I know that I won’t get much sympathy for my struggle but I’ve been fighting a battle to keep my pants from falling down since we came to Japan.  Spoiled by having access to a clothes dryer most of my life I never fully realized the true value of high temperature drying.  Here in Japan we almost always line dry our clothes.  That means that my clothes, especially my pants, don’t get the post wash shrinkage that I am use to.  Until Satomi and I became eco-friendly (out of necessity) I always bought pants that would stay up without a belt when I put them on in the morning.  Sure, they would stretch out a little and sag a bit later in the day but in a pinch I could make it through the day without a belt.  Not now.  With no high-temp shrinkage my pants almost fall to my ankles from the moment I put them on in the morning.  My sag is too much even for a Venice, California teenager!  I can’t make it even a few seconds without a belt.  My whole method of trying on pants is going to have to change if I want to be able to function without a belt.  I’ll have to by things on the small side.  That could be a problem since I already struggle to find my waist size. Maybe tight “skinny” jeans are the way to go.  Then again, do I really want to show people how twiggy my legs really are?  Most likely, I’ll just keep wearing a belt.  Feel free to weigh in with your advice.

-The Green Tea Dreamer

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