What to Pack for Japan: A Season-Aware Packing List

Japan runs on Type A/B plugs at 100V — lower voltage than the US's 120V or Europe's 230V. Most modern electronics (phone chargers, laptops) handle that fine, but double-check anything with a heating element, like a hairdryer or straightener, before assuming it'll work. Slip-on shoes are genuinely useful given how often you'll take them off — temples, some restaurants, ryokan — and a portable battery pack is worth packing for the phone you'll be navigating with all day.

Summer (June–September) is a humidity problem as much as a heat one; a small hand towel or handkerchief is worth carrying since public restrooms often skip paper towels and hand dryers, and a portable handheld fan is a local habit worth copying rather than a tourist affectation. Winter varies hugely by region — see our winter travel guide for specifics — but layering over one heavy coat works better than the coat alone, since you'll move between heated interiors and cold platforms all day. Rainy season (tsuyu, roughly June) and typhoon season both call for a compact umbrella; if you forget one, every convenience store sells cheap clear ones.

Toiletries and basic over-the-counter medicine are easy to find at any convenience store or drugstore, so there's little reason to overpack for them. Prescription medication is the exception — bring it with a doctor's note and original packaging, since a few common Western medications (some containing pseudoephedrine or codeine) are restricted or require documentation on entry.