Non-Lacing Shoes
One of Japan’s best-known customs is removing shoes upon entering a home. But a lot of other places you might visit – ryokans, temples, museums, historical sites, even some restaurants – may require that you doff your footwear at the door, too. Make things easier for yourself – and save time – by forgoing those high lace-up boots for shoes that simply slip on and off, or else have Velcro fasteners.
Tissues
If you’re eating out casually in Japan – in cafes, getting takeaway, etc – you’ll notice that napkins often aren’t given out to customers. It’s a good idea to carry a travel packet of tissues with you for snack times (especially if you’re travelling with kids).
Washcloth
Public bathrooms in Japan usually don’t have paper towels, and there are some that don’t even have hand dryers (or else there’s only one, which might mean waiting). Keep a small towel or washcloth in your bag for drying your hands after you’ve washed them. (A cool, moist towel on your neck will also help keep you cool during Japan’s hot and humid summer.)
Hand Sanitiser
Similarly, some bathrooms you encounter may not even have soap, especially on shinkansen (bullet trains). A small bottle of hand sanitiser will come in handy, even for the non-germophobes.
Umbrella
Even if you’re visiting outside of ‘plum rain’ season (June and July), Japan’s island-weather system means it can rain almost any time of the year. Inexpensive umbrellas are available for purchase, of course, but they don’t fold up, and you may find that a compact travel umbrella is easier to carry when the sun comes out again.
International Drivers License
JR Pass
Travel Insurance
Money: In general, it is always best to take cashiers checks or cash. Japan is a very safe country with very low crime rates, so it is safe to carry around a lot of money. Personal checks can be taken however is not in general use in the country. To use a personal check, one must go to the bank and stand in line/queue to change it over into money. Only large banks will do this service and it does sometimes take overnight to process. Credit Cards are very convenient in America however are not very useful in Japan. Over the last ten years I have noticed that many more large stores are placing stickers in the windows announcing credit card options however most do not accept plastic cash. To be safe, I suggest taking cash.
Telephone Calling Cards: Calling cards are very popular in Japan; they can be purchased in convenience stores, in vending machines, shopping centers and even alongside highway roads. Therefore, a calling card is very inexpensive and should be purchased while in Japan to save money.
Electronics
- Macbook, Kindle, Camera (Canon 600D – Twin Lens), iphone, chargers
Documents
- Passport, two itinerary print outs (for flights in and out of japan), hotel/hostel confirmation printouts, print outs of hotel location on google maps with directions from the nearest train or metro station, insurance printouts, bus/train receipts, directions to Labyrinth Festival and tickets, photocopies of passport – keep one copy separate to your passport and give one copy to your travelling companion.
Bar of Soap – Put it in a plastic container so you won’t have to worry about a liquid mess.
Brush/Comb and hair ties – For the best packing efficiency, you can forego the brush and just pack a wide-tooth comb. (Try a headband, too.)
Birth Control
Towels
Camera – Take as many pictures of the land of the rising sun as possible.
Japanese phrase book – English is not as widely spoken in Japan as other countries. Make sure you can communicate your basic needs and know how to get travel information.
Packing List
1. Expect to do a lot of walking. Wear comfortable shoes and socks. Tokyo has a fantastic transportation network consisting of subways, trains, monorails, buses and taxies, but once they get you to the general vicinity, the best way to see Tokyo
2. Bring and carry individual packages of tissues. Many Japanese rest rooms do not have paper towels. A few did not have toilet paper. Japan Japan
3. Bring a good camera. Tokyo
4. Pack items that may leak or explode (toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant, etc.) in resealable plastic bags.
5. Use the subways, trains and monorails to travel within the city. Taxies are very expensive and buses may require more Japanese language skills (both reading the Japanese characters and speaking).
6. Buy one or more easy to carry Tokyo
8. Pack Umbrellas and/or raincoats during the rainy season (mid June to mid July).
9. Bring a light backpack for your daily travels. You do not want to be carrying heavy bags around the city as even the subways require much walking between terminals.
10. Pack one or two empty duffel bags in your suitcase for dirty clothes and to make room for souvenirs.
14. Post Offices (yubin kyoku) are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
15. Banks are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Most hotels also do currency exchanges at a fair rate.
Japanese people are fantastic dressers (besides the French) and outward appearance is VERY important here in Japan
DON'T forget to bring along your much-treasured ATM card to withdraw cash. Yes, no need to rush to the money-changers to change all your currencies into Japanese Yen before your trip. Just ensure that you adhere to the following steps:
- Flip to the back of your local ATM card now, do you see the logos 'Cirrus', 'Plus', 'The Exchange', 'Maestro' etc on it? - If the answer is 'yes', then you have absolutely nothing to worry about!
- Why? Because you can withdraw cash from any ATM machines in Japan
- If you use this method, you'd also save a lot on the interbank exchange rates. Money changers will charge you much, MUCH more compared to a bank.
- DO NOT withdraw cash from your Visa/ Mastercard. This is considered a CASH ADVANCE and you'd be slapped with a very hefty fee! Not worth it. I've used this method many, many times before and so far, no ATM machines in this world have failed me.... Yes, even at the remotest village in Africa !
Women should bring their depilatories, cold wax strips, or other methods of hair removal from home. I could not find comparable products like this in Japan
Women should also bring whatever works to alleviate PMS and bad headaches. I found that even the strongest of Japanese asprins and such had no affect on me. I was told by my hostess that she found American over-the-counter products like Tylenol too strong!
You can buy anything you need from the convenience stores which are dotted all over the place. It's unlikely you'll ever be more than 5 minutes walk from one. However, Western brands are not much in evidence for certain things such as toothpaste, so it's best to bring your own until you find your feet.
BRING BOOKS: if you can't speak Japanese you'll soon get bored of watching unintelligible games shows and CNN
Bread is a rarity in Japanese restaurants, at least it seems that way to me. The only restaurants you'll get decent bread in are Italian. However, most supermarkets seem to stock fairly decent bread - but you do have to find a real supermarket, not simply a convenience store.
There's a convenience store practically every 50 metres (AMPM, 7-Eleven, and Family Mart are the main outlets), but they tend to concentrate more on chocolates, potato chips, ice cream, beverages and the ubiquitous DoCoMo mobile phones than staple foodstuffs. Don't expect to find bread, milk, cheese, or anything you can really eat and call a meal in these stores.
My only tip is bring all the clothes you think you will need with you, do not assume you can buy it locally. They will either not fit properly or/and will be horribly expensive (compared to Europe/US).
Japanese customs officers at the airport can be very tough. Many over the counter remedies such as cold cures, nasal inhalers and decongestants contain prohibited ingredients. Take small amounts of basic products, such as paracetemol and antacid – but don’t worry as with a little effort you can get these locally, though like most things they can be very expensive.
