At a glance
- Bag
- 35L carry-on
- Skip
- Toiletries
- Buy there
- HEATTECH, ponchos
The first time I packed for Japan I brought a 70-litre suitcase, six pairs of socks, and a Patagonia rain shell. By day three I had bought a ¥600 conbini umbrella, found that Uniqlo had thinner thermals than what I had packed, and was wondering what was in the suitcase that the country itself did not stock better. Nothing, mostly.
The actual Japan packing list is short. Here is the real version, plus the four shops that replace everything you would otherwise drag halfway around the world.
How-to
Five rules for a Japan suitcase
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Pack the things Japan does NOT do better
A short list, because it is short. Passport (visa-free entry as a Dutch, Belgian, or German), two cards (Visa/MC + ideally JCB), prescription medication in original packaging with a copy of the prescription, your phone charger, a universal travel adapter, walking shoes that have been actually worn in. That covers most of it. Everything else has a better, often cheaper version waiting in a Tokyo drugstore on day two.
The whole "must pack" list fits in a 35-litre carry-on. Half the suitcase comes back fuller than it left. Tip: Walk-in shoes are the one thing not to compromise on. Tokyo and Kyoto are 15,000-step-a-day cities — bringing brand-new sneakers and getting blisters on day two is the most common rookie mistake.
Cash vs card in Japan -
Skip toiletries — Japanese drugstores are world-class
Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, contact lens solution, paracetamol — all available within a five-minute walk of any Tokyo or Kyoto hotel, often at half the home price and frequently better quality. Drugstore chains like Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Sundrug and Welcia are everywhere, the quality is high, and the staff usually understand "shampoo, hair, dry" with point-and-confirm.
Matsumoto Kiyoshi has 1,800+ stores. Whatever you forgot, they sell it for less than you would have paid at home. -
Skip rain gear — Donki has it for ¥500
A rain jacket from REI takes up half a packing cube. A 500-yen plastic poncho from Don Quijote weighs nothing, fits in a pocket, and is replaceable. For umbrellas: every konbini sells a clear vinyl umbrella for ¥600, perfectly engineered, and you accept that you might leave it at a restaurant. The "always be prepared with technical rain gear" instinct is European; Japan has rationalised this into a 600-yen disposable.
Don Quijote at midnight. Whatever you forgot — towel, umbrella, charging cable, slippers — it is here in the next aisle. -
Pack thin layers — Uniqlo HEATTECH owns the rest
For winter trips: bring two thin merino base layers, then buy HEATTECH in Tokyo for ¥1,500–2,000. The Japan-spec HEATTECH is genuinely warmer than the European version and ¥1,000 cheaper. Uniqlo branches sit in every major shopping district. For summer: AIRism is the equivalent — same logic, two-thirds the home price.
Uniqlo Ginza HEATTECH section. The Japan version goes warmer and thinner than what Uniqlo Europe stocks. -
Bring an empty bag — for the way back
A folded compressible duffel inside your suitcase costs almost nothing on the way out and turns into your second bag for the way home. Japan is one of the great shopping countries — Donki snacks, Uniqlo basics, stationery (Tombow, Pilot pens), tableware from Kappabashi, vinyl from Shibuya — and your "I will not buy much" plan lasts about four days. Plan for the suitcase that comes back larger.
The Japanese konbini guide
A few things worth knowing
- Plug type A — same as the US. 100V instead of 230V, but most modern chargers (laptops, phones, cameras) are dual-voltage. Hairdryers and electric razors usually are not — check the label before frying one.
- Towels at hotels and ryokan are tiny. Western-size towels arrive at international-grade hotels (Marriott, Hilton); ryokan and lower-tier business hotels stock genuinely small ones. If you are tall, a thin packable travel towel is the one "extra" worth bringing.
- Slip-on shoes save you time. Tatami restaurants and ryokan want shoes off at the entrance. Lace-up boots become a daily friction. Slip-ons or quick-tie laces help.
- Daypack folded inside your main bag. The Uniqlo Pocketable is ¥1,990 in store. Cheaper there than packing a Patagonia stuffsack from home, and it pairs with the coin-locker day-bag system.
- Tax-free at most large shops. Spend over ¥5,000 with your passport and you get 8–10% back at the register. The shop seals the goods; carry them out unopened until you fly home. This applies at Uniqlo, Donki, Bic Camera, and most department stores.
Less is genuinely more
Half the things on a typical Japan packing list exist because the writer never tried buying them in Tokyo. Once you have, you stop overpacking. Bring the irreplaceable, leave the rest, and reserve a third of your suitcase for what you bring back. The country provides — at a price you will not believe.