10 Things to NEVER Pack for Japan when you are over 50

📖 Buy the book: "Before You Land in Japan" : 37 years at the concierge desk, every question a first trip asks → https://marikoaono.com A gentleman stood in my lobby one afternoon, still in his coat, pointed at a very large suitcase and asked: "Is there somebody who can carry this?" And I had to tell him the truth. In Japan, there is no such person. There is you, the suitcase, and a staircase. You're going to a wealthy country with superb shops, where almost anything you forget can be bought a short walk away, often better made and cheaper. So the hard question isn't what to take. It's what to leave behind. If your case has always been too heavy, it isn't your fault: nobody tells you how Japan works before you go. I spent 37 years at a hotel concierge desk in Tokyo, watching people arrive with far too much. 🔟 Never pack a hair dryer, a travel iron or a voltage converter 9️⃣ Never pack toiletries 8️⃣ Never pack a bath towel (but do bring this small one) 7️⃣ Never pack two weeks of clothes 6️⃣ Never pack new shoes 5️⃣ Never pack clothes you can't sit on the floor in 4️⃣ Never pack a big heavy day bag 3️⃣ Never pack your medicines this way 2️⃣ Never pack the things you'll buy there anyway 1️⃣ Never pack the suitcase most Americans take, and the bullet train rule almost no visitor knows 🗒️ Mariko's packing cheat sheet Japan uses the same flat two-pin plug as the US. Your phone charger works, no converter Pack a battery pack where the hair dryer was Hotels provide toiletries and towels. Bring a small hand towel for restrooms with no paper towels Coin laundry in most business hotels: one load around day five, pack a week of clothes Two pairs of broken-in shoes you can slip on and off standing up, and socks without holes Trousers with give at the knee for floor seating A light crossbody bag: battery, hand towel, folding tote, trash bag, coin purse, passport, water Medicines in your carry-on, in original labelled boxes, never a pill organizer Buy the umbrella, hand warmers and tote there. Leave a third of the case empty A 24 or 26 inch four-wheel suitcase you can lift to shoulder height, and forward it between hotels In the book: chapter 16 (your phone), chapter 17 (packing tick list by season), chapter 21 (sending your luggage ahead) 💬 What's the one thing you always overpack and never use? For me it's books, every single time. I read every single one of your answers. If someone you know is packing for Japan, send them this before they zip the case. 🧳 What I tell every guest to sort out before they fly: 📱 Phone that works the minute you land (Japan eSIM): https://airalo.tp.st/qjjb87ms 📱 Or Yesim, if you want one eSIM for several countries: https://yesim.tp.st/rSkZxvF4 🚗 A driver waiting at the airport, luggage included: https://gettransfer.tp.st/NJrA92Cc 🎟️ Tickets, day trips and rail passes: https://klook.tp.st/S6nUi326 🏨 Hotels near the station (my short-walk picks are in the hotel guide): https://trip.tp.st/3HbSRK1n Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them, the channel may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. #JapanTravel #TravelOver50 #JapanTips