Things to bring from your home country

Hi,
I am going to study in Japan this april, nearly 3 weeks to leave my home country. I started to pack my stuff. I wanted to ask the experienced students about packing. are there any specific things that you would say DO NOT FORGET?
I am kinda excited, and even though I packed two huge laggauges, I am still worried that I might have diffculty living in the dorms.
and... I heard that our cellphones are not any use in japan and I should not take mine there. is that right?
by the way I am going to tohoku University.
any kind of advice is highly appriciated

It sort of depends on the stuff you have that you really like, and the sort of lifestyle you expect to have in Japan. Just about anything is available in Japan, though some things are more difficult to find than others (like stick deodorant). If you're well enough off, I'd recommend packing rather light if you like to shop or have an eye for Japanese fashion.

What do you mean by "difficulty" living in the dorms?

I know that when my family goes back to the home country, they bring a nice few rolls of toilet paper.

Salome said:

Hi,
I am going to study in Japan this april, nearly 3 weeks to leave my home country. I started to pack my stuff. I wanted to ask the experienced students about packing. are there any specific things that you would say DO NOT FORGET?
I am kinda excited, and even though I packed two huge laggauges, I am still worried that I might have diffculty living in the dorms.
and... I heard that our cellphones are not any use in japan and I should not take mine there. is that right?
by the way I am going to tohoku University.
any kind of advice is highly appriciated

Click to expand...

It's quite natural to be anxious about the things you'll miss from home. Everyone is the same when venturing on his or her first trip alone.

Assuming that you are from Iran, I think the most important things you must bring with you are those that are essential to your religion--clothing, books, etc.

As for food, you might have problems finding things that you can eat in Sendai, where you are going. However, there are many students from Muslim countries, so you can get their advice once you're settled here.

The rest--don't worry. You can manage once you know your way around in Japan.

@nice gaijin:
thanks. with difficulty I mean, well I never had the experience of dorms, I thought maybe there is some advice for someone who alwas lived with their family. \\


@Putrefaction
you mean there is no toilet paper in Japan?

@epigene:
thanks. do you think I should bring my own kitchen stuff like plate, spoon, knife etc. or is it easy to get them there? lol. I might sound funny but I dont wanna have difficulty in my first days.

There is no need to bring any kitchen or household items, unless you have special needs or favorites you can't live without. Japan is filled with consumer goods--many of best quality in the world.

If you really want, you can bring just one set of spoon, fork and knife for your very first meal in Japan--which I personally think is totally unnecessary.

Toilet paper? I've heard of people buying toilet paper in Japan to take back home, but not the other way around!

Toilet Paper ..Only if Salome uses it,Or maybe Water sprayer

I know how you feel right now

The only thing I wish I haven't done the first time I got here is bringing ton of luggage. I got here at 5th of April and it was cold and raining. I remember dragging all that luggage in the cold and rain and being lost trying to find my dorm. And dragging those thing on the tarmac really make a loud noise too. But it was fun

The less thing you bring the easier is it to move around. You can always post your other stuff later on. And your stuff in Japan will grow really really fast. Plus you can get almost everything here. Although you should probably bring some instant food stuff to eat for the first few days. The first day you will be really tired from the long flight and the jetlag and definitely overwhelm to do anything.

For kitchen or household items, just find a 100yen shop (when you get the hang of things). No need to bring too much stuff. I bring tons of things like toothpaste etc, and they're still in my closet, unused. heh
Oh and medicine is good. Bring some for fever and cold. You'll need them.

Just enjoy the moment. No matter what happens good or bad, it'll be fun. ^^

Kirirai has good advice for you!

That reminds me--which airport are you arrive at in Japan? If you're landing in Tokyo or any other city outside Sendai, you'll have to be prepared of carrying your HUGE luggage around while traveling within Japan. That'll be the worst part of your trip, unless you have somebody waiting for you at the airport to help you with your luggage.

If you do have luggage problems, Japanese airports have door-to-door delivery service counters where you can deposit a suitcase or two for delivery to your address in Japan. Ask around at the airport. The counter should be very close to the arrival area.
Be sure that the suitcase you deposit with them contains stuff you won't be needing immediately in your first two days in Japan. It'll cost a little, but it will make your travel within Japan much, much easier.

Warning on using this service: You can do this ONLY IF you have the ACCURATE address of your dorm and its phone number.
You can get help filling out the form from the people there.
Don't worry about it getting stolen. It's have never happened to me or anybody I know during my entire lifetime. Mail and delivery services in Japan are reliable 99.99% of the time.

epigene said:

Kirirai has good advice for you!

That reminds me--which airport are you arrive at in Japan? If you're landing in Tokyo or any other city outside Sendai, you'll have to be prepared of carrying your HUGE luggage around while traveling within Japan. That'll be the worst part of your trip, unless you have somebody waiting for you at the airport to help you with your luggage.

Click to expand...

Definitely with no luggage to worry about, taking public transportation in Japan suddenly becomes much more convenient. And if you're going to Sendai by bullet train, there ARE no storage compartments anyway on a Shinkansen, besides the the overhead racks which are pretty similar to those on a plane. I personally would be super careful not to take anything that needs lifting in terms of weight and size more than standard carry on luggage.

thank you all a lot.

Kirirai thanks for all the good info. it helped me a lot.

Epigene, I am going to Narita. And yeah I will keep that advice and got my large lagguage to be delivered. it is actually very heavy for me to carry.

Thanks elizabeth, I am going by shinkansen and I will remember what you said.