Start planning your Japan trip – my ultimate guide – Mate, we’re lost!
Packing
Packing should be a post on its own, but I’ll try and cover it here.
Top tip – travel lightly.
As mentioned earlier, space is a commodity in Japan. Hotel rooms are small and some have no space to open a big suitcase unless you put it on the bed.
Shinkansen (bullet trains) require a special reservation for oversized baggage. The overhead luggage rack will easily take a cabin sized suitcase, but if you take a bigger one (not oversized) you’ll have to keep it in front of you while you’re sitting down.
These trains are super roomy with loads of leg space. No transportation will ever feel as comfortable as the ride on Nozomi. Seriously, they ruined me for any other trip! Just because of that, I wouldn’t want to cramp my travel space with a suitcase in front of my legs. Enjoy the luxury while you can.
It’s not easy navigating public transport with massive suitcases either. Some of the metro stations have lifts hidden away and by the time you get to the lift and back, it takes forever. When in a rush, we folded our travel stroller and just took the stairs/escalator as it was easier and faster than looking for a lift.
*Pro tip – change your Google maps settings to show you wheelchair accessible route when walking around with luggage or stroller. It will avoid stairs and give you the metro entrance/exit with the lift.
Luggage forwarding
However, it’s not always possible to travel with a backpack or a small carry on, especially if you travel with kids. In this case, luggage forwarding is your best friend! I was amazed at how efficient and affordable it is!
We travelled with 3 backpacks, a tote bag with snacks and drinks, a carry on, and one half empty suitcase. FYI, by the end of the trip the suitcase AND the soft travel bag I packed inside it got full.
Once we arrived, I repacked – 2 or 3 days worth of clothing in the small carry on and 2 backpacks, and the rest in the big suitcase. A day before leaving for the next city, we’d send the big suitcase. It would always wait for us at the check in at the next hotel. Even when we sent it from Kyoto to Fukuoka (cca 650km) it arrived within 48 hours. And how much did this cost? About £12 per trip. I’ll take that over lugging suitcases around any day!
The next question you will have is – how am I supposed to pack enough clothes for 2 weeks and not have big bags?
Hotels have washing machines and dryers on premises. If they’re busy, there will be a laundromat close by. You won’t need any detergent as it’s all built in, you will just need 100 yen coins. We put 2 washes on in 2 weeks and always had clean clothes.
The hotels also provide a lot of amenities like – toothbrush + toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, hair ties, hair brush, cotton buds, etc. You even get pyjamas!
Your packing will also depend on when you are going. Always check the weather before you go and pack accordingly. We travelled beginning of May and were glad to have layers. Really hot days could quickly turn chilly in the evening or with the rise of the wind. Another must have were waterproof jackets. They were a godsend on those few rainy days.
Shoes – forget fashion and choose comfort! You will be walking A LOT (like 20k+ steps a day) and your poor feet will need good walking shoes to cope. Pack two pairs of your most comfortable shoes. This way you’ll be able to alternate them and give your feet a break. It’ll also be handy if your shoes get wet.
