First Trip to Japan: The Magic of Halving Your Suitcase? We'll Remove All Unnecessary Items

It was only a 3-night, 4-day trip, so why was my 28-inch suitcase packed to the brim and about to burst?

I vividly remember preparing for my first trip to Japan. An extra jacket just in case it got cold, a large bottle of cleansing oil from home just in case my skin reacted, even a book just in case I got bored. My excitement and anxiety combined to become the weight of my suitcase. But the moment I landed at Tokyo Narita Airport, it wasn't romance; it was the beginning of an ordeal. My struggle, lugging a 20kg suitcase up steep subway stairs where elevators were nowhere to be seen, through endless transfer corridors, still makes me dizzy to think about.

Japanese cities, in particular, are often not very friendly to travelers with suitcases. In business hotels, there's barely room to stand once you open a suitcase, and older restaurants or shops often don't even have space for luggage. The items you packed 'just in case' end up being burdens that hinder your daily movements and drain your energy. I realized then, firsthand, that excessive luggage is a chain that restricts travel freedom.

I'm writing this article for you, who, like me back then, might be packing all sorts of things, thinking 'I might need this?' for your first trip to Japan. I want to use that anxiety to help you remove unnecessary items from your suitcase, one by one. A lighter suitcase means a much freer trip. So, let's start with what you can shed first, shall we?

Feel Free to Leave These Behind: Locally Sourced Items in Japan

Alright, let's reopen that suitcase you struggled to close. First, let's take out the main culprit of weight: that heavy toiletry bag. To put it simply, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, and even pajamas – most of these are available in Japan. And often, they're of much better quality than what we use at home.

Japan is a country serious about hotel amenities. Don't just expect 'a bar of soap and a shampoo'. Even in standard business hotel chains like APA Hotel or Dormy Inn, you'll find familiar brands like Shiseido, Pola, and DHC in large pump bottles. The quality is so excellent that your hair might even feel better, not stiff, after using them – it's a surprising experience. Ryokans and luxury hotels are, of course, even better. For pajamas, instead of bulky cotton ones, I recommend trying the yukata or comfortable waffle-material loungewear provided by the hotel. It really adds to the travel atmosphere.

Of course, you might worry, 'My skin is sensitive, so I have to use what I'm used to,' or 'I'm staying in an Airbnb, so there won't be amenities.' Don't worry. In that case, just look around briefly on your way to your accommodation. Don Quijote, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, and other drugstores, as well as 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart convenience stores, will be waiting for you. There, you can easily find travel-sized versions of popular products like 'Senka Perfect Whip' or 'Biore Cleansing Oil', famous even in Korea, for about 300-500 yen. You might even discover new products or local recommendations that are hard to find in Korea, making it a fun treasure hunt for your 'holy grail' items. It's much more economical and smarter than lugging heavy items from home only to not use them all and throw them away.

The same goes for umbrellas, which can be a concern due to the weather. There's no need to pack a bulky three-fold umbrella just because the weather forecast predicts rain. In Japan, it often rains suddenly, so most convenience stores sell sturdy and neat plastic umbrellas for 500-700 yen. The quality is on a different level from disposable umbrellas in Korea, so many people use them well throughout their trip and even bring them back as souvenirs. Isn't the real joy of travel to go out lightly, encounter rain, and then coolly walk into a convenience store like a local to buy and use an umbrella?

By simply removing toiletries and miscellaneous daily necessities, your suitcase space should be noticeably more generous. You can fill this precious empty space with the freedom of travel and the joy of shopping. But that doesn't mean you should go with an empty suitcase. In the next chapter, we'll fill that saved space with the truly essential items that you absolutely 'must bring from home'.

These Are a Must! Essential Items to Pack in Your Suitcase

Alright, thanks to what we've boldly removed, your suitcase now has much more space. Now it's time to fill it with the real gems that are hard to find locally or would significantly diminish your travel experience if you didn't have them. There aren't many. Just remember these four things:

First, comfortable shoes that feel like an extension of your feet. There's no room for compromise here. Japanese travel often involves a lot of walking, so much so that 'sturdy legs' are your transportation pass. Walking 20,000 steps a day is truly basic, and if you get lost in charming alleys or shopping streets, you'll easily exceed 30,000 steps. New shoes or high heels packed for style will make you regret it by the first evening. Well-worn sneakers, especially walking or running shoes with good cushioning, are the best choice. It's also very wise to bring blister prevention bandages or comfortable insoles as a precaution.

