Saturday, July 10, 2010

Japan Trip: What to pack

Why is it that last week when my family was over and I had no time to myself I got dreadfully behind on new episodes and this week with time to burn and give away…nothing. NOTHING PEOPLE. Sci-fi has sucked today as well so here I am…bored. I should have stayed at work XO Did I just say that?

So since I have no anime to blog I will talk about my Japan trip. Because we are at 10 months and counting now. Plans need to be made, money needs to be saved, and lists need to be created. Because I love lists. XD

I think I shall start with a list of things I need for my trip. Either I need to buy these items or make sure they find their way into my luggage. I will probably add more to this list as time goes by but I shall use this as my reference point. On with the list. Also the second I post this BAM one of my anime shows will be up.


X sets amount of clothes- Not sure how many yet. I want to have lots of room for souvenirs but I am not sure how easy doing laundry will be. So at least 7 pants/7 shirts/ect.

New white socks- important in a country where taking off your shoes is expected in some places and I don’t want holey socks.

Comfortable shoes- I have work shoes and cute let’s go to the mall shoes. I need something cute that can get me three miles a day.

Batteries- Anytime I go somewhere I put in charged batteries…and they die. So I am not taking any chances this time!

Money- Very important in a country that isn’t too keen on credit cards.

Medicine/deodorant/bathroom supplies- I hear it is hard to get deodorant in Japan and I don’t want to be the smelly person XO. I was thinking about just bringing disposal bathroom items so I can chuck them and have more room in my bags.

Japanese translation book- Communication will be key when we are lost in Japan. We need a phrase book because we aren’t going to magically assume everyone speaks English.

Maps- So we can pretend to know where we are going.

Tote/backpack- To carry around daily treasures and snacks.

Froot Loops- I do not want to starve XO

Laptop- A bit iffy on this one but hey, there might be free wifi in the rooms.

Wifi Card- Cause yeah…don’t have one of those.

Japanese Railpass- We are not sure if we are going this option yet but if we do we need to get that way before we start packing.

Passports

Jacket-I get cold in movie theaters. I have a light jacket but it will still take up space in my suitcase. :(

Puroland tickets- XO I WANTS TO GO! But maybe I can buy them after I get there…


Things to buy once there:

Tissues: Some bathrooms have no toilet paper and/or paper towels. I know people hand them out for free to advertise but better safe than sorry.

Umbrella- Cheap as I can get so I can leave it behind.

Notebook paper- Because I like lists and plans!

Snacks- Because I love eating healthy?!

My list seems rather small for a 3 week trip when I bring more on a 3 day trip. But on those three day trips I can pile my purchases in a car without worrying about paying for an extra suitcase/baggage fee. Also during the small trips I know what to expect and that there is going to be downtime. In Japan it will be a once in a lifetime (well maybe…expensive anyway) oppronity so I don’t want to waste any time doing things I could do at home.

So this list shall be a work in progress. I will update the list closer to the actual MOG we are going date. For now…must work, must save money.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Aren't you the lucky one? =P Going to the home of Anime...and other things of course.

In regards to having room for souvenirs, am I right in saying that you are allowed two suitcases per person? If so, it shouldn't be that hard to have plenty of room for souvenirs. Also, who are you going with? You might find it handy if you share suitcases, therefore 1/2 suitcases can be entirely dedicated to clothes; leaving more room in other suitcases for souvenirs.

Looking down your list, I would advise against taking your laptop. Firstly, it is risky to do so. Obvious really. Secondly, it is a once in a lifetime holiday. I mean, if you have time to go on your laptop...you're not taking advantage of this opportunity.

Again, you are a lucky girl. :3

Anonymous said...

One thing regarding laptops. If your "hoteru" has computers for you to use, don't bother bringing one.

But if they don't, it might be challenging to use an internet cafe if you don't speak basic Japanese (what is the rate per minute? do you accept traveler's checks? etc). Luckily most Japanese keyboards are just like ours with hiragana printed over the English letters.

Personally, to look up reviews and things to do on the fly, and best of all to TRANSLATE! ( http://www.saiga-jp.com/cgi-bin/dic.cgi?f=0&start=1&sid=1278871471_27912 I use this gem for all my word/kanji lookup needs), I would take a laptop. Just lock it up in your hotel-room safe when you go out!

Christina said...

Samuel and Anonymous- I am traveling with my husband so I have some say in how we pack things up. I am pretty sure we are allowed to take two suitcases on an international flight. My plan is to have one big suitcase for all our clothes, the other big suitcase with food/bathroom stuff/ect stuff. The two small suitcases will probably be empty for souvenirs. I also plan on each of use carrying a big tote on the plane as our one carry on. The laptop I had planned on being my personal item.

So instead of bring a laptop would it be better for me to purchase more memory sticks for my camera? It sounds like that might be easier than worrying about where I leave it and how it will function in Japan.

I plan on going all out with buying souvenirs. XO Hopefully I will be able to cram them into the suitcases. I worry because I love nendoroids and they have big boxes. But if it comes down to it I will leave the boxes behind and bring the nendoroids in my carry on bag. Or in between all the Sanrio stuff I plan on buying. XD

Unknown said...

Yeah, as I'm from Britain I only fly abroad and I'm allowed two suitcases. That seems like a good idea to me. I'm sure you know a lot more than me XD

Yes, I would advise buying more memory cards. Not only would it allow you to leave your laptop at home, but it would be better in general. If you kept on taking photos over your other photos, there will be no back-ups if the laptop were to crash. I know that you might upload the photos on to social networking sites etc, but it would be a lot more secure this way.

I can tell you love Nendoroids XD How big are they then? 10cm roughly right? I'm sure you'll have plenty of space, but if worse comes to the very worse either; ditch some bathroom stuff or ,even more drastic, mail them back to your residence the day before you leave. Shouldn't cost that much.

Where do you plan on visiting in Japan? The Otaku realm of Akihabara? XD