Not just Japan, but travel in general. My wife and I have tried to think of ways to fly carry-on/personal item only for 2 weeks to Japan with travel presents. I’ve already scouted out the Ginza Karen locations ready to buy a checked bag. Then Heidi drops the bomb we never even considered - check in the carry ons and bring another personal item 🫨
I say so sincerely I would not have been able to feel as prepared for my first trip out of the country to Japan if it wasn’t for your videos. Always so informative and helpful.
Thank you for this video 😊 I'm packing super light in which I'm sticking my carryon suitcase inside my large one going to Japan and boarding with only a backpack and my purse. On my way home, my larger suitcase will be filled with goodies from Japan and I'll probably carryon on my carryon suitcase with my backpack 😂 My goal is to come home with many items I'm planning on buying there! ❤ I'm not planning on traveling by air while in Japan and during my stay in Tokyo and Yokohama, my large suitcase will stay the whole time in my hotel, although there will be a few days, in which I'll be staying at different hotel location but... the cost of that hotel is cheaper for me than to worry or lug around my big siutcase while enjoying my time there so for me, this works out better! Basically I've created my little hub/home base for all my things until I leave, which I've also booked a hotel, which is one train ride away (about 20 minutes) from the airport 😊 I've been watching so many TH-camrs like you to learn and navigate and come up with my best plan! 2 more months! Can't wait to get there! 😊❤
Sounds like a great plan! We’ve had good luck leaving our suitcase at our hotel for a couple days before checking in or after checking out, so we could go on side trips without our big suitcase. Some hotels charged a small storage fee, while other hotels held our luggage for free. 🌸 Heidi
Thanks for your tips! Planning to travel only with a carry-on luggage on my upcoming Autumn trip to Japan. I was planning to do this last Winter trip, but my snow boots (huge feet) took up most of the space in the luggage 😅 Its always a struggle packing for a cold season as I live in a tropical country. Glad I stumbled to your channel, Subscribed!
Welcome! We share tons here on Kensho Quest about Japan travel. In this separate video I show what I would pack for an Autumn trip to Japan: th-cam.com/video/RI4dkf0jOAE/w-d-xo.html
Just a big Thank You for all info and tips you & family are sharing on your channel. We just came back from an amazing 3 weeks holiday in fantastic Japan and watched (and learned from) all your content. Especially tips for traveling, portable wifi and places to visit has been a real addition to our planning! thanks again, from The Netherlands
Wife and I Learned a lot watching your channel. Bringing the 35l backpack and 15l for everyday use. Traveling 2 weeks in mid October. unbound merino clothes for simplicity.
@@KenshoQuest 2 week trip - set of packing cubes - clothes/toiletries/electronics/docs clothes (with merino looking at 1 hoodie, 2 shirts, 1 pants, 1 sweats) and 1 week undergarments. Electronics - international charger that can handle multiple devices, power bank. Compartmentalize and Organization is key.
Great hints! I have a 40 day trip to New Zealand and Australia next year, and the two international airlines I am using have strict size and weight limitations. I bought the July light carryon as well as their light checked luggage piece. I’m planning on doing a few test packings well before my trip. I will be packing using the strictest requirements which for carryon weight is Air New Zealand, whereas Qantas domestic has stricter size restrictions on checked luggage.
Best of luck with packing! I've been considering getting the July Checked Light, if we decide to bring a checked suitcase. Let me know how it works out. 🌸 Heidi
oh..just what I need ! thank youuuu. And yes, I don't like carry a backpack without a rollie suitcase but there may be a time (soon?) that I would because airlines are taking more and more away so a free carry-on may be a thing of the past :( I do try using a backpack on short trips ( or where my stop is a hotel and so I don't walk in airport at all) just for practice. But I suppose it may be impossible at some point to just pack a personal item. You can only pack so little.. But maybe be fun to think of ways.
I have the same July carry on bag as you & it’s lite with the expandable option. I also have a leather backpack, which I can put over the handle of the carry on & has a place to put my ipad at the back of it. I love that I can put the back pack on when I need to walk up stairs or downstairs. I have one free hand that comes in handy lol
Very helpful tips! I'm just wondering about kid's toiletries. Do you have any brands that comes solid (like face cream and lotion), or do you purchase them in Japan? Thanks!
