Travel Routine and Japan

[sarahramen]

So, I am going to be studying abroad next semester in Tokyo, I’m so excited! I have been making a list and am planning to pack light. I was just wondering what are your bare necessities that you would bring when traveling or does your routine change at all?

I was thinking about buying a shampoo bar from lush as it would be easy to travel with and supposedly lasts up to 80 washes. Do you have any recommendations for thick, coarse and dry hair (the girl at the shop said I should get the ‘brazilliant’)?

So far I am planning on bringing:

Shampoo bar?
a mini travel sized brush that is a mixed plastic and boar bristles brush
wide toothed comb
Altoids tin filled with spin pins, ponytails etc
1 hair stick
Travel sized thing of my 3 minute miracle deeeep condish. and buy more conditioner when I get there
I was thinking of picking up some tsubaki oil once I am there to use for a light, daily oil.
So, what is your travel routine?
Also, do you think I would be able to bring henna with me in my checked bag if it was a new, unopened bag?

[Anje]

Try out this shampoo bar for at least a few washes here, before you start traveling. See if it works for you. Otherwise, you could be stuck with no known products that work for you. If you bring (or have shipped) a bottle or two of an old standby, at least you'll have a fall-back to reset if things go totally wrong with the local products you tried.

[ladycaladium]

What are you using now? There are a bunch of products imported/available here that are also in the states. Hair ties, various pins, etc are available.

You're going to be in Tokyo, so you'll have more choices than I have in my region.

Sorry, I'm on my phone but I can type more once home...

[sarahramen]

Right now I am CO with whatever suave or Vo5 cheapie conditioner that are on sale. I love CO but I would be worried that I wouldn't be able to read the ingredients or the brands would be expensive there, here I can get a bottle of conditioner for like 79 cents.Do they write the ingredients in English on the back of products or no? I use coconut oil for heavy oilings before I wash and the 3 minute miracle if I don't feel like doing that. I have gotten really lazy about my hair lately.

[sarahramen]

I asked and I could return the shampoo bar to lush if I didn't like it within 30 days or something so that would be a good idea.

[restless]

No generally they dont write in English on the labels at the back of the products. I would also suggest that you bring a little coconut oil with you if thats a part of your routine, as its rather difficult to find it over there. Olive oil, on the other hand...

[ladycaladium]

If it is a product with an English label, there is a sticker over it with a Japanese version of the label. In my experience, they don't peel off neatly.

Coconut oil is expensive over here. I use it for cooking sometimes when I can get a hold of it (hard to find), but soooo expensive.

How many bottles of conditioner would you go through in the same amount of time you'll be in Japan? The awesome thing about bringing stuff that takes up room in your luggage that you'll use up while away means that you free up room to bring stuff back! Just use ziplock freezer bags. One is usually fine, but two if you're worried about leakage in your luggage. I can't buy toothpaste here due to an allergy (seaweed, so if you're fine with toothpaste in the states, you'll probably be fine here - I'm allergic to most US brands), so I usually have a few tubes in my luggage. Actually, it's not uncommon for people who move here to bring a year's worth of hygiene products due to the rumors (sometimes true) that you can't get x,y,z here. The people at the airport see it all the time, so they probably won't question a few bottles of conditioner.

[ladycaladium]

Double post - my internet is being funny.

[sarahramen]

If it is a product with an English label, there is a sticker over it with a Japanese version of the label. In my experience, they don't peel off neatly.

Coconut oil is expensive over here. I use it for cooking sometimes when I can get a hold of it (hard to find), but soooo expensive.

How many bottles of conditioner would you go through in the same amount of time you'll be in Japan? The awesome thing about bringing stuff that takes up room in your luggage that you'll use up while away means that you free up room to bring stuff back! Just use ziplock freezer bags. One is usually fine, but two if you're worried about leakage in your luggage. I can't buy toothpaste here due to an allergy (seaweed, so if you're fine with toothpaste in the states, you'll probably be fine here - I'm allergic to most US brands), so I usually have a few tubes in my luggage. Actually, it's not uncommon for people who move here to bring a year's worth of hygiene products due to the rumors (sometimes true) that you can't get x,y,z here. The people at the airport see it all the time, so they probably won't question a few bottles of conditioner.

I think I would go through 2 or 3 bottles and have no desire carry all of that weight! I guess I will just suck it up and change my routine while I'm there. My hair is not picky about oils, so olive would work fine, I just prefer the smell of coconut oil to olive oil. You wouldn't happen to know the Japanese for different cones would you, lady caladium? Would it just be the katakana or would they have their own kanji?

