Packing for your trip to Japan

Ollie Capehorn — February 2012

Japan is a well-developed country with high quality services and infrastructure and so it’s quite possible to travel with close to no baggage. Still, it’s advisable to know what to pack to avoid annoying and unnecessary incidents on arrival.

Japanese geisha with luggage
Photo by iseelazers

Documents

Obviously, in order to enter the country you will need to bring a passport (or other travel document) and, depending on your nationality and purpose of stay, a valid visa (the standard visa issued is the three-month tourist visa). If you plan to drive in Japan, you should also bring an International Driving Permit (IDP). If you have one, your Japan Rail Pass Exchange Order is essential to take and look after as once in Japan, you have no means of replacing it or getting a refund.

Luggage

Japanese people don’t usually travel with large suitcases on public transport and so there usually isn’t a lot of space to store luggage in trains or coin lockers. It is thus advisable to keep your luggage small if you plan to travel across the country. That said, you might get lucky and be able to book a space in one of the rear-most seats of the shinkansen, where there is often a small gap for bulky baggage.

Clothes

The Japanese climate ranges from tropical Okinawa to subarctic Hokkaidō, however, most of the country exhibits temperate climate with clearly-defined four seasons akin the United States or most of Europe. Although it is not uncommon to see people wearing yukata, or in recent years, even kimono, most Japanese are using Western style clothes for day-to-day activities and you are welcome to wear anything you do where you come from. As it is customary in Japan to take off your shoes indoors, you may want to bring a pair that you can slip off and on easily, as well as nice clean socks or tights. If you have relatively large feet, a pair of slippers may be useful to pack if you are staying in a host family, or small ryōkan, who might not be able to provide you with suitable slippers.

Japan Clothing
Photo by JapanDave

Electrical appliances

The outlets in Japan are usually identical to the ones in the United States and Canada (A, B). If you come from countries with incompatible plugs, you will need to purchase an adapter—but don’t fret about buying this in your country of origin if you can’t find one as they are available all over Japan.

The voltage in Japan is 100 V, compared to 120V in North America, or 220–240 V in Europe, Russia, and most of the rest of the world. While some equipment may still work (although often less efficiently), more power-hungry appliances may not, unless you have a voltage transformer (which you can purchase at the airport or in most electronics stores).

The frequency of electric current is 50 Hz in Eastern Japan and 60 Hz in Western Japan but the difference should only affect very sensitive equipment.

Medicine & personal hygiene

Over-the-counter drugs are different in Japan so be sure to bring anything you need with you. Note that Japan has very strict health-related laws and some of your medicines may be actually illegal and not allowed to be imported into the country. If you are found with any such products, you may be detained for up to several weeks, so be sure to check with your local embassy in order to avoid any misunderstandings.

Japanese geisha brushing teeth

Money

Japan is a cash country and most Japanese rarely use credit cards even when making online payments. Thus, ATMs are few and far between, international credit and debit cards are often not accepted, many don’t have instructions in English, and most are closed on weekends and during the night.

You should not rely on your credit, debit or cash card to make your purchases. Japan is an extremely safe country and you should not feel concerned about carrying around large amounts of money with you.

Gifts

Giving gifts is a big part of Japanese culture. Expect to be the recipient of a fair number if you have any kind of meaningful interaction with Japanese people. It’s advisable to take a small supply of something from your home country that you can present to show you gratitude to somebody. It doesn’t have to be big or substantial; foodstuffs often go down well, especially if they’re something not usually available in Japan.

What do you pack when you head to Japan? How does this differ from other worldwide destinations?

Ollie Capehorn is an entrepreneur who has worked on LinguaLift and other related projects since 2010 after representing the UK in a speech contest in Japan. He is a keen linguist, and a student of law at Oxford University.

Nicholas

You might add that you can usually use a bank of Japan ATM found at most post offices and train stations.

Also I am not sure how hard they are to find but my wife buys tampons here in Japan. I have also never run into an issue with toilet paper in public bathrooms but I tend to stick to the western style ones.
- http://twitter.com/ocapehorn Ollie Capehorn
  
  Thanks for the note! I’ll update the money section.
  
