Last March 9 - 15, 2016, I went to the Land of the Rising Sun! It was my first time to go to Japan and I’ve been anticipating for this trip since the start of the year. As a fan of East Asian/Southeast Asian culture, Japan was definitely one of the must-go to places in my list! 

It was still winter in Japan when I went there and since I’m from a tropical country (what’s up Philippines!), I needed to prepare the clothes I’d be wearing for my 7-day trip. Spring was approaching and we would not experience the worst of the winter season BUT I’ve always had low tolerance for coldness (literally and figuratively LOL) so I had to pack lots of thermals, sweaters, and coats. Better be safe than sorry! 

{not the actual weather during my stay there, i took this screenshot just now lol}

I added Tokyo, Niigata, Hiroshima and Itsukushima in my weather app places because these were the places I was planning to go to. My excitement made me check the weather of these places almost every day! I managed to predict what the weather would be like during our stay there because of this. The temperature actually got colder during my stay because of the wind and rain as compared to the days before my trip. I wouldn’t have known there would be chances of rain/snow showers if I didn’t religiously check the weather. 

2.) Prepare my OOTDs for the rest of the trip and write these down on my notebook. 

Cold weather = more clothes = heavier luggage! Bringing a heavy luggage would not be a problem if you have a big baggage allowance. My baggage allowance was more than enough but I would use public transportation (Narita express train!) from the airport to the hotel. The hotel I would stay in was a 5-8 min. walk from Tokyo station so lugging heavy baggages was not an appealing idea… AT ALL. I also always tend to overpack so I HAD TO DO THIS. Doing this was genius because there was never a day where in I got anxious over what I would wear when I was in Japan. It also lessened the anxiety of thinking I forgot something to pack because the notebook served as my guide/checklist. Awesome possum! 

In the end, I brought a medium-size luggage and a cabin-size luggage. Inside the cabin-size luggage was a backpack I would use for the Miyajima Island overnight leg of my trip. I had also planned to store my Japan goodies/shopping haul in my cabin-size luggage and backpack because based on my friends’ advice, you would not resist shopping in Japan! (Please take this advice seriously. I seriously filled my cabin-size luggage and backpack to the brim with Japan stuff to bring back home.) 

Also, if you’re curious, my everyday OOTD consisted of a thermal/heattech sweater, thermal leggings, sweater, coat, pants/leggings, scarf, beanie and rubber shoes/boots! 

3.) Purchase a Japan Rail pass (if necessary) 

If you’re planning to venture out of Tokyo, getting a JR pass is very cost effective. I availed of this because I was going to Hiroshima, which was a 5hr ride away from Tokyo (a combination of bullet train and subway/local train rides). Since going to Hiroshima would involve a couple of bullet train rides, getting the Japan-wide JR pass was worth it. If you are not going out of Tokyo or would just stay in areas such as Osaka and Kyoto, the JR pass is not recommended and would come off as expensive. 

You can read several blogs on whether or not you’ll be needing a JR pass. Here’s a link to one of the blogs I read before! 

P.S. The JR Pass is for tourists and is NOT available in Japan. You need to purchase it before leaving for Japan! 

4.) Prepare necessary documents 

Passport (valid for at least 6 months before departure)? Check! 

Japan visa? Check! 

I also photocopied my passport bio page and Japan visa and placed it on different locations (one in my handbag, one in my luggage) for security purposes. 

5.) Research on the must-buys in Japan 

I did this so as not to buy unnecessary things. Some of the must-buy things in Japan (because of the affordable price or because you wouldn’t easily find these anywhere) are rubber shoes (Asics, Onitsuka), cosmetics and skin care products (!!!), kawaii clothes, gadgets, G-Shock watches and chocolates (!! matcha-flavored and ROYCE!!). 

Now that those are settled, it’s time to go to Japan! I hope this blog post somehow helped you prepare for your trip. Actual Japan trip posts to follow! 

 I MISS JAPAN!