Hi. My kids also use some Ethique products, mostly the shampoo bar. Ethique offers solid moisturizers. Here's my referral link: prz.io/N0yvO0gTv We do also buy Cetaphil moisturizing cream in Japan for our son. If we check in a suitcase we just put the whole big container in there. Otherwise, we put some of the cream into a small container for him to carry in his backpack. 🌸 Heidi
Thank you for these videos, ill be a first time solo traveller to japan in november. I planned on carrying super light so i can go shopping and where some clothes for the rest of my trip which is about a week. Is this allowed? Can i wear duty free clothes in country or am i not allowed to use/open any single duty free item i buy while in country?
Hi. If you want to wear the clothing while you're in Japan, you can pay the taxes/duties when you purchase them. Items purchased duty-free are not supposed to be opened until you leave Japan.
Thank you for this very helpful video! I have the Cotopaxi 28L and I plan on bringing that to Japan as my personal item. We are flying JAL. How strict are they on weight and size of the personal item?
Hi. JAL is not as strict about the weight allowance (10kg for personal item + carry on) as the low cost carriers are. They don’t usually weigh our carry on bags. And interestingly, they don’t specify dimensions for the personal item. I guess it just needs to be smaller than the carry on. I think the Cotopaxi 28L should be fine. 🌸 Heidi www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/inter/baggage/inflight/
I bring a camera but I leave its dedicated charger at home. I am able to charge the camera by connecting it to my laptop, which I also use to charge my phone and portable battery pack. I do find though that I need the portable battery pack when I am using my phone to navigate, particularly if I have a long day out.
I leave the original charger at home as well. Instead I use a third party usb charger from pantona. And I leave my notebook at home. As almost every hotel has a tv, I simply bring my intel hdmi compute stick and a small bluetooth keyboard/touchpad-combo. Not sure if this will work in japan, as capsule hotels don't seem to have tvs.
I bring a small pouch of menstrual products with me. Then I buy more in Japan and pack them in my suitcase. There are many different options these days. Some people prefer to travel with a menstrual cup or period underwear.
Hi. They are by Petunia Pickle Bottom, which is a diaper bag brand. petunia.com/collections/organizers I like that they are narrow instead of square shape.
I love your videos. ❤ We plan on travelling to Japan to the snow for skiing. Wheels just won't work in the snow, and we are doing a lot of train travel for a month. We have just invested in Osprey Fairlight and Farpoint 40L packs for the family. We would like to not check in any luggage and are limited to 7kg (15 pounds) for carry-on only, and depending on the airline, we may be able to have an additional 3kg personal item, depending on which flights we get. We will be wearing a lot of winter clothes on the flight, going from Australian summer to Japan winter. 🤣 ⁉️ But, one problem, we may have to check in at least one pack, as we are taking Kahtoola Nanospikes so we don't slip in the ice and snow. ⁉️ Question: Do you know if nanospikes need to be checked in? ⁉️
Hi. I’m not sure if nanospikes are allowed on airplanes. It looks like Australia has a “Can I pack that?” app. It might not be the exact brand, but you could purchase something similar once you arrive in Japan. I’ve purchased ice spikes in Hokkaido. ❄️ Heidi
@KenshoQuest thank you. I will continue my research and leave my options open and be flexible, I think that's what makes things easier. Appreciate your advice. Happy travels. 😎
Luggage planning is tough. We use to travel with a 22" carry-on case and a backpack. But every carrier has different rules so we tend to do less between city flights. I wonder if the carriers with restrictive luggage policies have figured this out? They probably make more in luggage fees.
This is what we packed for Japan with our toddler: th-cam.com/video/MRiZ3ts9O1k/w-d-xo.html We use a soft structured carrier rather than a stroller, since it's easier on crowded trains.
@@electrogeek77 yea id personally love to pack light and just buy some clothing there in Japan but I wouldnt know where to find shirts for a 6'6 big guy. Not many of those in Japan 😅 I was planning on using compression packing cubes and vacuum bags to pack since I'm doing 3 weeks in Japan in March and a month in Thailand after that with two big temperature changes.
Great content guys. Keep up the good work It would be amazing if u could do a roadtrip by car/van through some rural parts of Japan. There is this YT channel called Ambient Exploration, he visits small villages and films in 4K. Amazing countryside Japan
I don’t understand the obsession people have with carrying their bags on planes. I travel with a carry on size suitcase, which I always check. Less hassle in the airport and on the plane. Honestly I am in Japan now and only waited maybe 10 minutes at the carousel, just time enough to use the restroom. I have traveled extensively for nearly 50 years and have only had a suitcase lost one, a TWA flight LHR to LAX. Boy that dates me! It was brought to my home only a few hours later. Believe me, unless you have children, pack as light as possible. Rewear clothes and wash in room or laundry. Less to manage = more time to enjoy!