Second, your electronic lifeline kit. This includes a 110V adapter (pig nose), a high-capacity portable charger, and a multi-port charger. Japanese hotels often have limited outlets, and older layouts still lack bedside sockets. Instead of packing individual adapters, a single multi-charger with multiple USB ports and one pig nose adapter allows you to charge all your devices at once. A portable charger goes without saying. Between Google Maps for navigation, Papago for translation, taking photos, and mobile Suica payments, your smartphone battery will simply melt away. Bring a robust capacity of at least 10,000mAh.

Third, the unexpected travel cheat codes: a coin purse and a foldable shopping bag. Japan is still a country where cash, especially coins, is frequently used. A single 500-yen coin is worth almost 5,000 won, so losing one jingling in your pocket is painful. A small coin purse with a wide opening, making it easy to see and retrieve coins, will cut your checkout hassle in half. A foldable shopping bag (eco-bag) is also essential. In Japan, most stores charge for plastic bags. Paying 3-5 yen each time you buy a snack or two at a convenience store is subtly wasteful, and carrying multiple plastic bags is inconvenient. Solve this with one lightweight shopping bag that fits in your pocket.

Finally, your personal first-aid kit. Japanese drugstores may seem like a paradise of cure-all medicines, but finding the right medication for you when you're actually sick can be difficult. The ingredients might be subtly different, or language barriers could make it hard to accurately describe your symptoms. Always pack a small pouch with your usual digestive aids, pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medicine, and allergy medication. Especially for prescription medications you take regularly, it's safest to bring a sufficient supply along with an English prescription. If you're curious about personal medication import regulations, make it a habit to check the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website before you leave.

Conclusion: Light Suitcase, Richer Travel

The essence of travel is to fill yourself with new experiences, not to simply move existing luggage. Just a few habits to lighten your suitcase can make your trip much freer. Beyond the essentials we've already covered, let's go over the final details to dramatically reduce your luggage without compromising the quality of your trip.

First, for clothes, 'layering' is the answer. A combination of thin functional underwear, a basic T-shirt, a cardigan or thin fleece, and a lightweight outer shell that doubles as a windbreaker is much smarter than one bulky sweater. On cool spring and autumn mornings and evenings, you can wear a cardigan, and in the midday sun, you can take it off and tuck it into your bag. The same applies in winter. A thick knit sweater becomes a burden in Japan's indoor spaces or subways, which often have excessively warm heating, but if you're wearing several thin layers, you can easily adjust. Sticking to basic colors like beige, black, and white makes it easy to mix and match, allowing you to create different looks with fewer clothes.

The same goes for cosmetics. Bring the samples you have at home, use them generously at your destination, and discard the empty containers. What if you run out? This is Japan, the paradise of drugstores. It's a small pleasure to browse Don Quijote or Matsumoto Kiyoshi and try out a sheet mask or cleansing oil. The extra shoes you packed 'just in case it rains' or 'in case I go to a fancy restaurant' will take up the most space in your suitcase and have a 90% chance of never being worn. Remember that 'just in case' usually means 'not needed'.

And most importantly, the mindset: deliberately leave half of your suitcase as 'empty space'. This isn't just for shopping. Japanese travel is a continuous series of 'discoveries'. From edibles like Tokyo Banana and Hiyoko Manju, to charming stationery from Loft, beautiful home goods from Francfranc, limited-edition snacks found at convenience stores, and even a small amulet from a shrine – this space is for the items that hold your travel memories. A packed suitcase robs you of the opportunity to bring back new things, but a spacious suitcase expands the possibilities of your trip.

The true value of a lightened suitcase becomes apparent the moment you leave the airport. On the endless stairs of subway transfer passages without elevators, at coin lockers where it's hard to find the right size, and on the asphalt roads you have to walk to your accommodation, you'll congratulate yourself. Instead of struggling with your luggage, you'll have the leisure to enjoy the surrounding scenery. By shedding the weight of your bags, your trip will be filled with even richer experiences and memories.