I'm about to soon head off to Japan for 2 weeks, and I'm beginning to worry about my luggage. I understand that taking large suitcases around Japan may be problematic.

I have two suitcases in my possession, one of them is fairly large, but rolls on wheels, and measures 33x14x12 inches.
The other one is a bit smaller, but must be carried by hand, and measures 23x19x8 inches.

Now, I should mention that I'm not planning to take my luggage with me all over the place, but I plan to go to tokyo, then to kyoto, then back to tokyo. So I will have to take it on trains a couple of times (and also from the airport). And of course, the larger one will obviously be easier to carry, because its on wheels.

I'd really prefer to take the large one, so I have plenty of room, and can pack it full of stuff that I will buy in Japan. Also, another big concern is that I'm planning to climb mt fuji, and this will require a lot of special items like boots and warm clothes and such, and I'm pretty sure I can't pack it all in the smaller suitcase.

Anyone have some advice? Maybe Its not that big of a deal and I'm just worrying too much.

I've climbed Mt Fuji twice as well as Mt Hiei and a few others in Japan. You don't need warm clothes unless it's raining because you'll be sweating your ass off. I always climbed with good boots, but it's not a requirement. Most of my climbing partners just used sneakers.

Taking suitcases by train is not an issue other than during rush hour, so plan your timing accordingly. You'll never get it into a rush hour train in Tokyo. Shinkansen have no real room for big luggage though. So you'll have difficulty (aka be ojama) if you can't fit it in the overhead.

Eh, but all the stuff I'm reading says its like 0 degrees at the top...

Fanny-pack.

Zarxrax Wrote:Eh, but all the stuff I'm reading says its like 0 degrees at the top...

You sweat a lot just trying to breathe (the air is very thin). I just climb with a waterproof windbreaker usually, and combine it with a hoodie if it gets cold. It's also nowhere near 0 degrees during peak climbing season.

While it's certainly doable to travel with a large suitcase it's certainly much easier with smaller bags. I'd dump the large suitcase and take large lightweight sports type bags. It's not as if you'd have to do much walking with them I'd expect and if not full can be easily folded up and stored in another bag. Also make use of the coin lockers in stations to store stuff when travelling or better yet if staying in a hotel get them to hold it for you. I've had hotels hold stuff for a few days even after I've finished staying with them. This link might help you:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

As for Mount Fuji I suggest all you need to take is some some light waterproof coverings and a decent head torch if doing at night. The climb itself is quite easy. I did it many years ago in jeans, sneakers and a light jacket. It was stinking hot at the bottom with not a cloud in the sky. While climbing during the night the weather took a sudden turn and a storm came in. In a very short space of time it was incredibly cold, wet and windy and to top it off we were on a very tight budget and my travelling companion refused to pay the extortinate prices to stay in one of the little huts. We ended up sheltering in some toilets for a few hours. Then top was clouded in so didn't see sunrise and on way down i was blown over by the wind (was seriously that strong) and twisted my ankle and had to travel down on one of the horses which was quite humiliating.

Was one of my best experiences in Japan though. The pluses far outwayed the bad stuff that happened. The sun did come out just after we left the top and the views are amazing. Make sure you purchase one of the walking sticks at the botoom and get it stamped at the stations on the way up. Makes a great souvenier even though it is a bit of a pain to get back home.

As for it not getting anywhere near 0 i'd have to differ to Jarvik's opinion:
http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Mou...i/6day/top

Rooboy Wrote:As for it not getting anywhere near 0 i'd have to differ to Jarvik's opinion:

Me too. I climbed last year, froze my @ss off near the top.

When you're moving it's fine, but if you get stuck in the "traffic", it get's really cold because you're basically standing still.

For me it was raining the whole time, and even with a gortex jacket I was soaked through by the time I came down, after being in the rain for basically 12+ hours (slow walking partners + girlfriend with altitude sickness + losing friends + a friend who twisted a knee on the way down = very slow going).

I hated it by the end, but it was quite an experience and I'm thinking of going again!
I'd be very tempted to go "light and fast" like the others are recommending.
Of course, you'd want to be sure the weather wasn't going to be terrible.

You don't need to take any real luggage. If you can't fit it in a back pack you're doing it wrong. Learning to pack light is truly a revelation and something everyone should learn to do.

1. Clothes are washable. Take a tiny bottle of laundry detergent and every night when you're in the shower simply wash the clothes you wore that day while you bathe. Hang them up when you get out and by the next time you'll want to wear them they'll be clean and dry.

2. You need no more than two pair of pants (including the ones you'll wear over there), 3 shirts, 3 pairs of underwear and 3 pairs of socks. See #1 as to why this is the case. Buy yourself some travelers underwear (super fast drying, high moisture wicking, etc). Worth every penny.