@@henrysmom1742 I don’t understand why anybody with a cabin bag would want to stand in a queue to check it in and then stand again at their destination to wait for it to appear on a carousel. But then everyone is different aren’t they.
Well when I flew to Japan this time I literally waited 5 minutes to check my bag in and to pick up at carousel. Plus for us older folks (flying TWA and PanAm is a giveaway!) hoisting those bags overhead is tough. On a recent domestic flight, there were so many people with carryons they asked for people to check their bags and when people didn't volunteer, they made people check bags to board. To each his own as you say
@@henrysmom1742- direct flights to Japan are an unaffordable luxury for us, but stopovers are fun and are a great way to minimise jet lag. Our hold luggage gets checked through to the destination (and it’s very common with a tight connection for a case not to make it in time, especially if there has been a delay) so we rely on what’s in our Carry On bags. ALSO, we often send the hold luggage gets to our lodging by takkyubin. Makes travel by rush hour less of an ordeal and cheaper than a taxi. Again, this makes us rely on our carry on bags. Perhaps you’ll now understand the needs other travellers have and that it isn’t an “obsession”.
This is one of the most detailed channels about Japan. Thank you for the tips I hope you keep growing your channel.
Thank you! 💕
Not just Japan, but travel in general.
My wife and I have tried to think of ways to fly carry-on/personal item only for 2 weeks to Japan with travel presents. I’ve already scouted out the Ginza Karen locations ready to buy a checked bag.
Then Heidi drops the bomb we never even considered - check in the carry ons and bring another personal item 🫨
I say so sincerely I would not have been able to feel as prepared for my first trip out of the country to Japan if it wasn’t for your videos. Always so informative and helpful.
Thank you! 💕 So glad to have helped you feel prepared.
Thank you for this video 😊 I'm packing super light in which I'm sticking my carryon suitcase inside my large one going to Japan and boarding with only a backpack and my purse. On my way home, my larger suitcase will be filled with goodies from Japan and I'll probably carryon on my carryon suitcase with my backpack 😂 My goal is to come home with many items I'm planning on buying there! ❤ I'm not planning on traveling by air while in Japan and during my stay in Tokyo and Yokohama, my large suitcase will stay the whole time in my hotel, although there will be a few days, in which I'll be staying at different hotel location but... the cost of that hotel is cheaper for me than to worry or lug around my big siutcase while enjoying my time there so for me, this works out better! Basically I've created my little hub/home base for all my things until I leave, which I've also booked a hotel, which is one train ride away (about 20 minutes) from the airport 😊 I've been watching so many TH-camrs like you to learn and navigate and come up with my best plan! 2 more months! Can't wait to get there! 😊❤
Sounds like a great plan! We’ve had good luck leaving our suitcase at our hotel for a couple days before checking in or after checking out, so we could go on side trips without our big suitcase. Some hotels charged a small storage fee, while other hotels held our luggage for free. 🌸 Heidi
Great tips, not just for traveling to Japan! Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for your tips! Planning to travel only with a carry-on luggage on my upcoming Autumn trip to Japan. I was planning to do this last Winter trip, but my snow boots (huge feet) took up most of the space in the luggage 😅 Its always a struggle packing for a cold season as I live in a tropical country. Glad I stumbled to your channel, Subscribed!
Welcome! We share tons here on Kensho Quest about Japan travel. In this separate video I show what I would pack for an Autumn trip to Japan: th-cam.com/video/RI4dkf0jOAE/w-d-xo.html
Very Useful Video! Thank you for the tips and tricks
You're welcome!
Just a big Thank You for all info and tips you & family are sharing on your channel. We just came back from an amazing 3 weeks holiday in fantastic Japan and watched (and learned from) all your content. Especially tips for traveling, portable wifi and places to visit has been a real addition to our planning! thanks again, from The Netherlands
Thanks for letting us know! We’re happy to hear that you had an amazing trip to Japan.
I'm all for light packing, so this is very useful!
Wife and I Learned a lot watching your channel. Bringing the 35l backpack and 15l for everyday use. Traveling 2 weeks in mid October. unbound merino clothes for simplicity.
Awesome job packing light! Any tips to share for packing in a backpack?
@@KenshoQuest 2 week trip - set of packing cubes - clothes/toiletries/electronics/docs clothes (with merino looking at 1 hoodie, 2 shirts, 1 pants, 1 sweats) and 1 week undergarments. Electronics - international charger that can handle multiple devices, power bank. Compartmentalize and Organization is key.
