Everything you'll need besides coffee...

For some reason most of the blogs I've read have a page or two dedicated to what to pack when traveling to a foreign country. In all honesty, I feel that these items are highly subjective and must be decided based on where you are going and what you are doing. On the other hand, I know that many people (myself included) who have not yet been abroad like to do a little bit of research and get a general idea of what will be most helpful and what will turn out to be completely useless in various situations.

Before I came to Japan, I did a little background research on what American products would and would not be available to me during my stay. Unfortunately, most of what I found I actually needed happened after I arrived, and by then it was too late to make the holy trek to Costco to stockpile on convenient items. So, without further adieu, I give you my list of absolutely necessary, and unnecessary, things to consider making a little extra room for in your bag:

1) Antiperspirant. Trust me on this, you really, really don't want to be THAT stinky foreigner. Most Asian countries don't have combination deodorant/antiperspirant available. They do have various deodorants and perfumes, but, if you don't want to be sweating through your shirts during the (incredibly) humid summers, just make sure to bring a stick or two.

2) Water for the plane ride over. Trust me when I say you will want this. It is incredibly important on long plane flights to stay hydrated and keep refilling your bottle. Obviously you can't bring a full water bottle through security, but you can bring an empty one and fill it up inside the airport!

2) Copies of your passport and visa (if you need one). These are your most important documents, and if anything goes wrong (you lose them, someone steals them, etc...) it is much easier for the government to replace them.

3) At least one item of clothing for extreme weather situations. Unless you are completely up to date on the weather in your destined country, you want to be ready for anything upon arrival. Having a full wardrobe isn't important, you can pretty much buy cheap clothes for most other situations, but being able to slip on a coat when you get off the plane sure is nice!

4) A camera to document your amazing journey! It doesn't have to be fancy, I have this one, and it has worked just fine for the pictures I've taken... although, I've seriously considered getting a DSLR...

5) A journal or a computer to jot down your thoughts. I usually never journal because I generally just don't feel the need to write, but when I started blogging, I began to realize how nice it is to be able to reflect on my thoughts and emotions at different times in my travels.

6) A phrase book or an electronic dictionary. If you are not planning on staying in the country for a long period of time, I would suggest just purchasing the cheaper of the two options. A phrase book will help get you around and you will be surprised how many people will help you when you know how to ask for directions in their language. I would suggest an electronic dictionary for those who intend on staying longer than four months and plan on doing study.

Now for some random things Japan doesn't have:

7) Wax strips. For those vain people that refuse to shave, it is almost impossible to find wax around here, and when you do, it is incredibly expensive. BYOW yo.

8) If you like your salad creamy and delicious, make sure to bring some Ranch dressing... unless you are willing to spend a lot of extra cash at an import store for Hidden Valley.

9) Good dish soap. The soap over here is watered down and practically useless. Dishes never really get clean, even after five minutes of hardcore scrubbing, and you run through a new bottle in about a week and a half.

10) Advil, Midol, and other pain relievers. You will want these! Technically, they are illegal to bring to Japan, but almost everyone here has their parents send them some (generally packaged in a box labelled "chocolate"). Otherwise, you will have to get a prescription to pick up 20 tablets of ibuprofen for about $10... not worth it.

I know I am probably missing a lot of random things, but that's all I can think of for now. Please feel free to add any other random items or suggestions in the comments section below :)

Lattes of love!