3. You don't need the toilet items you think you do. The only thing you really need to take is deodorant. Toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, etc should be left at home. You're going to a civilized country, I promise they have those things there.

In terms of things you might want to bring:

1. Compass. This is so incredibly overlooked by people visiting big cities but it is unbelievably useful. A simple compass can turn a horrendously confusing map into something you can actually use.

2. Super absorbing "towel", like the orange ones you see on TV to dry your car with after you've washed it. They fold up super small and yet can hold a ton of moister.

3. Pack of sanitation/baby wipes. Quick way to get clean because you just never know.

4. Pen and paper.

5. Earplugs + sleeping mask.

6. Small battery powered alarm clock.

7. Light rain jacket.

8. Extra money.

If you learn to roll your clothes you'll still have plenty of space left over after packing the above. If you think you might be going somewhere cold then just throw in some additional layers in the extra space.

Here's the only thing I took for my trip to Japan and I still packed to much stuff.

I did a similar trip (although stopped off in Hakone - highly recommended) and I was there for two weeks last November. Kyoto was very warm (~23 C) and Tokyo was similar. If you go higher up (altitude-wise) it might get a little cooler but bear in mind, most hostels have washing machines.

The size of bag I took was like a 30 litre rucksack and that was fine. I took the bare minimum in terms of clothes and a couple of other small things. I would say when it comes to travelling, go as light as possible - if a dog eats all your clothes, you can always buy new ones in Japan.

I agree with activeaero. I made the mistake of doing my trip with a suitcase and a backpack, and by the end, I wanted to throw the suitcase under a train. Seriously. It was horrible. (The backpack was great.)

If you really have to take a suitcase, don't forget the "last-row" trick on the Shinkansen, because it's the only way you'll be able to stow the thing. (No luggage nooks on the Shinkansen.) Find the last row of seats, and stick your suitcase behind them. That's pretty much what everyone does. If you have smaller luggage, it fits neatly in the overhead... but if you have big roller luggage, you'll have to find the last row and claim it before someone else does.

Big suitcases are a royal pain over there. The wheels get caught on all kinds of bumpy strips, and they just become a giant headache. They're for the visually impaired, but they're really good at snagging your suitcase wheels, and it's sometimes hard to avoid them. (Like railroad tracks.) It doesn't matter how much momentum you have, they'll just knock your suitcase over.

I especially hated lugging the suitcase up and down the stairs at JR Nara; they were renovating it, so no elevator/escalator. You'll run into that every now and then.

And then there was the time I had to drag it for 20-30 minutes around Osaka while I was trying to find my hotel. Again-- not fun.

When you buy a lot of stuff, go to the hotel front desk, and ask for a box. Then go to the nearest Japan Post, and send it all home. It's expensive (unless you send it 船便, then it's less expensive-- just painfully slow. 8-12 weeks.) If you can wait, that's the best way to do it.

Get wicking clothes that dry in the bathroom. Dump anything cotton-- it won't dry, ever, unless you want to find coin laundries. (Which is what I wound up doing. Fun, but I lost time and money. On the upside, I met some cool people that way.) Cotton also gives you that great "Sweaty Tourist" look, which you'll have in every season except winter. I was hot even in late Fall.

I used a bigger backpack, about the size of a carry-on. It has a big main pack, and a detachable little pack you can use for day trips. If I had had half a brain when packing, I just would have taken just it, and nothing else.

I totally agree with activeaero about the compass, the wipes, and the camp towels. They're all great choices. I kept a face cloth sized camp towel with me, because a lot of public toilets don't bother to have towels to dry your hands with. The bigger towels are useful if you plan on staying in hostels or dorms.

One small bag is perfect... probably impossible for a first-time trip, but if you can do it, it would be perfect. You're going to be in Japan, so it's not like you need stuff to keep you entertained. Just go outside for that.

Oh, and if you'll be in Tokyo, get the Tokyo Street Atlas from Kodansha. Best $20 I ever spent. Seriously.

That weather report shows a minimum temperature of 2 degrees, at night, at the top. The temperature is closer to 10C for most of the day.

You won't be at the top at night if you follow the climbing schedule that most people do. I was walking around in just a tshirt and drinking a cold beer when I was on top last time. Maybe it's because I'm Canadian

Just make sure to get a waterproof windbreaker that breathes. If you sweat too much and the windbreaker holds it in, you can get cold since you're soaking wet.

I've always found traveling with suitcases here to be a serious pain. I usually just take a backpack, as they're easy enough to get into the overhead spaces on trains, buses, etc. and I can always stash it in a coin locker if I get tired of carrying it around. I just bring an extra shopping/eco-bag that I can put souvenirs in for the journey home.

That being said, I've never stayed at a place that wasn't willing to hold my luggage for me before I checked in or after I checked out. And for in between cities, you could always use one of the delivery services to ship your bags, as long as you wouldn't need anything from them. But it's disgustingly hot and muggy right now, so aside from your climbing stuff, you won't need any heavy clothing... And like someone else mentioned, most hostels have a place to do laundry, or will know of a coin laundry in the area (they're fairly common in cities).

