Packing for Japan

[spman2099]

Buying clothes online is one of those things I will never, ever, do. It's just not worth it unless I've tried it on in a store first.

There is a certain adjustment period with clothing, but you will eventually learn how certain brands fit and order accordingly. However, the safe bet is to order a little larger than you usually would. That being said, I have never really had any problems with shoes not fitting properly, but I do order the same brand usually.

[johnny]

Ahh, okay, this outlines another major problem in Japan. What might be in one major city/area is not in others. Best I have around here would be ABCMart, and their selection for more dress casual at high end is terrible.

14-15 is in the bring it and bring spares.

Which is why I specified that if you have monster feet like mine, you need to be careful with your shoes. If you have a brand you like, you could try mail ordering the shoes to parents or friends and have them mail them to you. That gets expensive and sucks for your family and friends though.

NP there's a webstore: https://shop.visvim.tv/jp/en/f2/

Am I reading those prices right? In principle, I don't mind spending $500 CAD on a pair of shoes, but some of those prices are incredible.

[Jiggit]

Am I reading those prices right? In principle, I don't mind spending $500 CAD on a pair of shoes, but some of those prices are incredible.

They're super comfortable and the leather is gorgeous. And the general designs are just spot on. I'd say definitely worth it if you are willing to spend that much.

[Gizmotech]

Prices seem reasonable. I've paid 400$ for shoes before. 500 seems okay if the leather is really nice.


If you have money to burn, burn it I say!

[littleanemonefish]

If you're really into skin care and makeup, you might want to consider bringing some products with you.

If you have allergies/sensitive skin or other specific skin needs, it would probably be a good idea to bring some products that work for you. It might take you a while to figure out which Japanese alternatives you can use, or if/where/how you can get your current products in Japan.

For makeup, if you have a darker skin tone or like matte eyeshadows (and maybe blushes and bronzers, but I'm not sure), be sure to bring your favorite products as well. Japanese makeup is targeted towards lighter skinned people and I've heard that it's pretty much impossible to find matte eyeshadows for sure. Other than those specific things, most other products should be available in Japan, so don't worry about bringing backups.

Generally, Japanese skin care products and makeup are really good quality, but there might be an adjustment period because most Western drugstore brands aren't available, and I'm not sure which high-end brands are available and how easy they are to get in the inaka.

! Oh, but don't forget that there are rules for how much makeup you're allowed to bring over!


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[Moso]

I'm afraid of turning this thread into a giant laundry list of "should I bring this", but I'm really trying to pare down a decade worth of accumulated crap to essentials to keep in the states, and what I can bring with me. Moso, you said you shouldn't have brought your hairdryer, would that probably be the same for any basic household appliance? I was thinking of buying a travel steamer, but I think I read somewhere else here or at another forum that things like irons don't work at Japanese voltage.

Also, how about batteries? I've got a bunch of AAs and AAAs around. Bring them or give them away?

Yeah that sounds like it probably wouldn't work. I think you can get a type of adapter that can change voltages and stuff, but it might just be cheaper and less hassle to just buy stuff in Japan. The only reason I brought a hairdryer was because I thought Japanese hairdryers would be really expensive but I bought one easily for 2000 yen!

[Fruitspunchsamurai]

on bringing your favourate tv shows and movies on a hard drive, i was reading that japan was cracking down on piracy and a hard drive full of tv shows and movies might be troublesome when going through customs. what is everyone's experience on this?

[coop52]

I'm pretty sure they aren't going to actually check through your drive at customs. Wrap it in women's underwear if you're scared they'll touch it (I've seriously heard of people bringing in extra contacts/medication that way; do it at your own risk)

[Jiggit]

I'm pretty sure they aren't going to actually check through your drive at customs. Wrap it in women's underwear if you're scared they'll touch it (I've seriously heard of people bringing in extra contacts/medication that way; do it at your own risk)

I can't decide whether to make a joke about Japanese men and panties or landwhales having underwear large enough to be used as packaging for a hard drive...

[coop52]

Can't help that I have a ghetto booty yo.

[Shincantsen]

Not to distract from the women's underwear talk, but I brought a 360 with me when I went in 2009. It took up basically half of my rolling carry-on suitcase, and was kind of a pain in the ass because you have to take it out at security like a laptop. Even so, I think it was worth it, because I was able to watch *legally obtained* American TV shows on my TV through the Xbox. So it took up some space and was kind of a hassle, but was worth it in the end for me.

