Hi!
Travelling to Japan in June with Qantas ~ They allow a 30kg baggage allowance.
As i am travelling solo that should be enough, but what items are a must to pack with me?
Also with the 30kg allowance, can that be split into 2 bags, eg 23 in one and 7 in the carry on?
Thanks!
+1
I very nearly gave myself an annurism on more than 1 occasion…
Seriously? I found japanese food to be very agreeable. What were you eating?
Not enough vegetables, that's for sure.
Lol
100% karaage chicken!
30 kgs is quite a lot.
I'd take a spare pair of shoes, coat or jacket in case it rains and some multivitamins.
An umbrella might also be a good idea.
Toilet paper and water.
Get one of those pocket-it raincoat - it folds really small. I can only find Kathmandu here. If others can recommend other brands, that'd be great as I'm still in market for one.
I brought this cheap Ikea one with me to Japan last week but didn't have the chance to use it:
http://m.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/art/40283422/
You can wear that for Halloween.
You are now darth Vader.
Rivers has a really cheap one. Great for summer rain because the material is very thin. Or buy online from UK stores, cheaper than Kathmandu, same quality (I have both).
Wil check out rivers. Thank you.
Visit Uniqlo or GU in Japan for wet weather clothing. There will be 4-5 stores per district. There will be lots of the cheap rain jackets available that are equivalent to Kathmandu without the price tag.
Most pharmacies and convenient stores sell clear umbrellas for ¥300-500.
You… My alternate username for when sites down allow more than 15 characters started to become being used in the last two years…
Do you happen to have a Sportsbet account or is there a 3rd one of us about? :P
Umbrellas can be bought at a 100yen store for 108-216 yen, so I tend not to bother packing one.
There is also a lot of dumping of cheap umbrellas after the rain stops, so you can help in the clean up process by snagging one of these.
Go as light as you can. Unless you're on a guided tour; as some others have said it can be challenging navigating public transport and even Shinkansen with big bags. After travelling with an orchestra, we certainly understood the predicament after 2 weeks… Despite the fact that it can be difficult getting on and off with big bags, there is often limited luggage storage space. And don't even think about peak hour with a big bag!
Also as others have said- most important thing to pack is an open mind. So much interesting stuff, such interesting culture. Immerse yourself and have tons of fun :)
When we were in Japan in September , there were ample of space in Shinkansen for your luggage. Maybe it was off peak season?
I'm the opposite. I rather have 1 big luggage than a few of small ones. Talking about lugggage, being 4 wheels luggage instead of 2. Easier to navigate even within the train as you don't need to tilt it.
Edit to add: if you are moving between hotels, just get the hotel transfer service where they'll deliver your luggage to the next hotel. Remember to pack your essential in your daypack / carry on with you.
Bring good WALKING shoes. Your fav condiments, else you'll get stuck with soy, salt and seaweed flavours. Some USD/Pounds as big stores accepts them, not AUD. Meds for allergies.
Even better, buy some walking shoes over there. ABC Mart is the bomb! Much cheaper than Australia too.
we walked Japan for 3 weeks in $5 coles croc fakes, footpaths are perfectly even and clean except the endless plastic knobs for visual impaired are a pain.
plastic knobs for visual impaired are a pain
Not for people whom they are installed for.
Whatever you would take on a normal holiday. You are not going to Mars.
Loving this thread. As a well-seasoned traveller (Business travel every month, holidays every few months for years now), and one that can pack all that I need in my 7kg carry-on case, nothing makes me smile more than seeing/reading a newish flyer getting ready for their trip.
All the advice here is solid. I love Japan. Lived there for years and travel back 4 - 6 times a year and it's still not boring to me. You'll have a blast!
First time out of Aus, excited!
Just your phone, powerbank, Power point adaptor, powerboard for your electronics and an empty suitcase, buy everything else there.
I just got back form Japan, went to Osaka and Tokyo. Amazing place, going again very soon.
Panadol. They don't sell any of that There.
The stuff they sell is way better, much stronger for getting all those salarymen back to work asap without any time off.
Well this is new to me. I tried asking for a Panadol or Aspirin to the shop counter guy but he didn't understand English. What's the name of this stronger drug that I didn't know I want until now?
