We are traveling not as backpackers, nor as wealthy high-end baggage toters. To enjoy this trip as much as possible, we want to strive to find a balance between schlepping heavy bags and spending time doing laundry.

Here are our goals for packing:

• All baggage should fit on board the plane. This means, probably, one bag with rollers for the overhead bin and one "personal item" such as a purse, briefcase, or computer bag
• This will minimize charges for checked bags and waits at baggage carousels
• It will also minimize chances of bags getting lost, stolen, or rifled through
• The day we travel we will provide each person with a simple piece of orange twine for each separate bag or other carry on you have. We have found this little technique helps us quickly spot belongings owned by members of the group
• You will want to plan on using handkerchiefs for drying your hands; most restrooms do not supply paper towels and many restaurants don't set napkins on the table

Japanese think using your handkerchief for blowing your nose is disgusting: that's what tissues are for. In the major cities you will encounter young women (usually) handing out packets of tissues for various promotions / advertising.

Some of you may have requirements for checking a bag. We can work with this, but we need to know well in advance, to devise a strategy.

Electricty in Japan is 100 volts; consider bringing a converter (without a converter, your appliances will run, but with less power)

Consider not bringing any appliances

FYI, I am planning to bring my IBM ThinkPad; I purchased a power supply for Japan the last time I was there

If you do bring something that needs to be plugged in, be aware that Japanese outlets are two-pronged; if your plug has three prongs you will need an adapter

Here is our trip from the point of view of luggage ...

When we start out in Denver, if you check a bag, you will not see it until you arrive in Tokyo. That's convenient, for sure.

Arriving in Tokyo, if you have checked a bag you will need to wait at the baggage carousel for it to come in.

In any event, after we collect bags, go through customs, get currency, get our JR passes validated, and head to the train track, we get on board the shinkansen for a three hour train ride to Kyoto; there will be at least one change of trains.

Here is a tour of a typical shinkansen. Next, check out this YouTube video of travel by shinkansen. Check out the size of the luggage racks: really meant for small personal bags.

There is no baggage car nor checked baggage capability. Our JR pass allows us to travel in reserved seats or non-reserved seats (in "ordinary" as opposed to "green" cars (first class)).

If we travel in non-reserved seats we can try and grab a group of seats near the back of the car so we can stack luggage there. If we travel in reserved seats we may be able to reserve seats at the back, but we can't put luggage in seats that are reserved.

Two nights in Kyoto and the second morning we depart for Hiroshima for one night.

When we travel from Hiroshima to Kyoto, we will have to change trains at Osaka or Himeji. Here is a YouTube video of changing trains in Osaka. Although there are escalators and elevators in many JR stations, you will still likely have to lift bags up or down some stairs.

From Hiroshima we take a train to Nagoya (probably at least one change of trains), then on to a regular train to Takayama.

In Takayama, the people will assist us in any way necessary to get all our bags to the mayors office, no problem. At the mayor's office we will meet our host families and they will help us get our luggage home for the stay.

When we return home, we will take the Narita Express to the airport. Once at the airport, however, our hard work is done. You may check bags in Tokyo if you like. In MSP we need to claim any checked bags and go through customs but then we can put them on a conveyor belt to our final flight. If you don't have checked bags, you still need to go through customs, and, of course, take your bags with you from the international arrival to the domestic departure gate.

My personal strategy for packing for this trip.

This is going to be a hard trip for packing light: two weeks in four cities with each of our needs packed into a wheeled bag and a "personal carry on".

To help me strategize what to pack, I decided to imagine what I'll be wearing as we move along. Then I can decide what I need to have in my bag. I'm trying to strike a balance between traveling light and good hygiene.

Also, I recognize women have different outfit needs than men, and each of us is unique in other ways. Note also: you will not need a robe or slippers: every Japanese hotel and your host family supplies those for use while you stay with them.

