yudantaiteki Wrote:(As for deodorant not being necessary if you don't play sports....uh, you might want to ask people around you if you smell bad.)

I don't get comments on my smell . And I also don't use shampoo (another pointless waste of money).

For the vast majority of human history people have gone without deodorant despite spending more time outdoors, unclothed and exposed to nature, being presumedly more active, bathing a lot less if it all apparently without any detriment to social or sex life. It's just one of those pointless inventions that companies have managed to convince you is necessary so they can get your cash.

For the vast majority of human history, everyone smelled really bad because not only didn't they use hygiene products, they never washed at all. It never affected anyone's social life since everyone smelled equally awful. Not only that, but everyWHERE smelled awful since there was no public sanitation and everyone just crapped in the streets (toilets are a pointless invention of the corporations) right next to the mountains of horse manure. This probably made everyone pretty desensitized to smell. It also lead to rampant disease, infections and plagues.

Before current hygiene practices developed, people (who could afford it) throughout recorded history used massive amounts of perfume and incense.. These were people who could afford nice places separate from the filthy masses and thus not quite as desensitized.

People in the modern world are no doubt much more sensitive to smells than those wallowing in filth during the dark ages.

Hygiene is something that corporations latched onto to replace home-brewed products, not something invented by corporations.

Now I'm not saying you smell since obviously I don't know you. You might even be blessed with a body chemistry (and follow a diet) that keeps you cleaner than the average joe. However it's also possible that people just don't say anything to your face. There have been times where I know I smelled and no one has ever said anything. I've also met a fair number of people with consistently outrageous body odor (or breath) and greasy looking hair and never said anything to them.

Disclaimer: I am not a germ freak and specifically avoid anti-bacterial crap that actually makes people sicker by creating super bugs, but I also think the back-to-nature fad of caveman diets and being dirty is also BS. On an interesting side note I'm reading Steve Jobs' biography right now and the first half of it is people complaining how badly he smells in his youth because he thought that his diet and practices meant he didn't need to wash up (he was a hippy). He never thought he stank because be became accustomed to his own smell.

I've felt physically ill because of people's BO before (and they weren't playing sports), so it's definitely not just a marketing trick.

If you shower and change/wash your clothes frequently enough you really should have no problems I assure you unless you have health problems that make you smell bad, have crapped yourself, are an alcoholic or smoker, don't clean your teeth.

While I do feel cleaner than before after a water-only shower/facewash, I don't feel clean.

Shampoo-less wouldn't be possible for me since I need shampoo to strip the hairwax from my hair and then conditioner to repair the damage the wax+strong shampoo did to it. (does that make me a fashion victim? ) I could shave my head or just have messy unstyled hair, but that would undoubtedly impact my sex-life.

Similarly I'd have to grow a beard to eliminate shave cream & aftershave. Or do you actually advocate dry shaving?

I'd also have to wear glasses since I could no longer use contact solution & eye drops while avoiding TEH CORPS.

Again, both of those have negative lifestyle impacts that exceed a the pros of avoiding an insignificant monetary cost (not just sex-life, but I find a beard itchy/annoying and I hate how glasses reduce the range you can focus on compared to contacts).

Do you wash your clothes with soap/detergent? Wash your hands with soap after doing a #2 and then going to cook food?

If you do wash your hands with soap, how is that different from washing your body/hair with soap? If not, I don't want any of your fecal coliform on my dinner!

You couldn't even convince me if you came up to Nagoya to let me smell you and run my fingers through your hair (awkward) since body chemistry and diet differs between people. I do notice less of a need for deodorant when I live in Japan due to diet (less red meat etc) though.

I suppose a picture would let us judge if you 'look' dirty

I'm not anti-corporation. I think most anti-corporate types are absolutely clueless about how the world actually works. I'm just saying that just because there is a market for something, doesn't mean you need the product. Not everything that has become semi-ubiqitous is necessarily good. People buy all sorts of crap after all. I'm all for companies having the freedom to sell anything they want. I'm just saying you can go deodorant free without consequence (like many japanese people) and the only reason most people use it is because it has become ubiquitous.

Regarding contact lens... You can probably drop your prescription a diopter or 2 to prevent further eyesight deterioration (assuming you're myopic). Your eyes start adjusting soon enough. I've halved mine over the last few years.

Yes I wash my hands with soap after using the bathroom. That's a hygiene issue.

I also use detergent to wash my dishes/clothes. Though honestly I doubt those are really necessary unless I've let the dishes or laundry pile up.

