Packing for Japan is its own exercise. The country is hyper-equipped for travelers, so half of what you’d habitually pack is available at any konbini at midnight for 200 yen. But a few truly critical items aren’t there, or only at silly prices. The point of this guide is to separate the two: what absolutely has to be in the suitcase when you leave, and what you can comfortably buy on the ground.
I’ve been traveling in Japan for ten years with a cabin bag and a backpack. What follows is what I actually pack, plus what I’ve watched friends regret leaving at home, or regret dragging around for nothing.
The golden rule: travel light
Japan isn’t a country where you drag a big suitcase around. Stations are labyrinthine, elevators rare, ryokan have narrow corridors, some hotels have rooms so small a XXL suitcase can’t even open. My hard recommendations:
- A cabin suitcase (55x40x20 cm, under 7-10 kg) is enough for two weeks if you can do laundry in the room.
- A 15-25 L day pack for daytime, holding laptop or camera plus essentials.
- If you’re traveling as a couple, two cabin bags rather than one big checked bag. Total independence on transport.
If you arrive with a big suitcase, two solutions: leave it at the main hotel and travel with a weekend bag for nights away from base camp; or use the takkyubin service (Yamato Transport, black cat logo) which delivers your suitcase from one hotel to the next for around 2,000 yen. It’s a life changer in Japan, see my How to Travel Around Japan guide for the details.
What you absolutely have to bring
Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes. You’ll walk 15 to 25 km a day. A new unbroken pair is the most painful possible mistake. Pick something easy to slip on and off (no complicated lacing): you’ll remove your shoes ten times a day (temples, ryokan, some restaurants). A well-broken-in, easy-off pair changes the whole trip.
An electrical adapter. Japan uses Type A two-pin flat plugs (110V, 50/60 Hz). For US travelers, your existing plugs work. For UK/Europe travelers, a basic Type A adapter costs $5. Modern iPhone and MacBook chargers handle 110V without issue. For hairdryers and high-wattage devices, check 100-240V compatibility before leaving.
Your personal medications. A number of common molecules abroad are banned in Japan (codeine, certain decongestants, Sudafed, Adderall). Bring your prescriptions for at most 30 days, plus a copy in English or Japanese. For basic painkillers (paracetamol, ibuprofen), buy on site: pharmacies sell equivalent brands (Loxonin, Bufferin) at reasonable prices.
A very light folding umbrella. An unexpected shower is guaranteed at least once per trip. You can also buy a clear plastic umbrella for 500 yen at any konbini, so it’s not critical, but a good folding one in your day bag saves the 3am scramble.
A microfiber travel towel. Small format, dries in two hours. Essential for sentos and onsens: you don’t bring a big towel, just a small one to dry off between rooms. See my guide Best Onsen in Japan for usage context.
Layers. Whatever the season, Japan has sharp temperature gaps between morning and afternoon, indoor (over-cooled in summer, over-heated in winter) and outdoor. A shirt + light sweater + jacket + thin scarf is more useful than a single coat.
A power bank. Phones drain heavily on maps and translation. A 10,000 mAh bank lasts a full day of intense sightseeing.
Cash in yen and a fee-free abroad card. More detail in my How Much Does Japan Cost guide, but in short: withdraw 30,000-50,000 yen at a 7-Eleven ATM straight from the airport, cash remains essential at small restaurants, ryokan, and rural shops.
What you can buy on the ground
Everything below is better and cheaper bought in Japan than at home:
- Cosmetics and skincare. Drugstores Don Quijote, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, and Tsuruha sell excellent affordable Japanese cosmetics. You’ll go home with more product than you arrived with.
- Wet wipes and sheet masks. The country is overflowing.
- Pens, stationery, notebooks. Japanese stationery is world-renowned. Itoya in Ginza, Tokyu Hands, Loft: budget time.
- Bags and textile accessories. 100-yen shops like Daiso have everything: pouches, hair ties, backup USB cables, packing organizers.
- Indoor sandals or flip-flops. If you’re staying in ryokan, they’re provided. Otherwise, buy for 100 yen.
