirt,” he said. “I also feel more comfortable in shorts because the cuffs of my pants don’t get caught in the bicycle frame.”

School staff are happy to give the students new options.

“We thought the new uniform would allow our students to beat the heat while also making it easier to do dress inspection and discipline by teachers,” said Yasushi Tsuzuki, 64, a teacher at Muraoka’s school, who is also in charge of out-of-school behavior.

The school set about making the change by polling the students and their parents. Then it picked out a polo shirt in white and navy blue, using an all-polyester fabric that dries quickly.

Tsuzuki said the shirt was well received by parents, who find it easy to wash.

The shorts are made of the same fabric as the summer slacks, only with shorter legs.

Japan’s summer days are growing hotter. From 1910-1939, average nationwide temperatures hit 35 degrees or above less than one day a year.

Over the latest 30 years, the mercury hit that level on 2.9 days a year, according to Japan Meteorological Agency records. This is a 3.8-fold increase in frequency.

GENDERLESS OPTION

Shorts and polo shirts are a popular combination. The private Chikushidai High School in Fukuoka Prefecture adopted a similar set last year, calling it a quasi-uniform.

But in this case, the combo’s genderless nature was a draw, school officials said. Students are free to wear the set any time they like, not just during the summer heat.

“It is up to the individual students to consider day to day how they should be dressed to be comfortable,” said Seiji Kanamori, 58, a vice principal with Chikushidai High school.

Meikei High School, a combined junior and senior high school in Ibaraki Prefecture, introduced a shorts-and-polo uniform in the 2017 school year after school staff discovered that schools in Britain and Australia had adopted those clothing items.

The ratio of students wearing shorts remains low, but polo shirts in navy blue have been well received by female students, who don’t have to worry about their underwear showing through, the school officials said.

LEAVE IT UNTUCKED

Officials of Kanko Gakuseifuku Co., a school uniform manufacturer based in Okayama, said orders are up for shorts and other summer items.

Kanko officials said over the past few years they have recommended polo shirts to about 60 percent of their client schools.

The company has data to support its argument. In 2017, Kanko measured the body heat released by a regular short-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of slacks. Raise the temperature, and the person needs to lose more heat.

But it calculated that the person could tolerate a rise of 1.5 degrees without discomfort when wearing an untucked polo shirt with slacks. The untucked shirt loses more heat.

And if the wearers stepped into a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, they could withstand an ambient temperature 6.7 degrees higher. That’s the shorts effect.

Allowing a shirt to remain untucked can have a big effect on heat loss.

Naomichi Tomita, who taught science at a junior high school in Gunma Prefecture, used thermography in 2018 to compare body surface temperatures. Tomita measured four students after physical exercise, two with their shirt tucked in and two untucked.

The surface temperature was about 4 degrees cooler on those whose shirts hung loose.

“I assume the shirttail hanging out basically allows you to feel less hot because it’s airier that way, although things may depend on the fabric being used,” said Tomita, 67.

(This article was written by Tomoko Yamashita and Katsumi Mitsugi.)