Adderall.
Not sure, we googled japanese pharmacy medication, a bunch of websites have it listed with pictures.
They have weird names. I remember the cold medicine being called "Lulu attack extreme EX"
looks like you've to mention Acetaminophen if you want to get Paracetamol:
Panadol is an Australian brand name…
The stuff they sell is way better, much stronger for getting all those salarymen back to work asap without any time off.
Japanese professional ethos:
Where does the anime, car culture and kinky sex stuff come in?
Buy a tenga while you are there, whatever the latest version is
The stuff they sell is way better, much stronger for getting all those salarymen back to work asap without any time off.
It's not stronger.. They sell Tylenol in 300mg capsules.
Standard dosage is 500mg of the same active ingredient (Paracetamol).
The dosage in Aus is higher because the average size of an Australian is.. larger than an average Japanese person.
As mentioned below, acetaminophen is paracetamol, although Japanese chemists will try to tell you otherwise.
In Japan it's under the brand name Tylenol..
Can i bring meds like panadol eyedrops etc on a plane?
Like the others said, power bank is the most essential. You will need it so much as you will be Google Mapping and searching all day and you might need it for your pocket wifi too if you get one instead of a internet only sim
Also, my experience is that you try and leave your checked luggage as empty ad possible, and take your largest luggage too. The things you can buy in Japan… You will need as much luggage space as possible to bring them back
I'm liking all the ideas,
travelling to Tokyo and Osaka for 2 weeks in October with the wife and kids.
ANA airlines have 2x 30Kg checked in luggage per person… i'm looking forward to the shopping for weird stuff.
Some time ago after years of travelling around Asia we compiled a list.
What we pack….we've finally fine tuned it, what we always need. We don't take anything else.
Hubby is a golfer and plays wherever we are, hence the addition of golf stuff.
Your cabin bag allocation is usually always 7 kilos seperate from check in luggage allowance and in your case 30 kilos. That's generous.
Charger and bits bag…..adaptor, small power board, plug, washing line, washing liquid sachets…..and update….we now don't need the plug as we have a scrubba wash bag.
plane scissors, little sewing kit, teaspoon, metal hook, immerser and coffee mug,( if no tea and coffee facilities) phones and iPad chargers
Travel Umbrellas
Toiletries bag that includes a foot scrubbing brush, nail file, nail clippers, tweezers
Laundry bag from reject shop made out of parachute nylon fabric
Medications in a dispenser Monday to Friday box and a doctors letter and any other meds that you may require but most can be found overseas.
Bathers, Turkish towel,( if hotel doesn't have pool towels ) nightie, sarong ( sarong could also be a towel if no Turkish towels) , hair turban for drying hair, hand Towel that doubles as bath mat, Whatever we need it for.
Large Zip lock bag for wet bathers.
Travel pillows, depends where we are going.
Fold out bag or backpack for getting around, golf day or extras
A Spare bra and lots of undies
Wear Birkenstocks on plane and anywhere nice and wear slappas ( in nylon shoe bag from reject shop) around ( or Sketchers )
5 sets of clothes, rolled.
golf shorts and shirt. Belt. Sock Liners. Balls, glove. Hubbys Skechers golf shoes doubles as shoes.
Lightweight jacket for plane
In hand luggage cabin bag and handbag we pack 3 sets of clothes, underwear, medications, iPad, phone and chargers, bathers, book, pen, and a spare pair of spectacles. ( incase luggage went missing, need these things).
The list looks a lot, but it's not, most could fit in the 7 kilos hand luggage and travelon crossbody Travel hand bag. Slash proof, rfid and lockable zips.
If we were just hand luggage only and need to reduce weight we leave out stuff like scrubbing brush, tea and coffee, towels and buy toiletries when we arrive.
Happy travelling. Japan is on my list.
5 sets of clothes, rolled.
x2!
The biggest sizes of clothes from shopping malls were way too small, especially undies! ><
Yes like most of Asia, but that's why we take scrubba wash bag and travel line as we wash things out.
That's why we have 3 sets in cabin bag too…incase our luggage went missing lol.
I was eyeing for scrubba bag but it's so expensive. I ended up buying waterproof bag and use it for washing. Daiso sells washing balls that you can chuck in the bag to agitate the clothes.
