Japan Trip Packing: Bring These 8 Essential Things

What do you need to pack for a trip to Japan? I think there are 8 essential items you should put on your packing list, or you can easily pick them up at the 100 yen shop after you’ve arrived. With some of these things, you won’t realise they are essential until after you’ve got here, but if you have them, you’ll make your travels so much smoother.

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After you’ve touched down in Japan one of the  first places you might want to visit is the   convenience store at the airport, I don’t  know about you but I’m often a little bit   dehydrated and could use a snack, and  that’s where the first item comes in,  

A reusable shopping bag. You need to pay a few  extra yen for plastic bags in shops so you won’t   get one automatically so having one of these  eco-bags is the norm these days. They’re great   because sometimes you can just hand it to the  cashier and they’ll load up your shopping for  

You but you can also use it back at the hotel to  carry your laundry down to the washing machine. Now after you’ve refuelled you might be heading  over to the railway station to get your transport  

Sorted out and for those of you getting a JR pass  of some sort you’ll know that these babies cannot   be replaced if you accidentally wash them  or you get attacked by a deer who eats it,   and that’s why I recommend putting it in  a business card case. This one is metal  

And looks pretty swish but it really  doesn’t matter as long as it keeps the   pass safe. These are very sturdy and you can  fit your seat reservation tickets inside too. If you’re not using a pass but you do want  to use an IC card like ICOCA or Sewerka then  

You’ll quickly find it’s a bit of a hassle  whipping it out of your wallet or bag every   time you pass through the gates, but with this  item you’re gonna make your life so much easier,   it’s a special pass case with one of these spiral  bungee dodahs. You can attach it somewhere to  

Your bag and it’s right there ready to  use, but tethered so you won’t lose it. There is just one problem though if you’re  using an IC card it may work like magic but   the money you put on doesn’t last forever, and  this can be a real problem especially when you  

Take a bus. If you’re trying to pay your fare  and you don’t have enough money on the card,   you’ll need to recharge it there and then,  but to do this you’ll need some cash and   specifically 1000 yen bills. Bus drivers don’t  usually change larger bills like 5000 or 10000,  

So you need the 1000 yen ones to recharge. The  other reason why you should always carry these   bills is that sometimes you can’t recharge your  specific IC card on a bus and you’ll have to pay   in cash anyway, and again, 1000 yen bills are  the only ones that can be changed on board.

Let’s fast forward now on your trip to maybe  certain restaurants and definitely a lot of   temples where you go inside, sooner or later  you’re going to have to take your shoes off,   which is why so many people recommend slip  on footwear. Yes this is a huge timesaver,  

But no, it’s not for everyone and that’s ok  because if you want convenient de-shoeing   with almost any style of foot furniture you  can just add these special magnet clips,   which are a great alternative and you’ll  probably still love them years later.

But getting back to you in that restaurant,  you’ve got your ramen and you’ve got your   gyoza and you’re slurping those noodles  down like a well mannered pro but when   you want to clean up your face you find  there are no napkins on the table, yes,  

Believe it or not, this is somewhat common  in restaurants to find no napkins, so I   recommend taking some small packets  of tissues on your adventures. Now all of these things so far have been about  adding convenience and efficiency to your trip  

But these next 2 are more about adding peace  of mind in dangerous situations. First up if   you go hiking in many areas of the countryside  here it’s not uncommon for bears to live in the   area and to avoid any unpleasant delays involving  you becoming dinner you’ll want to announce your  

Presence with a bear bell which you just put  on your backpack. The sound discourages them   from approaching, although protip here be sure  to take it off once you get back to the city. But especially in the metropolis you should  be mindful of the risk of earthquakes. I know  

Some of you don’t worry about this but if you  do I recommend getting an emergency whistle   like this. If you get trapped in a collapsed  building you can blow this to attract attention   rather than using up your precious energy  by shouting. You might think it’s overkill,  

But a couple of big earthquakes are long  overdue, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now the good thing about these items  is that if you forget to bring them,   you can get most of them in the hundred  yen shops like Italian footballer’s favourite Seria or THE Daiso just  

Search on google maps and you’ll find a  branch cos they’re almost everywhere. But   unfortunately the hundred yen shop can’t stop  you from ruining your trip with some serious   mistakes so go and watch this video right here  and make sure you do everything right. See ya!