  I’m not an expert on the tampon issue – I’ll ask some friends.
Stevejbellamy

Your money advice is about 10 years out of date. Did you even check anything else but Wikipedia. Japan uses quicpay and credit cards more than ANY other country except the US. Every convenience store has a 24 hour ATM. You can use furikomi for most payments. Amazon excepts all major Credit Cards. How long did you live in Japan and when because it’s obvious you don’t live here now. I didn’t read anymore because it’s probably just as ‘cookie cutter’ advice as the money section.
- http://twitter.com/ocapehorn Ollie Capehorn
  
  Hi Steve! Thanks for the comment.
  
  I agree with you about the adoption of credit cards, but from my experience as a traveller in Japan using international debit cards, it’s far safer to rely on cash.
  
  There are many differences which I didn’t explore, such as many ATMs not being available for use 24/7, only one chain of convenience store actually having an ATM that accepts international credit cards, and the fact that contactless technology such as the suica are a great way to pay – but not worth the hassle for a traveller, in my opinion.
  
  I’ll consider refreshing the money section of this article in the coming days, but I think that the advice represented here is a good general guide for a tourist in Japan on a short-term basis.
http://twitter.com//kesasar Chti Suisse

Concerning Luggage as we were travelling with our 2 children, we had 3 suitcases :
2 large by Japanese standard (but normal for us)
1 small (european standard or normal japanese standard)

We sent the big ones by Takkyubin to our next hotel/ryokanWe even went a few days in the countryside while our big luggages where stored by the Takkyubin operator.It’s reliable+fast and not expensive !
- http://twitter.com/ocapehorn Ollie Capehorn
  
  Nice tip – thanks for sharing :)
http://www.survivingnjapan.com/ Ashley

Japanese products are not typically weaker – this is a myth. Most toothpaste is exactly the same. Hair products vary widely, but it’s possible to find products that work for different types of hair. Deodorant is made up of the same ingredients in most cases (not the weird deodorant water though), although this is personal it seems and people feel strongly about their deodorant… Feminine products are easy to find, sanitary napkins in particular, so there’s no need to bring those. Some women don’t like the tampons here but most seem to be fine with them (myself included). Overall, there’s not a reason to bring a lot of toiletries unless you’re attached to what you use and don’t want to find anything new. It’s also possible to get some western products in Japan. If you’re just traveling though, it’s probably better to bring toiletries and know that in a pinch you can find items here too.
- http://twitter.com/ocapehorn Ollie Capehorn
  
  Thank you for the tips (even if they are not strictly applicable to me!)
  - http://www.survivingnjapan.com/ Ashley
    
    You’re welcome. There are a lot of misunderstandings about products here, so I try to find and provide the real facts! :)
http://www.survivingnjapan.com/ Ashley

Oh, and birth control pills aren’t rare – you can get a prescription at an OBGYN. They are low dosage pills and there are various brands and a few types, but it’s best to bring your doctor’s prescription from home and have them match you up with something. The national health insurance doesn’t cover them, and they are not the most popular form of birth control in Japan as they were only somewhat recently approved. However, if you’re just traveling, it’s wise to bring it with you.

OTC meds vary but not all are that different. You can find Tylenol and ibuprofen and other products. Sometimes the dosage is different, sometimes it’s the same.

As for clothes, women might want to be aware that women here don’t show their shoulders/chest as much. I’ve seen this change a lot in four years, but it’s still not common. A modest tank top in summer is fine, (and they all wear short skirts/shorts here), but just be aware dressing otherwise will invite even more stares.
http://twitter.com/jseb_92 Seb

Thanks , interesting!
http://twitter.com/maxwellscottbag Maxwell Scott

Nice tips! I have never been to Japan but I’m very interested in the culture and hope to travel there in the future. Interesting to note that the Japanese don’t travel with much luggage – need to get a few tips from them as to how to pack light! Ciao – http://www.maxwellscottbags.com/travel/leather-luggage.html