Aha! Something I can totally help with!
Must have packs:
Seriously, you will end up buying a tonne, shopping in japan is amazing, and they have some of the coolest stuff that you can only get there.
You can buy anything and everything you want, there's no need to have all your stuff brought from home.
You only need a phone that you can slap a japanese sim card in so you can use internet and google maps.
I like this plan!
A decent camera. Your camera phone just won't do the sights of Japan justice.
Jetstar lost our luggage!!! the one we struggled with was tampons..(not very popular in Japan.)
due to the lost luggage I'd also recommend a spare shirt and undies in your carry-on.
Onboard:
-Powerboard + 2 prong adaptor.
-Powerbank.
-Copy of Travel insurance documents, itinerary.
-Deodorant, toothbrush/paste, other toiletries (keep in mind liquid restrictions)
-Camera
Laptop Bag:
-Laptop/Tablet etc.
-Unlocked Phone
Check-in:
-Clothes.
-Spare Shoes.
-Copy of your travel insurance documents.
-Plastic bags, laundry bags etc.
Also, don't know your plans, but if you're planning on using the JR pass, you need to organise that whilst in Australia.
2 copies of travel insurance documents in each bag?
Since I am staying only in Tokyo and taking the Access train in ill just be getting a Passmo pass, from my research i believe that's the best option,
Thanks for your tips!
The JR passes and Passmo aren't really the same thing, the JR passes allow unlimited travel on the JR lines (with the exceptions being the fastest trains) for the duration of the Pass. Passmo is essentially like a Smartrider (or Opal or whatever you easterners use). JR passes aren't valid on the city subway, nor are they valid on the private lines. Check if there is a JR station near where you're staying - Tokyo is very well serviced by JR and it might even be the station nearest you. You could, of course, use both - and depending on your travel intentions it might end up saving you money, but this is a classic case of YMMV. A 7 day JR pass is about $330, the JR east pass is a bit less (but only covers the eastern seaboard of Japan). If you're not going to leave Tokyo, there is no cause for getting a JR pass, just stick with the Passmo.
But, if you're planning on leaving Tokyo on a series of day trips, a JR pass will probably work out to be worth it.
For example, I bought a JR pass for my month long Japan trip, but I went from Sapporo to Osaka- and the JR pass more than paid for itself twice over.
The shorter duration JR pass might be worth it for you, even if you're just planning on doing a couple of day trips out of Tokyo. You should be wary when making the decision though. JR trains are normally the fastest option, but if you are willing to add a hour or two to your trip there is often a cheaper private alternative.
For example, a return fare to Nikko is about $100 on JR, on the private line it is about $30. The JR takes 100 minutes one way, the private takes 2 hours.
As for the whole travel insurance thing, it is good to have the details stored in a couple of separate areas. 2 printouts, plus a phone and computer copy? Should have no problems finding the details if you need to.
Luggage - number of pieces: I have posted this before https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/298843
And now surprised to see jaybot said they had 2 bags each checked in. Not sure where he fly from.
Can someone shed some light?
Japan - any concern with Mr Kim now?
re 2 bags totalling 30kg - that's my understanding after checking my fare conditions and also confirmed through qantas chat session
i'm disappointed that getting a classic upgrade (econ to business) doesn't mean more luggage allowance :(
A knife and fork.
Do they not have them at all over there?
sometimes… not reliably… and its weird to ask. Better to just learn to use chopsticks. I was worried when i went as i suck at them, and I have a bit of RSI in my hand, so I packed a bunch of plastic forks. Didn't end up using a single one - ended up using chopsticks the whole time.
Good to know!
Japanese Yen. For Sydney you can get good exchange rate from KVB Kunlun.
http://www.useful-tips-japan.com/living-in-japan/currency-ex…
Im an idiot but can someone link me an adapter off ebay, the ones i see have diagonal prongs but when i see Japans inlets they are straight.
Also my laptop plug has 3 prongs what happens there, does it just hang off?