[ladycaladium]

Silicone is シリコーン. My silicone free shampoo says ノンシリコーン on it. As far as the labels go, they're a mix of kanji, hiragana, and katakana. It's a bit late, but tomorrow I can take a look at some different products I have and see what I can figure out as far as cones go.

[sarahramen]

Silicone is シリコーン. My silicone free shampoo says ノンシリコーン on it. As far as the labels go, they're a mix of kanji, hiragana, and katakana. It's a bit late, but tomorrow I can take a look at some different products I have and see what I can figure out as far as cones go.

Thank you! please don't trouble yourself too much on my account though, although the info would be greatly appreciated! When you first arrived did you have trouble buying things (shampoo, laundry detergent etc) or not really? I took Japanese for 5 semesters at school but my vocabulary for normal everyday things like that is minimal, so I'm a bit nervous.

[restless]

When you first arrived did you have trouble buying things (shampoo, laundry detergent etc) or not really? I took Japanese for 5 semesters at school but my vocabulary for normal everyday things like that is minimal, so I'm a bit nervous.

If you can read katakana, Im sure you´ll be fine. They borrow a lot of words from the English language and turn it into a katakana version, so you´ll recognise stuff like shampoo, conditioner, soap etc by just reading the lable. If you do have trouble with the translation, there are some great apps in iTunes called Imiwa and Japanese.

[ladycaladium]

That's true, a lot of it will be in katakana. I looked and the writing on the back of my bottles is really small! I do have an electronic dictionary (very popular here), so if there is a certain cone you are looking for or trying to avoid, send me the name and I'll see what I can do.

I've used Imiwa and it's pretty good.

If you took 5 semesters you should be okay. I know what you mean about vocabulary though. It's like, but I really need to do dry cleaning - why didn't we cover dry cleaning (or anything else you actually use) in class?

What are you going to be studying in Tokyo? (you don't have to answer if you don't want to, just curious)

[ladycaladium]

That's true, a lot of it will be in katakana. I looked and the writing on the back of my bottles is really small! I do have an electronic dictionary (very popular here), so if there is a certain cone you are looking for or trying to avoid, send me the name and I'll see what I can do.

I've used Imiwa and it's pretty good.

If you took 5 semesters you should be okay. I know what you mean about vocabulary though. It's like, but I really need to do dry cleaning - why didn't we cover dry cleaning (or anything else you actually use) in class?

What are you going to be studying in Tokyo? (you don't have to answer if you don't want to, just curious)

[ladycaladium]

Okay, I give up posting from my computer though because the double post thing keeps happening...only from the phone for the time being!

[sarahramen]

That's true, a lot of it will be in katakana. I looked and the writing on the back of my bottles is really small! I do have an electronic dictionary (very popular here), so if there is a certain cone you are looking for or trying to avoid, send me the name and I'll see what I can do.

I've used Imiwa and it's pretty good.

If you took 5 semesters you should be okay. I know what you mean about vocabulary though. It's like, but I really need to do dry cleaning - why didn't we cover dry cleaning (or anything else you actually use) in class?

What are you going to be studying in Tokyo? (you don't have to answer if you don't want to, just curious)

I am an Asian Studies minor so I am going to be finishing that up when I'm there and knock out my ethnography course for my anthropology major as well. This was the only school where the credits matched up (3 or 4 per class) with my universities standards. Other schools were only offering 2 credits per class so I would have to retake everything when I got back or take a double course load!

I think if I'm thorough when reading the back of bottles I'll be able to find most of the cones if they are in Katakana then, thank you for offering. I'll have to look at the apps, they seem like they'll be a big help. I already have one for the train system. Is it true there isn't a lot of wifi around (compared to the states where most places/ businesses have it)? that would make all of the apps a bit useless...

[mindwiped]

If you know you're ok with lush, there is lush in Japan, so there is a safe, cone free option. Plus, you should be good to to recognize your favorite by its smell regardless of its label

[ladycaladium]

Oh, laundry detergent was okay - stay away from Flair of you don't want to smell like flowers all day.

Internet - so the thing is there is a lot of wifi, you just can't access it. For example, Starbucks: they have wifi, but to access it you need to sign up through your email, which you need wifi for! Just about everyone in Japan has close to unlimited data from what I can tell, so this isn't an issue of your a domestic tourist. International tourism is growing so more tourist friendly wifi is popping up. I usually log tourists in on my connection at starbucks so they can establish their own login and use it at their locations throughout Japan.