Great hints! I have a 40 day trip to New Zealand and Australia next year, and the two international airlines I am using have strict size and weight limitations. I bought the July light carryon as well as their light checked luggage piece. I’m planning on doing a few test packings well before my trip. I will be packing using the strictest requirements which for carryon weight is Air New Zealand, whereas Qantas domestic has stricter size restrictions on checked luggage.
Best of luck with packing! I've been considering getting the July Checked Light, if we decide to bring a checked suitcase. Let me know how it works out. 🌸 Heidi
oh..just what I need ! thank youuuu. And yes, I don't like carry a backpack without a rollie suitcase but there may be a time (soon?) that I would because airlines are taking more and more away so a free carry-on may be a thing of the past :(
I do try using a backpack on short trips ( or where my stop is a hotel and so I don't walk in airport at all) just for practice. But I suppose it may be impossible at some point to just pack a personal item. You can only pack so little.. But maybe be fun to think of ways.
The thing that kills me for the personal item is that I have a LOT of medications to carry on with me, and that takes up a good amount of space.
Such great tips !
Thanks! Are you packing light for Japan, or another destination?
I am going to get the July Carry On Light. What packing cubes did you use? They fit so nice very in the suitcase.
Hi. The packing cubes are by Petunia Pickle Bottom petunia.com/collections/organizers
I have the same July carry on bag as you & it’s lite with the expandable option. I also have a leather backpack, which I can put over the handle of the carry on & has a place to put my ipad at the back of it. I love that I can put the back pack on when I need to walk up stairs or downstairs. I have one free hand that comes in handy lol
Nice set up! What brand is your backpack? I’m always on the lookout for good backpacks.
Very helpful tips! I'm just wondering about kid's toiletries. Do you have any brands that comes solid (like face cream and lotion), or do you purchase them in Japan? Thanks!
Hi. My kids also use some Ethique products, mostly the shampoo bar. Ethique offers solid moisturizers. Here's my referral link: prz.io/N0yvO0gTv We do also buy Cetaphil moisturizing cream in Japan for our son. If we check in a suitcase we just put the whole big container in there. Otherwise, we put some of the cream into a small container for him to carry in his backpack. 🌸 Heidi
Thank you for these videos, ill be a first time solo traveller to japan in november. I planned on carrying super light so i can go shopping and where some clothes for the rest of my trip which is about a week. Is this allowed? Can i wear duty free clothes in country or am i not allowed to use/open any single duty free item i buy while in country?
Hi. If you want to wear the clothing while you're in Japan, you can pay the taxes/duties when you purchase them. Items purchased duty-free are not supposed to be opened until you leave Japan.
@@KenshoQuest thank you for clarifying this, so appreciated!!
Thank you for this very helpful video! I have the Cotopaxi 28L and I plan on bringing that to Japan as my personal item. We are flying JAL. How strict are they on weight and size of the personal item?
Hi. JAL is not as strict about the weight allowance (10kg for personal item + carry on) as the low cost carriers are. They don’t usually weigh our carry on bags. And interestingly, they don’t specify dimensions for the personal item. I guess it just needs to be smaller than the carry on. I think the Cotopaxi 28L should be fine. 🌸 Heidi www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/inter/baggage/inflight/
@@KenshoQuest thank you Heidi! 😊
I bring a camera but I leave its dedicated charger at home. I am able to charge the camera by connecting it to my laptop, which I also use to charge my phone and portable battery pack. I do find though that I need the portable battery pack when I am using my phone to navigate, particularly if I have a long day out.
I leave the original charger at home as well. Instead I use a third party usb charger from pantona. And I leave my notebook at home. As almost every hotel has a tv, I simply bring my intel hdmi compute stick and a small bluetooth keyboard/touchpad-combo. Not sure if this will work in japan, as capsule hotels don't seem to have tvs.
This is a really helpful video, thank you! I do have to ask though, how do you handle packing daily menstrual products?
I bring a small pouch of menstrual products with me. Then I buy more in Japan and pack them in my suitcase. There are many different options these days. Some people prefer to travel with a menstrual cup or period underwear.
What is the brand of packing cube?
Hi. They are by Petunia Pickle Bottom, which is a diaper bag brand. petunia.com/collections/organizers I like that they are narrow instead of square shape.
