Stiff Starch Shirts: The Japanese Method

[Choeki]

They're harder to iron but surely a lot more comfortable. [huh]

I'll start off by saying I don't approve of starch either, but one of those "Clean Soap" bars would be really handy. Thanks for the info! Do you know of any U.S. brands that make something similar?

I also enjoyed the look into Japanese lifestyle regarding laundry. Most people here in the States would never get by without a dryer. I hang dry all my shirts; the average machine dryer can take a lot of life out of one, even set to low.

Great thread! I also recommend this being stickied.

Funny you should ask about the "Clean Soap" bar - I purchased it from a Daiso 100-yen store about six years ago so it has served me very well for the amount of money I paid for it (around $1 USD). Daiso has opened up shop in the US at several locations in the Northwest US and should be moving across the US with other branches shortly, so you should be able to buy the exact product soon enough. As for a product that is generally available in the US, I can't really say that there is anything like it with much confidence. However, I would suggest you take a look at any local Asian supermarkets - they may have small section for household cleaners that may also include cakes of hard laundry soap that may have the same effect if rubbed directly on sweat stains.

Regarding dryers though, again: it's not that they don't exist in Japan, rather they're generally expensive and take up valuable space. Newer luxury class washers have a dryer built-in, but I have seen few people owning them in my area. My aunt in Tokyo owns an older one, but only uses it in the wintertime while my younger cousin that got married to an executive working for an advertising firm in Tokyo bought one of the luxury models (to go with their new house). There are laundromat facilities available all over Japan as well and I have seen people bring their laundry from home just to use the dryers. These are usually younger working class types though where both spouses work and can't afford to hang laundry up while at work or overnight. The odd thing though is that no one really seems to use dryer sheets (such as "Bounce" and other dryer use fabric softeners) so the results of using the dryer can be unpleasant if the wash beforehand was not done completely or properly.

Nevertheless, I mentioned before that I do not dry my laundry outside due to the high possibility of soiling due to weather and animals as well as the air quality. However the mitigating factor here is that I live in a post-industrial area that borders a declining subsistence based agricultural community and commercial port. UV damage is also a factor as related to synthetic fabrics, which is generally multiplied when using a large quantity of starch on colored clothing. Having had to throw away a quantity of clothing due to the color fading in the sunlight effectively turned me completely off hanging up clothes outside even on pleasant days. In a major city like Tokyo though, the air quality is much better since the pollution controls instigated by Gov. Ishihara regarding diesel vehicles was put into effect (i.e. all diesel vehicles were outlawed for use in Tokyo), so I'm sure the results would be somewhat different there than where I happen to live.

 

[jamespowers]

Racist?!?! It's sexist! But seriously, jamespowers has achieved Don Rickles-like immunity in these parts.

Likely not. It was Choeki who mentioned MacArthur so I just went with it.
As for those who think it is racist, you seriously are looking for something that is not there. You obviously know nothing about me, who I am married to or how I think.
I love online forums and people taking affense at every little thing. So many ideas---so little reality. :eusa_doh:

 

[Jovan]

Funny you should ask about the "Clean Soap" bar - I purchased it from a Daiso 100-yen store about six years ago so it has served me very well for the amount of money I paid for it (around $1 USD). Daiso has opened up shop in the US at several locations in the Northwest US and should be moving across the US with other branches shortly, so you should be able to buy the exact product soon enough. As for a product that is generally available in the US, I can't really say that there is anything like it with much confidence. However, I would suggest you take a look at any local Asian supermarkets - they may have small section for household cleaners that may also include cakes of hard laundry soap that may have the same effect if rubbed directly on sweat stains.

Regarding dryers though, again: it's not that they don't exist in Japan, rather they're generally expensive and take up valuable space.

Thanks for the tip.

I realize that isn't the case, I was just saying that despite anyone's income here, no one will seem to go without one.

 

[Vintage Betty]

I agree with Weston that this should also be made a sticky, as Choeki's dissertation on how to starch a shirt is very informative, erudite and above all, a very interesting read. Two thumbs up Choeki! I enjoy reading all your posts! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

I just re-read Mr. Choeki entire starch dissertation, this time on my computer instead of my mobile device. It's excellent and even better with the pictures full size!

And yes, I also agree this should be made a sticky. Thank you for taking the time to do this thread and the pictures.

Vintage Betty

 

[volatile]

God. I hate ironing.

 

[jamespowers]

God. I hate ironing.

You too eh?

 

[dakotanorth]

Ironing?

You too eh?

I found that ironing was one of the few ways to keep my hands warm, in the winter. This was typically needed in the midwest, but considering the low 45 degrees around here at night...?

 

[LaMedicine]

.
In a major city like Tokyo though, the air quality is much better since the pollution controls instigated by Gov. Ishihara regarding diesel vehicles was put into effect (i.e. all diesel vehicles were outlawed for use in Tokyo), so I'm sure the results would be somewhat different there than where I happen to live.

I beg to differ here. Diesel vehicles are NOT outlawed in Tokyo. However, the exhast gas level for NOx has been severely limited, so almost all desiel vehicles save for the newest engines meeting regulation level, need to have a filter attatched to meet the requirement. Also, this regulation is not limited to Tokyo, the regulation covers the 8 municipalities in the Kanto region including Tokyo, nor is it Gov. Ishihara's sole idea. In fact, I think Gov. Ishihara was not yet, or just barely in office when the regulation first was approved, as there was a couple of years of time lag between the passing of the legislation and its enforcement, to give the transport industry time to make the improvements on their vehicles to meet regulation level. This also means, it is in effect in the Chiba area as well. If you look closely, you will see trucks have stickers that indicate they meet the regulation.

