In China it is not unusual to see people wandering the streets, 
going shopping and down at the subway in their pyjamas. I ventured out with my camera recently and quite quickly found several people wandering around in their pyjamas. I began to wonder why and asked around to see if anyone had any ideas. I found an article in the China Daily newspaper by Raymond Zhou who suggests that this habit has developed out of the cramped housing conditions in which some people live. He believes living in such close quarters helps blur the line between private and public space. Middle-aged women treat their local streets as an extension of their houses and feel comfortable sauntering onto the street in their nightwear. 
In preparation for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai the municipal government launched a campaign to eradicate the wearing of pyjamas in public. It has even gone as far as developing a slogan, “Do not go outdoors in pyjamas, be a civilized person for the Expo,”
But is this only a Chinese habit? You may remember in Cardiff earlier this year when Tesco Supermarket put up a notice “Footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted” after a customer regularly shopped in the early morning in her pyjamas. I suspect the only line which became blurred there was the line between laziness and decency.