Bic Uniform’s Ueno store sells the unglamorous stuff of Japanese construction sites — coveralls, safety boots, hi-vis vests. It’s not on any sightseeing itinerary. Yet lately, a growing share of its customers are tourists from Taiwan, Spain, Australia, and Russia, some spending more in a single visit than a contractor outfitting an entire crew.
What’s pulling them in is a Japanese invention from the early 2000s: a jacket or vest with a small built-in fan that cools the wearer through simple airflow and sweat evaporation, originally designed for people who have no choice but to work outdoors through Japan’s increasingly brutal summers. A new 2025 workplace safety law made it near-standard gear on Japanese job sites — and around the same time, word of it spread through overseas social networks until foreign visitors started making up a real share of sales at this one unglamorous shop.
The spending has been surprising for workwear, with some single visits reportedly running into six figures in yen. But there’s a pricing detail almost nobody mentions online: the cheap number you’ll see quoted for this item usually covers only part of what you actually need to make it work.
Want to know exactly which parts you have to buy together, the real total cost, and why one Instagram post from a single overseas visitor set this whole trend in motion? Read the complete guide on [ Medium → ]
Recommended gear for this:
Fan-cooled work vest (USB rechargeable battery type)
portable USB power bank
moisture-wicking base layer shirt
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