I think I can get by with:

   * two pair of shoes (wear dress pair, pack walking pair)
   * two pair of slacks (wear one, pack one)
   * 6 sets of underwear (wear one, pack 5)
   * 6 shirts (wear one, pack 5)
   * 6 pair of white socks (pack all)
   * 3 pair of dress socks (wear one, pack 2)
   * 1 light weight sweater

Note, I will also have:

   * rain jacket (pack in carry on with computer)
   * blazer (wear on travel days)


To test that, I constructed a scenario of what to wear when,
and how I plan to use the laundry services:


July 18 / 19 - travel as one long day;
  wear: underwear-#1, shirt-#1, dress socks-#1, dress shoes, slacks-#1


July 20 - Kyoto
  wear:  underwear-#2, shirt-#2, white socks-#1, walking shoes, slacks-#2


July 21 - Kyoto -> Hiroshima, touring
  wear:  underwear-#3, shirt-#3, dress socks-#2, dress shoes, slacks-#1


July 22 - travel to Takayama
  wear: underwear-#4, shirt-#4, dress socks-#3, dress shoes, slacks-#1


July 23 - Takayama
  wear: underwear-#5, shirt-#5, white socks-#2, walking shoes, slacks-#2

Host mother does laundry:
    underwear: 1-4, dress socks: 1-3, white socks: 1, shirts: 1-4

July 24 - Takayama
  wear: underwear-#6, shirt-#6, white socks-#1, walking shoes, slacks-#2


July 25 - Takayama
  wear: underwear-#1, shirt-#1, white socks-#2, walking shoes, slacks-#2


July 26 - Takayama
  wear: underwear-#2, shirt-#2, white socks-#3, walking shoes, slacks-#2

Host mother does laundry:
  underwear: 1, 4, 5, 6, white socks: 1-2, shirts 1, 5, 6

July 27 - Takayama; touring; farewell dinner
  wear: underwear-#3, shirt-#3, white socks-#4, walking shoes, slacks-#2
change for dinner
  wear: underwear-#4, shirt-#4, dress socks-#1, dress shoes, slacks-#1


July 28 - Takayama -> Tokyo
  wear: underwear-#1, shirt-#5, white socks-#1, walking shoes, slacks-#2


July 29 - Tokyo
  wear: underwear-#5, shirt-#6, white socks-#2, walking shoes, slacks-#2


July 30 - journey home
  wear: underwear-#6, shirt-#1, dress socks-#2, dress shoes, slacks-#1

             

OK, maybe that's a little over the top, eh?

Hey Steve, thanks for the packing and washing strategy you laid out.

I think I can pack lightly, the equivalent of carry on, but am still a little nervous about carry on because I have some shoulder arthritis and pulling and carrying a suitcase up and down stairs, etc in airports is a little hard. I'm sure I can manage fine on the rest of the trip, but many of the airports I've flown into include lots of stairs as we make our way to immigration control areas. Perhaps this is not true in Japan.

I was wondering if we could all have a discussion of whether we want to do carry on or not at our next meeting and all agree one way or another.

I'm willing to do it if everyone else is going to, but would be distressed if I did it and then some people didn't and I was stuck with my suitcase unnecessarily.

Also, often the plane runs out of room for carry on and then some of us find that we have to check our baggage at the gate so we'll all have to wait at baggage claim anyway.

As we have discussed it at earlier meetings I sense some uncertainty about carry on and think we need to discuss the pros and cons and all agree which way to go. Thanks, Anne.

Anne raises some valid points here, and I would like to hear from any of you who would like to contribute to the discussion.

First, we need to separate two issues: packing light and using carry on. If you don't pack light then you can't use carry on anyway. I personally plan to pack light in any event.

To my mind, I like to use carry on because it removes the chance your bag will not make it to where you are going, and also the chance your bag will be rifled through by TSA or baggage handlers. Also, you can avoid the wait at the baggage carousel.

On the other hand, checked bags can be used to carry liquids over three ounces, if you need / want to do that, and you don't have to schlep your bag around to and from the boarding gate, which can be hard work.

But Anne has an excellent point that the plane sometimes has no room left for carry on by the time we get to board. And, frankly, I am a little unsure of the space available on the United Airlines configuration. So I realize we may have to gate check anyway. And I'm OK with that if need be.

As far as carrying bags up and down stairs, I know from experience there are places in Japan where that is absolutely required - and in some instances quite difficult. However, MEM has assured me that Narita airport does have elevators or escalators everywhere we need to move bags nowadays. And, of course, we will pitch in to help each other in any event.

Anne raises a good point, and this is to be a fun trip. I don't want anyone worrying about sore shoulders or keeping people waiting, or stairs. I've never encountered outside stairs into the airport in Japan, or into buses waiting.

We are being met by a person from MEM. This person can perhaps take those who have cleared customs because they had their bags with them, to the currency exchange and to the JR window to get their passes set to activate, then come back and get those who have checked bags, and take them them through the process. Steve can go with the first group and I can go with the second group.

If you should have to gate check then sometimes you get your bag right outside the plane door, they bring them up to you, so you don't have to wait at baggage claim. This may not be true internationally though.