You wear that to work?

Like many places around the world, there is a lot of construction going on in Japan.  Buildings are going up, being refurbished, and torn down at surprising rates.  Worksites are typically enclosed by tall white temporary walls that hold in dust and debris to not annoy the neighbors too much.  I'm sure it helps with noise, too.

Recently, there has been a lot of buildings in our neighborhood getting repainted.  The building gets wrapped in scaffolding and then a cloth barrier before they start pressure washing and then adding a new color to the exterior of the building. 

I notice the building because of the very strong odor.  But what I typically notice even more is the uniform worn by the construction workers, painters, and other craftsmen.  On the top they wear a form fitting thick jacket made from what looks like to be Carhartt fabric (thick canvas).  The pants are typically very wide, balloon-like pants that get narrow at the calf or ankle. 

Photo courtesy of: are.na

These huge pants have never made sense to me.  Won't the excess fabric get caught in the scaffolding?  Or brush up against the fresh paint?  Or even get caught on a nail and snag? 

After going to the Workman store with my husband, my curiosity only got stronger.  Workman is a brand of outerwear for professionals in Japan.  Their stores sell top quality jackets, shoes, uniforms, and supplies for tradesmen.  They sell things to the general public as well as professionals.  My husband wanted to purchase rain boots and heard theirs were the best since they were created for people to wear them outside for 8+ hours a day.

The Workman brand is so popular with non-tradesmen that they have created a second line of clothing that is more stylish.  These more fashionable outerwear clothes are sold under the Workman Plus brand in stores with the same name.

It turns out that the pants are wide for a variety of reasons.  The pants are considered free flowing and nonrestrictive.  The loose fabric around the knees and hips allow for workers to bend down and climb up easily.  By having loose pants that come back to the body at the ankle or calf, it allows the legs to move more freely while the pants act as a sensor for dangers.  The fabric makes contact with other objects before the leg does, which means the worker doesn't have to look down at his or her foot placement.  The wide pant can also measure the intensity of the wind.  The pants that are tight around the calves improve circulation and reduce fatigue.

After learning all these things about these workpants, I think I might want a pair.  Of course, once I had them on, I'm sure I would quickly change my mind.  They definitely aren't my style and I don't need any of the perks.