What To Wear, What To Pack

This page discusses how to minimize your wardrobe, so as to be able to pack and travel light. See also the FAQ on packing.

People in Japan tend to dress a little more formally than we're used to, so we recommend:

• Casual clothes are OK for sightseeing, generally avoid shorts
• Revealing clothes are not common among Japanese women, tend towards the conservative
• Seek out clothes that travel well: wrinkle-reistant, compact
• Plan your wardrobe in advance: select items that can mix and match to create fresh looks
• You will be taking your shoes off frequently: consider slip-ons
• Be sure to break in shoes well in advance: we will be doing lots of walking
• Also because you will be taking your shoes off frequently, you will want to have plenty of clean, hole-less socks
• We are not likely to be real dressy, keep it simple
• If you plan to do laundry, remember that Japan is a much more humid place than Denver: clothes left to hang out overnight might not be dry by morning. (We will try to apprise you in advance of which places have laundry facilities that guests can use themselves)

The weather is likely to be cool to mild* so we recommend:

• Light weight clothes, but bring one medium weight jacket - wear that jacket on the flight
• You might want a light weight sweater for Takayama
• It will probably rain at least one day: pack a portable umbrella

* - Average daily temperature range from the mid 50's to the low 70's. For more detail, visit our weather page.