When School Uniforms Change but the Weather Doesn’t

Japan’s koromogae reveals how schools and households mark the seasons — and adapt when the calendar and temperature no longer agree.

The Weather Did Not Change Overnight

The temperature can be almost the same as it was the day before. Yet on a morning train or on the walk to school in Japan, the season may suddenly look different.

The dark jackets are gone, and white shirts stand out in their place. Or winter uniforms have returned even though the morning still feels more like late summer.

Japan has a word for this seasonal change: koromogae. It can mean reorganizing the clothes in a household wardrobe, putting one season away and bringing out another. In schools and workplaces, it can also refer to switching between summer and winter clothing.

Clothes are usually chosen for the weather we feel that day. So why has koromogae often followed the calendar instead? And what happens when the weather no longer moves as neatly as the calendar suggests?

“Summer Uniform Tomorrow”

When I was in elementary and junior high school, the timing was fixed. We changed from winter uniforms to summer uniforms in June, then back again in October.