Sorry no pics :p

Many Japanese people have awful BO (especially older men, which is attributed to 加齢臭 but is really just BO). The average diet means less bacteria-friendly compounds to sweat out, so many people don't need strong deodorant (though most young men use SOMETHING). Even more people are using deodorant now (especially women) and some better ones are hitting the market just as more people eat more western-style diets.

I own a few pairs of glasses. The ones I use the most (as in, at work if I'll be at the office all day) are actually too weak. They are good for using a computer or reading documents, but dangerous if I was to drive with them on. My eyes have not gotten stronger even though I'm wearing them 5-6 days per week. I have another, stronger pair good for outside but bad for computer work. I have yet another one that is closer to the middle, but it's a compromise overall.

Glasses have a smaller range (depth of focus, whatever) due to the distance from your eye. Contacts enable me to comfortably use one prescription for both inside and outside. Bifocals are also not practical since they are designed with the concept of looking down on close-up work, not straight ahead at a monitor.

Apparently the hair and face of the average person is more dirty than their hands, as they act as a filter for everything filthy in the air, people coughing onto you, and you touching yourself with your hands. People wash their hands throughout the day but their face/hair at most twice, thus it accumulates. I'd consider that a hygiene issue too

I go away for a few hours and come back and find people arguing the merits of hygiene.

On the topic of deodorant. Deodorant is one of those things that you can just write off because you don't need it. Even with diet changes, genetics still plays a major factor for some people. Its also very cultural based the limits to which people will tolerate some stuff (BO). Americans not so much, Japanese I suspect are about on the same level of Americans, but other western countries might be more tolerant. I know some of the guys from New Zealand that I met on study abroad never used any and by US standards they most certainly should have. These guys also showered often so writing it off as "Not showering" just doesn't work here. So I think if you come from a place where you use deodorant a lot, it is only reasonable to inform them they may want to bring their own stuff since many are probably use to antiperspirants. You might be able to get away with no deodorant during the winter time though. Last point on BO. BO is one of those things where most people won't ever comment on it, so while you may have never gotten a complaint; it doesn't mean that people didn't notice and find it mildly offensive.

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I support the points on using a mask on the flight. The air pumped into planes tends to become dry over time and is usually very rough by time you land. So doing what ever you can to keep your sinuses moist will probably make your life easier. If you have to walk around a lot after you land in Japan (ie: get to a hotel etc.) DO follow the suggestion of getting some bottles of water. They won't roll out enough drinks for you during the flight to stay hydrated. Every time I've come to Japan I always am pretty dehydrated by time I get off the plane and in very bad shape by time I get to where I need to go. So ya, try to keep hydrated.

I don't know about right now, but they don't always man the IR cam booths at immigration. (As you are walking to the immigration section to get your visa checked, there will be some booths you have to pass that will have cameras set up. They are infrared and can tell if you are running a high fever or not.) So even if you have a cold or something you probably don't have to worry.

Don't rely on them rolling a cart down the aisle to give you a drink. Press the button and ask for one. It's free.

I usually ask for the free alcohol though

Yep, I find that beer calms me down on the flight better than ativan.

re: eyesight

Of course I would not advocate driving with less than perfect vision, but at all other times wearing lower prescription lens or glasses (meaning you accept slightly blurry vision) will lead to eventual improvement in distant vision if you spend time looking into the distance despite the blur. At least this has been my experience. Using your weaker lens at work behind a computer will cause less harm than using full strength lens, but will unlikely promote improvement, because obviously the weakened lens are strong enough to enable you to see clearly while you spend all that time reading. If you reduce the prescription further such that your reading material remains slightly blurry, while being sure to not lean into your computer screen and not squint you should see some improvement but it takes time. I'd also recommend that you look into the distance (despite the blur) for example when walking outside, during breaks etc with your lowered prescription. Assume your vision is clear and look into the distance despite the blur. Try to relax your eyes and the surrounding muscles and don't squint. Basically allow your eyes to regain the ability to see distant objects clearly by regaining the ability to adjust focus. Myopia occurs when one spends too much time doing up-close work or in confined spaces (offices, apartments, classrooms etc) which causes the eyeball to squeeze and lengthen to see near objects clearly. If this is not balanced with time viewing distant objects, the eye becomes locked in this near mode and the lengthening of the eyeball becomes permanent, leading to progression of myopia. Constantly wearing glasses to combat the problem artificially brings objects closer to your eyes, making them clearer on the one hand but further exacerbating the problem by reducing the time one spends viewing distant objects with the naked eye.

