Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

Mine is a soft-shell. Very lightweight.

Prendas are selling a Craft hi viz gilet for 20 quid that looks pretty good.

Cheers - I'll take a look at it.

I think the hard shell is the one that's won all the review's so I'll prob just have to try them on and see. I prefer the idea of a soft shell for a bit more comfort and mobility.

mavic gilets are also very good. not sure if available in japan though

Not wanting to stereotype (but I will) I'd expect Mavic sizing to go down well in Jpn. IME it's another size down from Italian sizing.