There is also a section at the end of this article with information on what to bring if you are moving to Japan to live.

TIP: TRAVEL LIGHT! You’ve probably heard this 100 times, and think that there are so many things in your luggage that you can’t do without. Japan is become more and more “westernised” and you can find most things you need at department and convenience stores.

Japan holiday luggage checklist

• Passport (+ a copy kept separate) – see article about how to get an Australian passport.



• Drivers license (as an additional form of identification)
• Flight tickets or print outs of e-tickets
• Travel insurance information print out
• Japanese currency – see articles on getting a good AUD/JPY exchange rate and spending money and Japan holiday costs.
• ATM card and a Mastercard/Visa credit card – see the article on using your money in Japan.
• Japanese phrase book, if you do not speak Japanese – 2 good books are The Original “Point And Speak” Phrasebook English (ISBN: 9784795818439) and Lonely Planet Japanese phrasebook (ISBN: 9781741042313)
• Travel power adapter
• Camera
  • Digital camera
  • 2 x rechargeable batteries
  • 2 x memory cards
  • Camera bag
  • Mini tripod
• Either laptop and charger, or a journal with pen and paper. It is a good idea to keep a small travel journal, or a blog while travelling.
• Clothes
  • Pack depending on the weather, research the weather before leaving for Japan. Using Wikipedia, you can also research the cities/areas you are travelling to and find average temperatures and weather conditions. It can become very humid in summer and snows across much of the country in winter. You will need to swap certain items, e.g:
    • Sun hat for the summer or a beanie for the winter
    • More shorts in summer or long pants in winter
  • Pack light, you can always buy cheap clothes in Japan. Note that if you are overweight or taller than about 170cm you may have problems finding some clothes (especially pants and shoes).
  • 2 pairs of shoes (one pair of general/walking shoes and one pair of smart casual shoes for going out).
  • Thongs or sandals
  • Sleeping clothes
  • Waterproof jacket or poncho
  • At least 3 pairs of socks
  • At least 3 underwear garments
  • Belt
• Medication and toiletries
  • Prescription mediation, bring enough for your trip and bring a copy of the prescription to validify that it is yours
  • Any normal medication (like asthma inhalers, women should bring the pill if they take it)
  • Condoms/safe sex precautions.
  • Antibacterial hand wipes/gel.
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste.
  • Everything else can be bought from a chemist (known as Drug Stores) in Japan.
• International Drivers Permit – these are very cheap from your local motoring services office (see?IDP Authorities in Australia)

Things to put in your carry on luggage

Direct flights to Japan take about 8-10 hours. Many flights have a stop over and the trip can take anywhere from 10 – 18 hours or more, depending on the stops. Make sure you have what you need on hand in the airplane cabin, packed away in your carry on luggage. Some of these things are listed in the luggage checklist above.

• Bottle of water



• Magazine, newspaper or book to read
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss (mouthwash if you like)
• Gum or mints
• Snacks like fruit, nuts or chocolate
• Loose pair of socks
• A light jumper or jacket
• From the luggage checklist: passport; ticket print outs; Japanese currency; bank/credit card; phrasebook; camera; laptop.

Moving to Japan to live/work? Here are some additional things you should bring

• Some candies or typical Australian (or your home country) snacks. Check that these can be taken to Japan first. These are great as they can be used for small gifts, there are many traditions in Japan which sees a small gift being given (e.g. you might give a small gift to your new neighbour, or to some new friends when visiting their house).
• Photos or any nick-nacks you can put in your new place to make it feel a little bit more homely.
• Pack clothes for the current and next season. Then, get your family to post some more clothes for subsequent seasons. If you have room, you can pack more clothes.

Related articles

• See other posts from the Japan Travel Tips and Planning category.

Did I miss anything? Is there anything else that you think is a “must-have” for packing in your holiday luggage?

Related posts:

1. When to travel to Japan?
2. Spending money and Japan holiday costs
3. Japan on a Budget, Tips for Cheap Travel!

I am from Australia and recently travelled to Japan for a holiday. In terms of traditions, we borrow from elsewhere, in terms of historical architecture there is nothing older than 250 years. Travelling to Japan was a chance to visit a country that is most steeped in tradition and culture of their own country – deeply proud and very generous people. It is a challenge and a massive reward holidaying here. So much so that I am now planning on returning to live.

There are so many reasons to visit Japan. Here are my top ten reasons why you should travel to Japan.

1. City, night lights and shopping.

Major shopping hub at Shibuya in Tokyo, near Shibuya 109.

The first of my top 10 reasons to visit Japan is really hard to justify on camera. But the shopping here is something very different, Shibuya 109 is a mutli-storey shopping centre just for teenage girs. And Akihabara in Tokyo is know solely for its electronics and games.

2. Festivals.

Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) during the spring festival in Osaka.

Although in this list of 10 reasons to visit Japan I include only one example of a festival, Japan has many and they are very unique. From the snow and ice festivals in Sapporo in the north and more ancient/traditional festivals with priests and shrines, Japan loves the celebrations!

For more information see Wikipedia’s article on Japanese festivals.

UPDATE: New post ‘Japanese cherry blossom – photos and info‘.

3. Robots, gadgets and all things tech.

Sony AIBO, robot dogs at Roboworld in Fukuoka

Western style Japanese toilet with myriad of controls. Known in Japan as the Washlet (ウォシュレット Woshuretto)."

If you visit Japan, you will encounter one of these toilets. They really should be all over the world! Very hygienic, although it took a few times to get used to the water jets…

4. Castles, temples and shrines.

Okayama-jo, black and gold castle called 'Crow Castle' or 'U-jo'.

5. Efficient transport and the shinkansen (bullet train).

JR Central's Hikari Shinkansen.

Riding on Japan’s bullet train was actually at the top of my mates 10 reasons to visit Japan. Riding along at 300km/h or more, it feels more like air travel than rail travel.

At the opposite end of the speed scale, bicycles have right of way on the roads in Japan.

6. Japanese food and drink (especially Yebisu beer).

Yebisu beer and takoyaki (octopus in battered balls).

7. Manga and anime.

Just a small part of a multi-level book store in Okayama

8. Astro boy.

Statue of Astro Boy (named Atom in Japanese) outside Kyoto train station.

9. Architecture.

ACROS Fukuoka - the green side.

10. Origami, ancient traditions and art.

A tiny origami crane sitting on the bar of a nightclub in Fukuoka

This post marks the beginning of a series of posts, about my trip to Japan. I went to Japan for a holiday for about 1 month. Almost daily I would go to an internet cafe to find something to do – being in a non-English speaking country meant things to do were hard to find on the internet. My site ‘Japan Travel Mate’ aims to provide information on what to do and how to do it when you are in Japan.

Related posts:

1. Why go to Japan?
2. Pictures of Japan – 10 photos
3. Japan on a Budget, Tips for Cheap Travel!