Originally Posted by
CO FF
What about clothing? I've seen many references to clothing norms in Japan being more upscale than the US. As a middle-aged male tourist, will I be expected to have a jacket & slacks for nice restaurants? Are jeans ok for daily sightseeing, temples, etc.?
Take a look at the UNIQLO “look book” for a glimpse of normal seasonal ware.
https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/lookbook?dptid=men
Make sure you are wearing socks that you are comfortable showing to the world (and/or have a spare pair in your pocket if you tend to sweat a lot down there). Many restaurants (and other buildings/temples) will require you to take your shoes off. You’ve said you are intense travellers, that may involve lots of visits in a day which may involve lots of taking off and putting on shoes. You’ll have to think about shoes that are comfortable but which are easy to remove - this could involve a compromise.
As a visitor who isn’t there on business you get a pass on most of the norms. Only person you need to worry about is the friend you are seeing. Ask them directly what you should wear that day in case he/she wants to take you somewhere “upscale”.
As the UNIQLO website lookbook will show, generally speaking, if you aren’t showing swathes of skin and the colours on display aren’t too ostentatious/obnoxious/tasteless you’re fine.