Melvin Durai
Among the many commendable ways to conserve energy during hot weather, I’d like to applaud Japan’s latest initiative: allowing government workers to wear shorts in the office. I love shorts. Just ask my wife, and she’ll tell you that shorts are my preferred mode of dressing, whether I’m going to the gym, relaxing around the house or attending a fancy wedding. My wife, of course, would keep me from wearing shorts to a wedding, telling me that it’s inappropriate to wear anything that might cause the bride’s mother to faint. After you’ve spent months, perhaps years, planning a wedding, the last thing you want to see is a man’s hairy legs. Women who work in government offices in Tokyo, however, are not being spared the sight of hairy legs. As The New York Times reported, some of them are not happy about this.
The Japanese news media is even using the term “sune-ha ra,” which means “leg-hair harassment.” I’ve heard of leg-hair harass ment before, but it’s usually men being harassed over their hairy legs. Well, perhaps not “men,” but certainly “boys.” Back in my high school days in Zambia, when shorts were part of the uniform, nobody wanted to be the boy with the hairiest legs. He was usually an Indian boy like me with enough hair on his legs to require a daily brushing. I say “usually” because, every now and then, a European student would join our school and give the Indian boy a run for his money. Needless to say, having the hairiest legs meant that you had to endure quite a bit of teasing. But for the boy with the hairiest legs, it was always a consolation that there were a number of other boys, including me, who weren’t too far behind. It’s always good to have company. Indeed, some Japanese men were reluctant to wear shorts, but after seeing their co-workers doing so, they’ve decided to embrace this new dress code. It’s the latest installment of the “Cool Biz” initiative that Japan’s Environment Minis try introduced a decade ago, encouraging workers to wear more comfortable clothing during summer months in order to tolerate higher temperatures in the office.
By setting thermostats to 28 degrees Celsius, the air conditioners do not have to use as much energy. That temperature may not seem that high, but try working eight hours in a suit, and you might soon be filing a suit. Before shorts were permitted, “Cool Biz” allowed workers to opt out of wearing suits, neckties and long-sleeved shirts.
Now they get to wear shorts and perhaps eventually tank tops. That would allow them to go straight from the office to the gym. As you might expect, some of the men are treading carefully, trying to minimise the possibility of leg-hair harassment. As The Times reported, 53-year-old Noboru Watanabe, an environmental official in Tokyo, asked a woman who works under him, 23-year-old Ruai Sajiki, if it was okay for him to expose his legs to her. She gave her consent. “I’ve seen my own father’s legs, so I’m personally comfortable with it,” she said. “It can’t be helped that there are many opinions, and some women who feel resistance.” Watanabe can now be found wearing shorts and a T-shirt in the office. “Everyone says I look younger,” he said. “I seem more approachable. I feel I am helping relax the whole office.” It’s worth noting, however, that his shorts are quite long, covering his knees. But his attire is far more casual from what he wore before: trousers, a starched shirt, a jacket and a necktie. Some Japanese commenters find the dress code unfair to women, as they can’t wear shorts without also wearing pantyhose or shaving their legs. This is true. It’s time to distribute razors to all the men.
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