What to pack for Japan // Winter & Summer edition o(*>ω<*)o

It has been a while since I last did a travel packing list as the last one was for "Summer in New Zealand". Today I'll be sharing both my Summer and Winter packing list for Japan, but there are a few things to keep a note of. One of them is whether you have access to a washing machine at your accommodation. The last 2 trips to Japan I stayed with AirBnB accommodations and we had a washing machines in most of our accommodation. This helped minimise my packing and allowed more room for my shopping!

However do keep in mind shopping for clothes in Japan may be difficult for some, especially at those cute boutique stores around Harajuku or cosplay costumes at Akihabara. They mainly cater towards average Japanese girls sizes, which range between AU6-12 (females). If you're more curvier or bigger than other girls it's okay, because big departments such as ZARA, H&M, Forever21, Uniqlo do provide sizes beyond AU12, which is great! 

Anyways, I've put together a little female edition guide for what to pack to Japan, if you're planning to go during either their summer or winter season. Since I was in Japan for roughly 12 days for both trips, I will be sharing a 2 weeks list of clothes to pack for winter and summer. Additionally I've added in some notes under some categories to keep in mind of how I made this list.

Winter in Japan starts from December to February, where white soft snow cover pretty much everything. A few favourite things about the winter season include the hot springs (onsen), fukubukuro (Lucky bags) during New Year sales and of course the food! 

They also have many Winter illumination show, where I was super lucky to see one as my friend from Japan took me there. It was amazing. Plus for those who love skiing or snowboarding, definitely find Japan's ski field's quite amazing and beautiful. I went to Japan from mid February 2015 to early March 2015, and it was still quite cold, plus it did rained quite a few days while I was there. I had been to Japan once before back in 2008 with my parents and I remembered how cold it could get so I ensured I was packing all the right clothes!

Clothes*

• 3 x Shirts/tops
• 2 x Heat-Tech undershirts (from Uniqlo)*
• 2 x Jeans/Pants
• 2 x Heat-tech under leggings (from Uniqlo)*
• 2 x Sweaters/Jumpers
• 1 x Water & windproof jacket 
• 1 x Winter Coat
• 1 x sets of PJ's
• 1 x set of swimwear: if you intend to go swimming or to public unisex hot springs(onsen). 
• 5 x Bras
• 5 x pairs of Undies
• 5 x pairs of (thick) Socks
• 2 x pair of Shoes: Sneakers & Boots
• 1 x Bag: One carry bag to place your passport, wallet, phone, etc. such as a backpack (carry-on) for when you board the plane.
• 1 x Scarf*
• 1 x Beanie*
• 1 x Umbrella* or Raincoat*

KEY: "*" means you can leave behind and purchase (more) in Japan

 

In Japan, summer is the season of celebrations as there are many festivals during this season. These festivities are bound to have firework displays, delicious kakigori (shaved-ice) and colourful yukata's. Summer is so far my preferred season to go to Japan, as I have yet to go during their Spring and Autumn seasons.

During summer, the weather in Japan changes from rainy season to hot humid sunny days over the period of June to August. I went to Japan during late July in 2015, and there was plenty of sun and fairly few rainy days that I encountered. 

The fact that I have never been to Japan during their summer season before, was going to change the way I packed (as I've only been going during their winter season). So here is my ultimate female travel packing list for 2 weeks in Japan, Summer edition. Now packing for the summer season is vastly different compared to packing for Japan's winter season.

If you're planning to go during Japan's summer season, then here is the ultimate packing list for you. Since I was in Japan for roughly 12 days, I will be sharing a 2 weeks list of things to pack. Additionally, like the winter section, I have added in some notes under some categories to keep in mind of how I made this list.

KEY: "*" means you can leave behind and purchase (more) in Japan

Clothes*

• 3 x Shirts/tops
• 4 x Shorts/skirt: I honestly didn't need to wear jeans at all because of the hot humid weather.
• 2 x Outer tops: a thin sweater or cardigan is great to place into your bag when the day gets a bit chilly.
• 1 x sets of PJ's
• 1 x set of swimwear: if you intend to go swimming or to public unisex hot springs(onsen). 
• 5 x Bras
• 5 x pairs of undies
• 4 x pairs of socks
• 2 x Shoes: sneakers and sandal/flats/flip flops.
• 1 x Bag: One carry bag to place your passport, wallet, phone, etc. such as a backpack (carry-on) for when you board the plane.
• A pair of Sunglasses*

**I literally left to Japan with all my clothes in my carry-on luggage, which was inside my check-in luggage (small suitcase inside the big suitcase), because of how little I packed. There are 2 reasons behind this packing list, first, I was planning to buy clothes in Japan and go a little crazy, but if you're not going to do a whole lotta clothes shopping then I suggest bringing a few more outfits to wear throughout the weeks. Secondly, most AirBnb places we stayed in had a washing machine, meaning we could re-wear all the clothes we did bring and also wash our PJ's early in the morning and hang them out to dry before we left for the day.

After clothes are sorted, other basic items such as toiletries, technology and money are also needed for a trip to Japan, so I have put together a generic list of what you'll need to pack for both the summer and winter season. 

Toiletries 

• Toothbrush/paste*: If you do forget though, you can purchase these at the convenient store, at around ¥200-500.
• Medicine: e.g. Asthma inhalers, Panadol, prescription medicine, allergy pills, etc.
• Minimal skincare/makeup & makeup removal products*: I brought very minimal makeup & makeup remover as I knew I would be buying heaps in Japan. As for skincare I would suggest bringing sample sized or travel size to make more room for your new purchases. 

**Again I was planning to buy makeup and some skincare products in Japan, which is why there was no need for me to bring all my makeup products.

Technology

• Travel conversion adaptor: you really need this if you want to charge anything! 
• Laptop: To move all your photos onto your laptop to free up memory space on your memory cards, rather than constantly buying new ones.
• Camera
• Mobile: Some AirBnB accommodations provide free wifi or you can take photos with your phone if you do not own a camera.

MISC.

• Passport: Bring it with you ALWAYS! You can shop tax-free at bigger department stores. 
• Drivers license: Can be used as a form of ID card, to enter bars and clubs.
• Boarding Pass: Print out a copy of your boarding information so you can make sure you have enough time to travel to the airport. 
• Journal/Pen: I like to record what I did everyday and it helps jolt my memory when I need to blog about it too. 
• Japanese money: Exchange some Yen before going to Japan and bring your credit cards too. 

**Japan only accepts YEN ‎(¥), so plan ahead and prepare some cash before you fly off.  They also accept VISA cards too which is great for when you shop at bigger department stores as they may have special promotions or offers where you can get further discount if you use a VISA card. You can also withdraw cash from the international ATM's located in 7-eleven i. Make sure you do look for the "i" on the 7/11 sign, if you're looking to withdraw some cash. 

♥♥♥♥♥

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