 

[Smithy]

Congratulations on a fascinating tutorial Choeki! And that is from one who loathes ironing shirts. Strangely enough I have an urge to put a wash on and get the ironing board out now!

 

[Choeki]

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone.

I forgot to mention that I don't wear 100% cotton shirts because inexpensive cotton shirts are terribly hard to iron and feel very uncomfortable (usually scratchy due to a coarse weave in the material). I don't have the finances to buy nice cotton shirts (such as Egyptian cotton) which go for over $30 USD in Japan, so I tend to buy blends or even 100% polyester dress shirts. While this may sound odd to some, I find them to be much more comfortable and in most cases get much nicer and consistent results from them. I believe part of the reason though is that it seems that whatever the formulation of polyester they generally use in Japan is, it seems to be quite different from what is commonly available in the US. I suppose this goes back to the concept of modern derivatives of older processes in Japan - the progression of the natural to the artificial while keeping the appearance and feel of the natural intact.

Although this is a little off topic, I have found specifically that undershirts made for the Japanese market made of polyester are exceptionally good in comparison to what is available in the US. For example, I own both Underarmor brand polyester undershirts purchased in the US as well as Uniqlo brand undershirts purchased in Japan. Both are imported products in both countries, but the Underarmor brand undershirts I have feel uncomfortable if I break a sweat at all (close to a "wet trash bag" feel) and I have had rashes break out on the same day I wore them clean after a washing. On the other hand, the Uniqlo brand undershirts feel silky and do a good job wicking sweat away from my body while preventing sweat from staining my shirts if I happen to perspire. More importantly though, I have never had a rash break out from wearing a Uniqlo polyester undershirt for more than one day.

Either way, the prime factor that seals the deal for me is that the Uniqlo undershirt costs around $8 USD compared to the $25 USD Underarmor. I do have a number of Egyptian cotton undershirts I wear on a regular basis though - only because I got a good deal on factory seconds at around $6 each. lol

 

[Mid-fogey]

Many thanks....

...Choeki, for sharing your dissertation. It is a fascinating look into how things are done somewhere else in the world.

Those are some stiff shirts. I suppose if you nod off a work they would keep you upright.

 

[Josephine]

Those are some stiff shirts. I suppose if you nod off a work they would keep you upright.

Well, you've exposed the Japanese businessmen's secret. Now they'll have to kill you.

 

[LaMedicine]

Well, you've exposed the Japanese businessmen's secret. Now they'll have to kill you.

Nah, he is yet to expose the secret of shape-memory fabrics that Japanese housewives so love, and secretly dress their men in.lol lol lol

 

[Jovan]

If the fabrics weren't less breathable, I'd have the whole world in non-iron cotton.

 

[LaMedicine]

...Choeki, for sharing your dissertation. It is a fascinating look into how things are done somewhere else in the world.

Those are some stiff shirts. I suppose if you nod off a work they would keep you upright.

Hate to burst your bubble, but it is not what an average Japanese housewife will actually do. And I can guarantee, no Japanese man--who is married, at least--will ever touch the laundry. Even if he had done it in his bachelor days, once he is married, all the housework goes to the wife, whether she works as well or not. So, the shirts will either go to the cleaners, or if they are to be washed at home, they will be made of those new fangled shape memory fabrics.

 

[volatile]

Is this magical liquid starch stuff available in Europe, or online? What should I be looking for?

 

[Choeki]

Hate to burst your bubble, but it is not what an average Japanese housewife will actually do. And I can guarantee, no Japanese man--who is married, at least--will ever touch the laundry. Even if he had done it in his bachelor days, once he is married, all the housework goes to the wife, whether she works as well or not. So, the shirts will either go to the cleaners, or if they are to be washed at home, they will be made of those new fangled shape memory fabrics.

Very true. My method is closer to what cadets do at the Boedai (Japanese National Defense Academy) than to what a Japanese housewife would do. The only men I have met in Japan that do their own laundry, iron and sew on a regular basis are current or past members of the Jieitai (Japanese Self-Defense Force) - and even they have their wives take care of the laundry when they get married (if they ever do, that is). However, as most of the Japanese men I've met who aren't married by the age of 30 or so still live with their parents; their mothers usually still do their cooking, laundry and other household duties for them so they usually don't have any domestic skills at all other than general skills such as taking out the garbage or weeding the garden. [huh]

Is this magical liquid starch stuff available in Europe, or online? What should I be looking for?

You could try the commercial liquid starch stuff first that may be available for uniform shops like CINTAS. There's gallon jugs of liquid starch in Walmart in the US that are similar, but I suppose the best way would be to shop at a Japanese import store such as Muji, Daiso or Mitsuwa.

 

[Tomasso]

Very true.

Choeki, it's nice to see that the points that LaMedicine has been trying to make have finally sunk in. :eusa_clap

 

[LaMedicine]

Quite honestly, I have been thinking all along that this thread should be titled, "Stiff Starch Shirts: The Choeki Method with Use of Japanese Household Products and Appliances."
After all, the credit should go to Choeki for devising all this.

 

[cookie]

Quite honestly, I have been thinking all along that this thread should be titled, "Stiff Starch Shirtst: The Choeki Method with Use of Japanese Household Products and Appliances."
After all, the credit should go to Choeki for devising all this.

Years ago when I went to Japan every week in the airlines we used to buy a Japanese detergent called 'Bio Zet'. That stuff would clean anything! Next time I look it's in every supermarket in Australia.[huh] [huh] :eusa_clap