[nlChristina]

If you're really into skin care and makeup, you might want to consider bringing some products with you.

If you have allergies/sensitive skin or other specific skin needs, it would probably be a good idea to bring some products that work for you. It might take you a while to figure out which Japanese alternatives you can use, or if/where/how you can get your current products in Japan.

For makeup, if you have a darker skin tone or like matte eyeshadows (and maybe blushes and bronzers, but I'm not sure), be sure to bring your favorite products as well. Japanese makeup is targeted towards lighter skinned people and I've heard that it's pretty much impossible to find matte eyeshadows for sure. Other than those specific things, most other products should be available in Japan, so don't worry about bringing backups.

Generally, Japanese skin care products and makeup are really good quality, but there might be an adjustment period because most Western drugstore brands aren't available, and I'm not sure which high-end brands are available and how easy they are to get in the inaka.

! Oh, but don't forget that there are rules for how much makeup you're allowed to bring over!

I second this, even if you don't think you have sensitive skin/allergies/etc.

When I lived in Canada, my skin was great - it required very little care, and I could basically throw anything on it and it would be okay. I didn't take any of my skin care products from home because I thought that I would just buy all new ones over here. However, as soon as I came to Japan, whether it was 24+ hours on planes, the summer weather (read: humidity like nothing I've ever known before), or the stress of moving, my face exploded with pimples. My skin had never been that bad before. I tried a few Japanese products, but it wasn't until I got a care package from home with my usual skin care products that it finally calmed down.

I definitely recommend bringing enough of your skin care to get you through at least the first few months until you can find something here that'll work for you.

[johnny]

They're super comfortable and the leather is gorgeous. And the general designs are just spot on. I'd say definitely worth it if you are willing to spend that much.

Prices seem reasonable. I've paid 400$ for shoes before. 500 seems okay if the leather is really nice.


If you have money to burn, burn it I say!

Yeah, $500 is reasonable for some pretty exceptional shoes, but some of those shoes are over $1,000 CAD though. Many other pairs are over $800. I get that footwear is important, but that's pretty steep.

My Redwings are pretty comfy for the time being.

[Jiggit]

Red Wings aren't exceptional shoes though, they're like the base level of not crap. The leather is ok and if you paid less it would be godawful but there's a lot of brands with waaaay nicer leather than Red Wing.

[johnny]

Red Wings aren't exceptional shoes though, they're like the base level of not crap. The leather is ok and if you paid less it would be godawful but there's a lot of brands with waaaay nicer leather than Red Wing.

I guess so. They do last me a long time and they're comfortable though.

[dzima]

Guys, there's also this for shoe shopping

pediwear (dot) co (dot ) uk

Prices in any currency (including Jpn Yen), great brand names, good selection of sizes, premium quality stuff. It's from the UK so overseas customers don't pay VAT tax.

A lot of those brands this website sells are popular in Japan but would cost a lot more there. But I also agree that Visvim offers premium quality, at a premium price.

[Jiggit]

I guess so. They do last me a long time and they're comfortable though.

I was just trying to bait people by posting that but apparently people on here are less pleb than I thought. I can attest personally to the quality being far nicer than a lot of famous brands (trickers, grenson, church's) but I wouldn't seriously recommend them to a random person.

[johnny]

Quality is very important to me too. Where the shoes or garments are made heavily influences my decisions too...in Canada (where finding my size isn't an issue).

One reason I like Red Wing Shoes is that they're made in America. I'd prefer Canada, but a healthy American economy helps the overall North American economy and I hope is one small move to stop all the export of jobs overseas.

[Jiggit]

Made in America is kind of whatever to me. Quality depends on who's making it; skilled workers are skilled workers wherever. If it's cheap crap then ofc it's crap but you got what you paid for. Stuff can be made in China and still be well made. Ofc it's a nice icing on the cake that you can say your stuff was made in England or w/e but it wouldn't make me more likely to buy something.

[Wasabi]

Current JETs - true or false: "Each JET participant will receive at least 4kg (9lb) of materials and information at Post-Arrival Orientation, so please factor this weight into your packing. " (page 19, JET 2014 Handbook)

If true... how much of the paperwork do we actually need to keep vs. how much can we politely accept and then secretly recycle after the fact?