- Basic clothes. Uniqlo and Muji are everywhere: Heattech thermal tees (winter), AIRism (summer), tabi split-toe socks. Don’t burden yourself with duplicates.
- Toothbrushes and toiletries. Hotels provide for free, and konbini sell for 100 yen.
Season by season
Spring (March-May). Stackable layers. A mid-season jacket, a sweater, a light raincoat. A thin scarf for cool evenings. See my guide Japan in Spring.
Summer (June-August). Very light fabrics (linen, fine cotton), light colors. Sandals that handle walking. Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat or cap. A small towel for forehead-mopping (sold everywhere). Swimsuit for hotel pools or Okinawan beaches. See my guide Japan in Summer.
Autumn (September-November). Like spring. A waterproof jacket is useful for September (typhoon season). See my guide Japan in Autumn.
Winter (December-February). Warm coat, gloves, hat, scarf. Tokyo temperatures rarely drop below freezing, but humidity makes the cold biting. Waterproof boots if you’re heading to Tohoku or Hokkaido. Thermal underwear (Heattech). See my guide Japan in Winter.
Connectivity
For your phone, three options:
- eSIM (simplest): Airalo, Ubigi, Holafly. Download before leaving, activate on landing. $10-30 for 7-15 days.
- Physical SIM at the airport: Mobal, Sakura Mobile, JAL ABC. More expensive, slower to set up, but useful if your phone doesn’t accept eSIM.
- Pocket Wi-Fi: small device rented at the airport, shares connection across multiple devices. Good for families or when traveling with a connected camera.
Free Wi-Fi is everywhere (stations, konbini, cafes), but a personal connection saves you hours of struggle to find a train or restaurant.
Documents and apps
Documents:
- Passport valid for at least 6 months past return date
- Visa if required (not for US/EU/UK/AU/CA for under 90 days)
- Printed return ticket (sometimes asked at immigration)
- Hotel confirmation for the first night (sometimes asked)
- Travel insurance with health coverage
- International driving permit if you plan to rent a car
In parallel, do the Visit Japan Web registration 24-48 hours before flying for the digital immigration and customs forms. You save 10 minutes at landing.
Apps to install before leaving:
- Google Maps: queen of Japan. Also handles train transfers and fares.
- Google Translate: download Japanese offline dictionaries. The camera function translates menus live.
- Suica in Apple Wallet (iPhone): to pay for trains, buses, and konbini purchases. See How to Travel Around Japan.
- Tabelog or Google Maps: to find restaurants. Tabelog is the Japanese Yelp, more reliable than Google reviews which are inflated.
- Japan Travel by Navitime: Google Maps alternative specialized in transport, sometimes better for transfers.
What absolutely NOT to bring
- Too many clothes. You’ll do laundry or buy. Three full outfits suffice for two weeks.
- Food. Unless you have very specific dietary restrictions, Japan has everything. And customs may confiscate meat, fresh cheese, fruit, and vegetables.
- Codeine and certain decongestants. Banned, can cause customs problems if declared.
- Too much cash in big bills. 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign cards 24/7, you don’t need to arrive with $1,500 cash.
- Too big a suitcase. You’ll curse it on the stairs of Shinjuku station.
My minimum kit for two weeks
For a reference point, here’s what I actually put in a cabin bag for two weeks in Japan in mild season:
- 3 t-shirts, 1 polo, 1 shirt
- 2 pairs of pants (1 comfort, 1 dressier)
- 1 light sweater, 1 light waterproof jacket
- 5 pairs of socks, 5 underwear
- 1 pair of broken-in walking shoes + 1 lighter pair for evenings
- 1 microfiber towel, 1 basic toiletry kit
- 1 USB-C charger, 1 adapter, 1 10,000 mAh power bank
- 1 notebook, 1 pen, my personal meds, my papers, cash
- 1 camera (my Fujifilm X100) with 2 batteries
Total: about 8-9 kg, I can run with it up the stairs of Shinjuku. And there’s room left for souvenirs on the way back.
To finish the prep, see also my First 24 Hours in Japan and the Japanese Etiquette guide for the cultural codes to know. And before booking, the When to Visit Japan guide for picking your dates.