I love your videos. ❤ We plan on travelling to Japan to the snow for skiing. Wheels just won't work in the snow, and we are doing a lot of train travel for a month. We have just invested in Osprey Fairlight and Farpoint 40L packs for the family. We would like to not check in any luggage and are limited to 7kg (15 pounds) for carry-on only, and depending on the airline, we may be able to have an additional 3kg personal item, depending on which flights we get. We will be wearing a lot of winter clothes on the flight, going from Australian summer to Japan winter. 🤣
⁉️ But, one problem, we may have to check in at least one pack, as we are taking Kahtoola Nanospikes so we don't slip in the ice and snow. ⁉️ Question: Do you know if nanospikes need to be checked in? ⁉️
Hi. I’m not sure if nanospikes are allowed on airplanes. It looks like Australia has a “Can I pack that?” app. It might not be the exact brand, but you could purchase something similar once you arrive in Japan. I’ve purchased ice spikes in Hokkaido. ❄️ Heidi
@KenshoQuest thank you. I will continue my research and leave my options open and be flexible, I think that's what makes things easier. Appreciate your advice. Happy travels. 😎
Luggage planning is tough. We use to travel with a 22" carry-on case and a backpack. But every carrier has different rules so we tend to do less between city flights. I wonder if the carriers with restrictive luggage policies have figured this out? They probably make more in luggage fees.
they have. I have to retire a couple of rollie suitcases cus now they're too big.
What if you buy some stuff or souvenir? Where you will put those?
I would check in my small suitcase on the way home and carry a lightweight duffle or tote bag filled with souvenirs onto the airplane. 🌸 Heidi
think of buying smaller souvenirs. But if you plan to get plushies or larger items, my friend did use duffle & checked in her suitcase too.
How to pack with toddler? And stroller? My daughter is still drinking milk.
This is what we packed for Japan with our toddler: th-cam.com/video/MRiZ3ts9O1k/w-d-xo.html We use a soft structured carrier rather than a stroller, since it's easier on crowded trains.
What's your packing goal for Japan?
Ive been trying to find light clothing for tall people very hard to find.
Hopefully someone else can chime in with suggestions! I’m only 5’4”, so clothes that are meant to be cropped or midi length are full length on me.
@@Kaaru5344 I have a similar issue, but for plus sizes
@@electrogeek77 yea id personally love to pack light and just buy some clothing there in Japan but I wouldnt know where to find shirts for a 6'6 big guy. Not many of those in Japan 😅 I was planning on using compression packing cubes and vacuum bags to pack since I'm doing 3 weeks in Japan in March and a month in Thailand after that with two big temperature changes.
Great content guys. Keep up the good work
It would be amazing if u could do a roadtrip by car/van through some rural parts of Japan.
There is this YT channel called Ambient Exploration, he visits small villages and films in 4K. Amazing countryside Japan
It would be amazing to do a Japan roadtrip like that someday!
Metal zippers scratch phones and watches etc. I much prefer plastic zips.
I don’t understand the obsession people have with carrying their bags on planes. I travel with a carry on size suitcase, which I always check. Less hassle in the airport and on the plane. Honestly I am in Japan now and only waited maybe 10 minutes at the carousel, just time enough to use the restroom. I have traveled extensively for nearly 50 years and have only had a suitcase lost one, a TWA flight LHR to LAX. Boy that dates me! It was brought to my home only a few hours later. Believe me, unless you have children, pack as light as possible. Rewear clothes and wash in room or laundry. Less to manage = more time to enjoy!
@@henrysmom1742
I don’t understand why anybody with a cabin bag would want to stand in a queue to check it in and then stand again at their destination to wait for it to appear on a carousel.
But then everyone is different aren’t they.
Well when I flew to Japan this time I literally waited 5 minutes to check my bag in and to pick up at carousel. Plus for us older folks (flying TWA and PanAm is a giveaway!) hoisting those bags overhead is tough. On a recent domestic flight, there were so many people with carryons they asked for people to check their bags and when people didn't volunteer, they made people check bags to board. To each his own as you say
@@henrysmom1742- direct flights to Japan are an unaffordable luxury for us, but stopovers are fun and are a great way to minimise jet lag. Our hold luggage gets checked through to the destination (and it’s very common with a tight connection for a case not to make it in time, especially if there has been a delay) so we rely on what’s in our Carry On bags.
ALSO, we often send the hold luggage gets to our lodging by takkyubin. Makes travel by rush hour less of an ordeal and cheaper than a taxi. Again, this makes us rely on our carry on bags.
Perhaps you’ll now understand the needs other travellers have and that it isn’t an “obsession”.
@@estapeake8104 what queue?? just check in on line, drop your bag and go. So much less stress
I never wait that short a time to check or retrieve my luggage. Good it works for you.