Of course, going to Japan is not like going to the Caribbean or Alaska. Tokyo is after all a modern city with most of the conveniences I could find here stateside, if not more. Its not like I couldn't buy more supplies, toiletries, or clothes as needed while over there. At the same time however, Tokyo will be very different from anything I have ever experienced, so even something as simple as buying shampoo might be a total shift from what I'm used to doing here in the states. (Though they do have a Walmart equivalent in Japan called Seiyu, so it might not be totally different from home.)
But its not as much about what clothes I should bring as much as what personal items I should bring. I'm definitely bringing my laptop and phone, since those are a must in almost any situation, but what else could I bring that wouldn't take up too much space, wouldn't be redundant, and would even function while in Japan?
My laptop is small, but its not exactly as light and and portable as a tablet, so my tablet is under consideration. I'm also wondering if I should bring either my PSP or my 3DS. Its safe to say that none of the games I buy from there are going to function on the region-locked game systems, and I might be surrounded by enough entertainment and busywork in Tokyo to even bother using them. Yet at the same time, its going to be a long plane trip to and from Japan, and there may be days when I may be stuck between school and my dorm anyway. (Money is a consideration as well.)
I'm also considering bringing some travel books as well. Even though most of the information I could ever need about Tokyo is online, free wifi connections are not as prevalent in Japan as they are in the United States. Thankfully my school and my dorm will have free internet, but Tokyo is a big place, so it would probably be wise to bring a railway guide, or a travel guide for some of the more popular areas.
I'm also trying to decide what sights I should see while I'm in Japan. I'm going to have 11 weekends in Japan, and even though I'm still debating which sites, locations, and attractions I should visit, here are a few I definitely want to see:
- Mt. Fuji: Who doesn't think of Mt. Fuji when someone mentions Japan. One of the largest and most famous volcanoes in the world, it would be a shame not to see it while I'm over there. Besides who doesn't like volcanoes? They're tall and beautiful, yet ominous and foreboding at the same time.
- Asakusa Temple: Probably one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Japan, Asakusa Temple is the site of many of Japan's big holidays and festivals. I'm going to be in Japan during Golden week as well, so I'll definitely have to observe one of the festivals while I'm there.
- Tokyo Tower: Probably the most iconic sight in Tokyo. Even though it isn't the tallest tower in in Japan anymore (that would be the Tokyo Skytree), It is still seen as one of Tokyo's great monuments, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or Big Ben in London.
- Sunshine 60 Building: Close to the neighborhood I'll be staying in, the Sunshine 60 is one of the largest buildings in Asia, and is also an aquarium, history museum, park, hotel, shopping center, and office rolled into one. Its also built on the grounds of an old political prison camp, and is supposedly haunted by the spirits of the inmates. Spooky.
- Akihabara: If you are an electronics geek, or an anime nerd, this is as close to heaven as one can get. The entire neighborhood is geared towards techies and otaku, and is one of the best spots for buying anime, manga, old and new video games, electronics, arcades, etc in Japan.
Well I shouldn't have to long to wait until I go, but these are probably going to be the slowest 2 weeks of my life, and hopefully I won't have too much to worry about when I actually do arrive.
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