The Australian 3rd Prong is the Ground Pin which is used for safety purposes. Most countries didn't adopt this safety feature so they use a variation of 2 pins. Yes, it just hangs off as it's not needed for the operation of electrical device, you just lose a safety feature.
you get an AU to US power plug converter. US is the same as Japan. And you take an AU power board from home and plug it into your adapter. If your AU to US adapter doesn't include an earth pin input for the AU side, just hacksaw off your power board's earth pin. That's all i did on my two trips… then you dont need to worry about adapters for each device :)
Dont lug a laptop around, just use your phone. waste of space and weight. you:ll have plenty to look at, and google maps, google translate and email is all you:ll be using.
Laptop bag if you need extra luggage space for carryon. They normally don't Include laptop bag as part of 7kg carryon.
Would a laptop backpack be considered as a laptop bag?
I think they would weigh that. Mine is in a separate bag from my backpack.
I dont fly frequently but i brought an extra 7kg worth of gadgets all thru my laptop bag in carry on. They only asked to weigh my backpack and not my laptop bag.
So will a backpack + wheelie be ok? Or the backpack will be considered as one carry on?
I never actually pay attention to this stuff.
I'm considering to bring my laptop next time I travel but I don't feel safe putting it in my wheelie in the upper compartment. I can always squeeze my backpack under the seat.
@pandabun:
My combo is similar to this link below, (ignore the size as my carryon luggage is small as well). Works for me so far.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=carry+on+luggage+with+lap…
Similar to women with their hand bags. They normally weigh just the carry on luggage but not their hand bags.
An idea would be to bring some small light Australian souvenirs to gift to any friends you made on the trip.
You can forward your luggage at pretty much any convenience store. Handy if you don't want to drag your luggage around on public transport. I used the service to forward all my luggage/shopping to the airport on the way home.
Your passport.
Bring your own good shaver. I'm here in Japan the moment and forgot mine. The hotel ones are really crap. Would also recommend pre booking a 4G wifi modem rental with unlimited data. Not every where has free wifi. Enjoy your trip!
I brought a pack of 10 disposable shavers for our 22 days then just about every hotel supplied 2 so I came back with over 20! That was in 07. Maybe they have switched to a cheaper brand by now. There are more cosmetic discount stores in every mall than anywhere else!
Not so much stuff to bring, but if you're interested in doing the Mario Kart around Shibuya/Ginza/Akiba, make sure you apply for your international license now.
We did this over there and it was SO.MUCH.FUN.
Download the google translate app- it will definitely come in handy.
I'm really excited for you- I remember my first trip to Japan and how ridiculously I over pack. I now do it on carry on with an empty suitcase for all the crap I bring back.
DonkiHote for souvenirs.
Pokemon Centre if you're into that
Tokyu Hands for random stuff you'll marvel at.
Ichiran Ramen for a damn good bowl of Ramen
Genki Sushi for the novelty of electronic ordering and delivery of your food.
If you're interested in Food Souvenirs, hold off to buy from Narita airport if you're flying out of there. There's a souvenir store there so leave yourself a bit of time to pick up the famous snacks like Tokyo Banana and Royce Chocolates.
Personally I found a travel wallet quite handy as well, and kept all my stuff from flying around in my backpack. I am a bit disorganised though.
ALSO- After you book everything, give your itinerary to someone to double check you're all okay and haven't accidentally booked one less night than you require or something. I made that mistake and had to scramble for a hotel room last minute.
I was planning to go on the Go-Karts with these guys govoyagin, but didn't realize i required a IDP, thanks for pointing that out!
Wasn't even going to bring my drivers licence but guess i should?
Great tips though thank you!!
Yea, I'm doing that next month. Go to your local NRMA and they'll do it for around $40.
Also allows me to do driving in the mountains around Hakone.
Also I got a sim from yokosim eBay. I was able to make an offer of $40 for the 31 day plan and they accepted. Hopefully their coverage is good.
We went through http://maricar.com/
They were pretty swell!
I got my mobile wifi through here: http://rental.cdjapan.co.jp/index_en_jpy_7.html and picked up at the airport.
I am 99.999% sure if you take an IDP you still need to carry your Aussie License as well, best to carry with you just in case!