Near work is only one cause. Genetics plays a far larger role. Everyone in my family has bad eyesight (despite not doing much near work) and I first got glasses when all I ever did was outdoor sports.

Granted my genetic bad sight is likely made worse by long hours in front of a computer.

I would argue that myopia occurs among people who have a genetic susceptibility for it because of a bias towards the use of near vision in the modern lifestyle. Basically I consider it to be a genetic trait that has survived because it went unexpressed for most of human existence. My eyesight prescription was as bad as -5.5 at one time meaning I pretty much couldn't see anything beyond 15 centimeters clearly, now I use -2.0 lens. With my vision being that bad, I would have been a pretty damn useless hunter/gatherer. Why weren't the responsible genes eliminated from the gene pool by natural selection in ancient times? It seems obvious to me that myopia only expresses itself in a modern context. Myopia is in fact increasing and is especially common in asia where people kids spend a lot of time studying and live in more cramped conditions surprise surprise. If it caused by lifestyle then it can be cured or at least mitigated by altering your lifestyle.

Anyway just give it a try one day. Spend a day outdoors wearing your weakest lens, and see how your eyes react to it.

I'm a bit surprised you would recommend alcohol, since doesn't alcohol make you dehydrated? Regardless I don't drink so I'll take the advice of buying water just in case, and trying to get as much water while flying. According to seatguru my seats are in relatively average locations and I can't choose an aisle-seat at this point.

Moving on I think the ear plugs are a good idea, as well as the shoes. I'm typically grossed out by people taking off their shoes even just on the train to Chicago. I'll still do it though because this situation is quite different.

On the topic of deodorant, I take a shower every morning and apply deodorant every morning as a result. I see nothing wrong with it honestly, and for $3 per stick (a stick which lasts months at a time) it's really not a price concern either. Not sure why you wouldn't use it? Despite this apparent discussion. My friend in Japan actually has a tendency to wear cologne whenever he goes out, which I feel is quite unnecessary.

If you're anything like me, the hard part of being on a plane for 13 hours is the boredom and lack of comfort. Alcohol helps with both those things (mostly by making me sleep), and then makes you feel like crap in the long run (mostly from dehydration).

Drinking alcohol on a plane is pretty much the way alcohol works in the larger context of your life, just in a faster and more intense way.

Of course it depends on how much you drink. I had 1 beer on my flight over here, so I wasn't exactly keeling over in the aisles.

The big, huge, massive difference between this time and the last time I did the Japan-US flight (in 2005) is that I now have an iPod. I didn't even watch any movies; I just played some PSP, listened to my iPod, and slept a bit.

I've never had a problem with the long flights, the inflight entertainment was good enough for me. =)

Traveling there, I've only brought carry on; I stuff multiple bags in one carry on, so that I can use it as checked baggage on the way back. It also helps so that you don't bring more things than you really need.

Also make sure you have yen before you travel. You don't want to be caught at a small airport with no cash and all the exchange counters closed and not knowing how to pay for the bus to the major train station. (Luckily, the convenience store in the airport let me pay by credit card and I had my credit cards cleared for international use.)

For deodorant, just use baking soda. It lasts all day even if you workout a lot. I've tried every type of deodorant and baking soda beats everything. After the shower, dip two fingertips in the soda and apply, that's it.

Weight limit on cases is usually 23kg 10-12kg for hand luggage.. altho if it's one of those purpose built to size cases or a backpack, they never actually check the weight (that i've ever seen) They'll usually let you a few grams over, if its 23.2 they aren't really going to care not too much, just don't take the piss, smile and you'll be fine.

Deodrants.. I took my own as you can't buy the one I like in Japan. I dunno how much you guys use but 2-3 large 200ml cans lasted me plenty enough.
Shampoo etc, plenty of that in stores cheap enough no need. Hell just go to a 100 yen store, they sell practically everything. (How I wish i knew exactly what was buyable in them, before I went out the firs time)

In flight, they usually give you headphones, eyemask and earplugs. They're all cheap and nasty but they work. Movie selection varies, my last flight the movies were awful, so I ended up watching the original die hard in Japanese before going to sleep for most of the flight. Food and drinks are free, either ask for them, or get up and go find them yourself.

Go to the bathroom every few hours, even if you dont need to pee. gives you a chance to stretch out etc.