I live about 40 minutes from Fuji-san... Assuming you'll climb from the Yamanashi side (most do)... it's warm and muggy right now at the bottom, although the Five Lakes area tends to be a few degrees cooler than the rest of the prefecture. But the climbing season ends in a couple of weeks (Aug 31), although things on the mountain usually still open for a couple of weeks after that. It will start to get chilly on the mountain after that though. I climbed in early September in jeans and sneakers... and just took a lot of layers... and some rain gear. I didn't get cold unless I was standing still - which is likely to happen at this time of year - the mountain is fairly crowded. There are special climbing forecasts for Fuji (like this one: http://tenki.jp/mountain/point-30.html), and the local news within the prefecture also broadcasts climbing forecasts during their evening newscast (both of the stations start theirs around 6:15ish), so if you're staying in the area you can probably catch that. Make sure you have a head torch if you're climbing at night. Plenty of sunscreen if you're going during the day. I got a pretty good burn coming down in the morning. The Fujiyoshida website has information on huts and things, if that interests you: http://www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp...climb.html
If you have time be sure to hit up an onsen (there are a number of nice ones in the area) and get a bowl of hoto or Yoshida udon (local specialties).

activeaero, I seriously wish I had read your post before I came here.
A compass would have totally saved me the past 2 days.

I brought the smaller suitcase that you have to carry. Huge mistake. Because I got so freaking lost I had to carry the thing for 2 hours. When I arrived at the hotel I literally couldn't fill out the registration form because my hands wouldn't work. And today I spent far more time lost than I spent sightseeing -_-

But I should have expected this. I get lost in my own country all the time...

My wife and I went to Japan this last spring and I required that we take only a backpack and a cary-on size suitcase. I'm rather happy that we stuck to it.

Although it was our first time, I'm a meticulous person and had street view snap shots of everywhere we needed to go saved on my phone. For us, getting anywhere we planned on was a cakewalk, but for others it seemed to be very confusing.

Now, take confusing, then add in the issue of having to lug around large suitcases, and you may have on your hands a sure-fire recipe for a breakdown.

I suggest you roll your clothes, keep all the small things in plastic bags, and if necessary use the air-compression bags. Now, by the end of your trip all this packing, combined with any gifts that you are planning to get, may end up growing. My two suggestions are A) Bring a zip-up duffle that can be rolled and stored in your bag until needed. I'm talking a light-weight canvas style. B) Head on over to Tokyu Hands and pick up a bag when you need one. We chose option A), but after being there I can see option B) as a nice one too.

As a hiker, look to minimalism. I go on ultra-light backpacking trips, and you could get some good tips from Alan at http://www.adventurealan.com/. He uses 15lbs as his standard now for a whole outdoor trip, so I'm sure you can get some pointers for your day trips.

Have fun - I wish I could be there with you.

If you must take a suitcase, use Kuroneko to ship it between the airport and your hotels enroute. But I'd add that it's probably not necessary to use a suitcase with sufficient light packing-jutsu. (I'm a heavier packer -- when I did the backpacking-around-Japan thing, I used an internal-frame backpack.)

@Zarx Ouch! Man, I wish I had known you were leaving so soon. If you lived near me in NC, I probably could have just loaned you my big backpack.

If you can get to a bookstore, get a copy of the Tokyo City Atlas. NOW. ISBN: 978-4770025036. It's in English and Japanese, and will totally save your butt. It's not big, but it has great maps of everywhere you're going, and great maps of all the rail lines. (In English as well as Japanese.) The maps even show where the various rail station exits will dump you out. It's only 122 pages, but man it's a lifesaver if you don't have GPS. (And even if you do, it's useful.)

Also, when you're looking at maps in the train stations, remember-- North isn't always up on those maps. I got lost a few times until I noticed that.

Have fun!

rich_f Wrote:Also, when you're looking at maps in the train stations, remember-- North isn't always up on those maps. I got lost a few times until I noticed that.

Yeah, up is usually the way you are facing when looking at the map.

This actually makes it easier to orient yourself (when you get used to it).

Yeah, actually, that doesn't just apply to the maps in train stations, too. I also found it on just about any map I ran into over there. I noticed it the most in Kyoto, where they have freestanding tourist maps all over the place. (Or so it seemed.)

I just remember walking for about 20 minutes the wrong way on a street in Nagoya, wondering where the heck the shrine was that was supposed to be near the station... turns out I read the map upside down.

After reading all this I'm dreading my trip to Japan (next year) even more. I'm usually a heavy packer, as I need to bring my own pillow to prevent migraines.

Also, washing and drying in my hotel room isn't an option as I'm only going to stay at most hotels for only one night.