Wi-Fi eggs in hotels/airbnbs are rubbish, best preorder a sim as they are cheap and very fast, wi-fi is also not as plentiful as you think in public places so keep that in mind. I used YokoSIM and was very impressed for the price.
wouldn't you want to pack as little as possible so you can do some shopping?
anyway, maybe bring a few extra pairs of undies with you? who knows, maybe there is a market for used gaijin underpants over there :)
The most useful device I brought to Japan ages ago was an Apple Airport Express (the old power adapter kind) because at that time there was no WiFi anywhere and all the hotels would only give Ethernet ports or cables for internet.
They would then charge a ridiculous rate to "hire" one of their own portable WiFi access points which was not only much worse than the Airport Express - but also about half the price to rent for a few days and then give back.
I pre-set the Airport as a DHCP access point so it was plug and play WiFi out of any Ethernet port so that all iPads / iPhones could use the one port (including neighbours / travel mates who were on the same floor) without the hassle of sitting close to the port (as far as the cable can take you).
We had 4 people using internet at the same time and we could roam from room to room and lie down on couch etc.
I also highly recommend Vodafone's $5 per day roaming. Recent stopover proved good value travelling all over Asia. I was with Telstra but still signed up to a month to month 12gb plan for $45 per month because getting decent internet with enough data was impossible. Simply diverted my Telstra number to the Vodafone number. Ended up cancelling after 1 month - and if you didn't use it that day you don't pay the $5. All in all spent around $95 and was still able to take and make calls to and from Australia and locally for no extra charge (unlimited) and data was whatever Vodafone's data inclusion was (12gb).
I understand that you can no longer buy used ladies underwear in vending machines.. So make sure you bring an adequate supply.
You can always pinch one from the clothesline here in Australia.
What a haul! What a haul!
Well You can Leave your Random capitol Letters at Home. That is For Sure.
just came back from japan 5 days ago and i wish i packed following
1-> Japanese to Au power plug Adapter which is portable as you can charge your phone/ tablet everywhere in japan
2-> Some cold and flu medications as japanese ones are weak and its flu season in japan
3-> Get you flu shots done here as its flu season in japan
4-> Some sort of coin purse as you will be dealing will too many coins
5-> dont know what your internet arrangements are but in japan not many places has reliable free wifi . you can buy a japan internet only card here which means you will have internet the moment you land which is very important
I got the bmobile traveller sim (internet only) when I was in Japan last week. It worked well but I reckon they tier the speed of your internet as it was painfully slow (despite being 4G).
5-> dont know what your internet arrangements are but in japan not many places has reliable free wifi . you can buy a japan internet only card here which means you will have internet the moment you land which is very important
everyone is different I guess, for me, for the first couple of days on any overseas holidays, I do my best to be mobile/internet free, half the reason I go on holidays is to get away from all the sh!t at home/work…………
you need internet to find places, check train timing ,navigation, google translation(very handy) etc . Work will be the last thing i will be doing when on holiday :)
fair enough :)
My advice is to layout what you're going to pack and then half that. I just came back from a month off (went to Philippines and Japan) and definitely over packed. I did end up using everything I packed, but I was forcing myself to use stuff just because I packed it.
Bring plenty of yen and an international credit card. Try and change you money here as the exchange rate once you're in Japan isn't too crash hot. Current FX is around $1AUD to 83 yen; in Japan it was 72-77 yen.
Get a JR Pass; but remember that only works from city to city (bullet train) and on the "ring" rail line (in Tokyo it's the Yamanote line).
was that exchange rate from stores or ATMs?
FX booths and machines. Didn't try from an ATM.
My daughter has been living over there for almost 5 years - things we regularly send her: Toothpaste, Antihistamines (Claratyne), Vegemite, Master's barbecue sauce, Tim Tams, Arnott's Shapes, Carmen's slice bars, various choc bars.
Make sure you have a VISA card to use rather than Mastercard. I found it hard to find ATMs that would accept Mastercard yet almost all accepted VISA.
If you like to snack on muesli bars while you're travelling, take some with you as it's hard to find anything similar but you can get plenty of snack food from Lawsons or the 7/11s. Other than that, just the general power adapters/battery pack etc. as everyone else has mentioned.
I'd recommend you have some way to access the internet as it will help you get around. If you're not using your regular phone plan, hire a pocket WiFi from the airport.
Use HyperDia to figure out train times, it's great.
Some fibre replacement powder like metamucil if you value your bowel movements