I've never seen eye masks or earplugs handed out.. At least not in economy.
Don't expect it..

The free headphones (which cost money on cheaper flights) should not be used. They are poorly fitting plastic that will give you ear pain. They do not isolate noise so you will have to crank the volume to get over the sound of the engines. This is bad for your ears and tends to give me a headache.

I bought a fairly cheap set of noise cancelling headphones (maybe $30 or so) and they worked really well.

The number 1 trip for traveling is this: If you are checking any luggage you are doing it wrong, period.

There is almost no reason, with rare exception of actually carrying some sort of large item (guitar, surf board, some sort of business product for a presentation, etc) that you should have anything besides carry on luggage.

You are traveling to a developed country. Everything that exists for you to survive in that country is already there as noted by the 126 million people who already live in said country comfortably. You could literally hop on a plane to Japan tomorrow with nothing more than a passport and your wallet and you would be 100% fine. In fact you could do the same for almost much any country, developed or not. People over pack out of fear of the unknown when in reality if the "unknown" occurs the 20 extra dress shirts they packed in their checked luggage isn't the thing that is going to save them.

Advantages:

1. Freedom. You've got everything in one bag that is with you at all times.

2. Security. No lost luggage because you aren't handing it over to anyone else.

3. The less crap your bring the less crap you have to worry about forgetting.

4. Speed. You are in and out of the airport, cab, train, bus, etc while everyone else is held up by their luggage.

This is backed up by the thousands of business travelers that know what they are doing who fly around the world multiple times a year with one carry on plus the experienced world travelers who live out of a single carry on bag for months on end. In fact I moved to Japan 1 year ago with a carry on only and had no other luggage shipped over. I even managed to pack my newly purchased desk top (broken down and without the case of course), laptop and my huge full sized headphones with me in my carry on bag. This is addition to the other travel I've done, including previous trips to Japan, Taiwan, and around the U.S. with carry on only.

Tips:

1. You can wash clothes on a vacation, contrary to popular belief haha. You either buy some detergent when you get to Japan or bring a small bag of powder detergent with you in your bag. Every evening when you get in the shower you simply wash any clothes you got dirty for that day and then hang them out to dry. By the next morning most things will be dried out and ready to go again, and that's if you want to wear the exact same stuff two days in a row haha.

2. Learn how to pack correctly. http://www.onebag.com/pack.html

Oh and I also agree on getting yourself some earplugs and an airline headphone adapter so you can use your own. The airline headphones are so horrendous to almost be awe inspiring. They are even wired out of phase in many cases! That means that the L and R speakers can't fire at the same time lol. Even a $5 set of headphones purchased at your local thrift store will blow away most airline headphones so it is definitely a worthwhile investment.

Not everyone wants to backpack around or spend time doing laundry and looking for essentials while looking like a scruffy homeless person when they could be doing something fun. Not to mention that you waste money and damage the environment by rebuying stuff you already have at home and then throwing away the unused portion on return.

The first thing I do when I visit a foreign country is check my bags at the hotel and go off to have fun, not search for toiletries that I couldn't take carryon before the drugstores close while lugging around all my crap and getting sore shoulders.

Similarly, I usually stay out late and them come back to the hotel, crash, leave early the next morning. I don't want to wash stuff in the sink while I'm exhausted and potentially drunk and then have it strung up all over the room smelling musty, potentially having either to wear damp clothes in the morning, or have a bag full of damp clothes that will make everything smelly.

If you are carrying around a big backpack with all your crap you're doing it wrong too. Leave it at the hotel. At that point there is no difference between two big suitcases or a backpackers backpack. People loathe backpackers with their giant bags banging into everything and everyone.

There is also the issue of bringing back shopping you did in the foreign country. Sure you can bring folded bags, but those are hardly going to protect anything when you inevitably have to check it in.

I really fail to see much benefit other than "you don't have to wait a few minutes at the luggage carousel". If I was going to a third world country then I might be with you since theft is common and a hotel is not a secure location to keep your stuff, but Japan is safe.

Now if you are planning on backpacking & hitchhiking & hosteling & using seishun18 ticket to go to five new cities every day, then having checked suitcases is obviously silly.

You know hotels have toiletries right? They often have laundry facilities too...

I can't say I've ever needed more than a travel-bag (sports bag?) and small backpack. And just the backpack is enough for small trips (couple of days). If you're not moving countries I really can't see why anyone needs a big suitcase.