However, I saw someone mention laundromats and hostels with washing machines. Any tips on where I can find out beforehand which hostels/hotels have washing facilities? Is there a general site for this stuff? (You find the craziest things on the internet nowadays XD)
Also, what about cheap hotels with en suite bathrooms? Any sites you guys can recommend?

Thanks so much!

Koos83 Wrote:After reading all this I'm dreading my trip to Japan (next year) even more. I'm usually a heavy packer, as I need to bring my own pillow to prevent migraines.

Koos83, I am also a heavy packer and when I went to Japan last year, I found I packed way too much. Think about what you will really essentially need. They have most anything in Japan that you can find at home, so if you don't need shampoo, soap,etc, don't bring it. Every hotel will supply it for you. Also, clothing is another area I could have trimmed back on. I read on another site (after my trip) to bring cheap books with you. That way as you finish one, just leave it. Don't bother taking it back with you.

Good luck on you trip. I hope you have fun.

Pardon the wall of text...

To find laundromats (coin laundry in Japanese), I would just ask at the hotel's front desk. It usually worked out okay.

Business hotels will usually have laundry facilities, but sometimes they're ancient and don't work very well, so you need a coin laundry.

You *don't* need to bring detergent to use a coin laundry. (Usually) The machines are designed to add detergent automatically. (Usually) At least I never saw a machine that didn't do that... except in the dorms at Okazaki... but I used the coin laundry instead because it was more efficient and cheaper.

A good way to find out ahead of time is to call the hotel and ask. Or use a service like Welcome Inn, which I *highly* recommend, because they're great at finding cheap hotels and they don't charge you extra. They can usually tell you. Welcome Inn is a service that helps tourists find hotels all over the country, in mostly smaller hotels. They have offices in Tokyo and in Kyoto Station. If you're in Japan and need help finding a room, it's a great place to go. Or just go to the website.

If you're traveling to a lot of places, I speak from personal experience: overpacking is pure pain. It hurts your back, arms, legs, etc., and it wears you down. Not to mention the stress over what to do with all of that crap all the time, or keeping an eye on it while you're in transit. (Which you can't always do if you're tucking it behind the last row of seats on the Shinkansen.) Finding a locker for the big suitcases can be frustrating, because they just don't have a lot of lockers for big ones.

And keep this in mind: not every train station will have escalators or elevators. Good luck getting that backbreaker up and down stairs. (It's not fun.) Not to mention going from the station to your hotel: if you just have one small bag/backpack, you can probably walk. If you have a ton of crap, you'll need a taxi, and that adds more cost. If you decide to walk anyway, you'll wear yourself out lugging all of that crap around. (Again, personal experience wandering around Osaka and a few other cities trying to find my hotel.)

I get migraines too, so I understand the concerns. Not sure what to tell you about the pillow. If you absolutely can't function without it, then you'll need to cast off some other stuff... but they do have perfectly good pillows in Japan. I had similar pillow issues, and I brought a little foam pillow with me, and wound up sending it back because it was unnecessary weight/bulk. I still had a couple of migraine days, which were unrelated to any pillows, but I built enough flexibility into my schedule that it didn't kill the trip.

Not sure what to tell you about other stuff. That's a personal decision. Odds are, you won't use 80% of what you think you'll need, but that other 20% is pretty important. If you have any local travel plans, experiment there first. See what you can get away with.

Thank you guys so much for your tips! I'll definitely take those into account when packing next year. I also want to have some space in my bags to take home souvenirs (and lots of them ) but I think I will settle for my backpack and a small suitcase, that will fit into overhead compartments for the heavy stuff. Since my pillow is a foam pillow I usually put it in one of those vacuum bags.

Thanks also for the tips on the coin laundries. That means less stuff to pack as well as I can wash my stuff there. I assume there's dryers there as well?

I'll also definitely keep Welcome Inn in mind.

So thanks again so much!

Oh I have another question XD
What about bed sizes? I'm a 6 foot woman. Will I fit? XD

OOH I'm being totally offtopic... But I'd like it if someone could answer it for me.

I am 5' 10". Some of the beds in Japanese hotels fit me well, others I had to sleep diagonally with my feet just starting to hang off.

jondesousa Wrote:I am 5' 10". Some of the beds in Japanese hotels fit me well, others I had to sleep diagonally with my feet just starting to hang off.

I'm 6'1" and my feet touched the end of the bed, and my head touched the headboard. Also, the bed was quite firm. One pillow was soft, and the other was a rock.

For the most part don't worry about your size. At 6' you will stand out as a girl (but you will in America too) but as a man you will find that there are plenty of people who are 6'. When on the Chuo line durring peak times I would usually see one to two other people per train car that were my height or taller. I can only imagine the same to be true when you go, unless of course I happened to be in Japan durring the "tall" season.