Traveling to Japan - What to bring or not?

I will buy a travel book, but I would like to know from experience what people recommend I bring or not for my short visit to Japan.

I plan to spend my spring break there this coming March, about 6 days. I'll be bringing my digital camera, video camera, laptop, small umbrella.... A raincoat also? Backpack, good walking shoes. Jeans and golf style shirts for the daytime and nicer shirts and pants for the night I'd like to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka if I can fit it all in. I'll stay in the cheapest biz type hotels or ryokens, have no need for first rate hotels as I plan to spend my time awake and outside as much as I can!

Forgot to ask... I know Japan is safe, and I will bring Yen over with me from the US. But is it advisable to carry a large sum of cash with me at all times? Do I carry my passport at all times or should I leave that in the safe with my return ticket at the hotel?

This is my first visit outside of the US. Some of you travel vets help me please

I'm on the same boat as you except I leave in four days.

I believe it's a cash based economy so carrying around alot of cash is quite common. Being in a foriegn country you should have your passport on you at all times. Also buy a rail pass they are suposed to save you alot of money. for the two week one I got for four hundred US dollars, I will probably pay for it in a couple days since I'll be alot of place from Hiroshima to Nikko to Sekigahara and everywhere in between.

Hope you have a good time!!

You might want to bring a small amount of yen with you instead; the currency exchange in Narita, unless you won't be arriving there to start, has, IMHO, very reasonable rates between USD/JPY. Cash is always good, and credit cards are catching up; no one has rejected my credit cards yet.

Be sure to carry some form of picture ID with you if you're going to be using your American credit cards. Even if you tell the bank in advance that you'll be in a different country, they may still check your request and if so, will ask to speak with you in person. That happened to me once, and was very annoying. Direct debit still works also with, I think, a 4-number PIN.

ATMs and banks in metro areas are thick on the ground; some banks didn't accept my U.S. ATM card, though, and I've never tried those in convenience stores. Fees are pretty common - at least at the banks that I've used. Lack of an English menu may also happen.

I don't think that you'll need to bring an umbrella of your own. Convenience stores, for one, will normally carry a reasonably priced selection.

http://thejapanfaq.cjb.net/ check out this web site it has all ya need to know for about things to do before going to japan....

Do you speak Japanese? A little dictionary(English to Japanese, of course) or a book of commonly used phrases in Japan could be helpful.

I remember thinking that being able to speak English could be better than having enough money when I first visited NYC by myself.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try and leave the cards at home (or at least try not to use them) as I believe I can take this trip without going into debt.

My Japanese is improving and I have a few more months to lean more and more. This will be my first opportunity to really try it out with a short but intense immersion.

Misa.j how did you live your first visit to NYC?

jaxfu said:

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try and leave the cards at home (or at least try not to use them) as I believe I can take this trip without going into debt.

My Japanese is improving and I have a few more months to lean more and more. This will be my first opportunity to really try it out with a short but intense immersion.

Misa.j how did you live your first visit to NYC?

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It was very exciting! I stayed at a hotel in midtown which was pretty convenient, but very crowded, I would never stay in midtown again.

Everyday I walked around all over the city, bought food at the deli, rested at a coffee shop, which I still vividly remember even though it was over 10 yrs ago.
I cried in a taxi that took me to the airport because I didn't want to leave, the taxi driver was this friendly black guy and he asked me what was wrong, but I couldn't answer.

I stayed in NYC for only 7 days at the visit, but having that experience helped me so much when I went back there years later to stay for a month.

Remember to bring your passport and plane ticket !!

Well, for when you're in Tokyo, it wouldn't hurt to have a book on the city's trains and subways so you'll know what route(s) to take during your travels. And, depending on the time of year, dress accordingly. I was there in August of last year and the heat was brutal. If you'e going during the summer, dress light.