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The Best of Japan in 22 Days

Our friends and frequent travelers Rebecca and Trevor L. of Lake Worth, FL recently returned from a 22-day tour of Japan that took them to the major cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagasaki and Sapporo, plus over 15 villages and small islands. They explored gardens, castles, markets and temples; slept in many rustic ryokans (inns); and experienced memorable cultural activities during the cherry blossom season.

This “Best of Japan” tour required a combination of air and train travel. Smart and strategic packing was critical - not only for travel ease and comfort, but also because they had to allow for the tour’s “luggage support” which meant their main luggage was often shipped ahead and they lived out of a small overnight bag for 1-3 days.
 
Added challenges:
Eight weeks before departing, Rebecca discovered she had broken her foot. She was not in a cast but did have to wear a walking boot the entire trip and maintain her balance with a cane. Not only did she need to think carefully about how to travel comfortably and easily with her handicap, but also the walking boot meant styling her wardrobe differently from previous trips. To complicate things, Trevor had had recent surgery and was also walking with a cane! (See tips in the article below on how to manage such walking difficulties.)
 
Trip highlights:
The organized tour had a hectic schedule. They only had two days to themselves, one of which was spent in the picturesque Hatsukaichi-Miyajimacho area where they enjoyed remote, quiet and tranquil scenery as compared to the hustle of all other places they visited. Highlights included Kyoto and its beautiful Cherry Blossom Festival, and the poignant museums and monuments of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A big surprise came when they flew from Nagasaki, at the southern most tip of Japan, to Sapporo in the north; not only was it colder than expected but it also snowed.
 
Luggage:
Rebecca and Trevor are seasoned travelers who packed light, keeping their main pieces of luggage to a 25” and 28” wheeled duffle bag by Eagle Creek. This size gave Rebecca space needed for the cold laser equipment she carried to treat her foot. Although up to 22” was allowed for an overnight bag, they traveled with much smaller backpacks (vintage Swiss Gear and Jan Sport). The backpacks freed their hands to use their canes while getting on and off trains.
 
Clothing:
The tour company provided guidelines: “Slacks, jeans or shorts are perfectly acceptable in Japan…Shrines and temples do not have dress codes. Please keep in mind that these are places of worship to the Japanese, so conservative clothing should be worn.”  Stressing the need to pack light, they provided a sample wardrobe: 2 bottoms, 5 tops, 5 sets of underwear, 1 pair of shoes, sweater, and a windbreaker – a wardrobe for a week that could be laundered as needed and repeated.
 
Rebecca and Trevor researched the weather and packed only conservative clothing since their tour included a shrine or temple each day, preparing themselves for temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s with rain. Cold and snow in Sapporo was their only surprise but Rebecca purchased a mink hat there to keep her warm!
 
Trevor followed the tour guidelines and packed 2 pair of pants from Kühl, 3 short-sleeved and 3 long-sleeved shirts (REI, Kühl and Royal Robbins), 2 REI half-zip long sleeved shirts, quick drying underwear by ExOfficio®, a SCOTTeVEST jacket, and a slip-on shoe from Keen.
 
Rebecca adapted the guidelines to her style (and her walking boot), taking easy-care knit dresses and pants. Because of her walking challenges, she increased her shoe allotment so she could have options:

• 3 pull over knit dresses (most often worn with leggings)
• 3 pairs of pants
• 4 tops (all longsleeved – t-shirts, half-zip pullover & a hoodie) 
• 2 microfiber undershirts (ExOfficio®) (Note: rinsing these out in the evening vs always washing tops and dresses)
• 5 sets underwear (ExOfficio®)
• SCOTTeVEST travel vest
• Rain jacket with hood (REI)
• Cashmere Pashmina
• A few pieces of costume jewelry and scarves
• Shoes: She traveled in a knee-high boot on her good foot to balance her walking boot but soon left it behind (it was old and worn) because of its weight. She packed a stretchy strapped walking shoe, a sneaker, and a lace-up walking shoe. She found the stretchy strapped shoe to be the most comfortable and wore it most often.

Notes: Rebecca’s clothing choices were mostly knits that could be rolled and packed in her luggage without wrinkling. Dresses were cotton/Modal®/spandex blends from the fall/winter line of Athleta and Lolë, and a wool/cotton blend from Title Nine. Pants were from Lolë. Leggings were from Ann Taylor and White House/Black Market.
 
Miscellaneous
Among an assortment of additional packing tips provided by the tour company, these two are worthy of mention:
1. Toiletries – Bathrooms in Japan can be small with meager counter space so a hanging kit is ideal.
2. Hand towel – Very few public restrooms provide any means to dry hands after washing. (Japanese women always have a hanky that they use as a napkin in restaurants where often none are provided and also as a hand towel.) 

Was it perfect packing?
Close to it! They both wore everything they packed. Most ryokans had laundry facilities, which they used twice. They also did hand laundry as needed. 

They loved their Scottevests and Rebecca became a convert to traveling in knit dresses + leggings as they were often more comfortable than pants. 

Rebecca says she could have pared down on jewelry - what she wore on the plane was all she really needed since she packed and purchased scarves along the way to vary the look of her dresses. They also took too many toiletries, which became a nuisance when packing a backpack for a night or two. 

Smart Packing Note: Rather than take a whole trip’s supplies of toiletries, take just enough to get started and enjoy the adventure of shopping for toothpaste, etc. along the way!
 

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Rebecca’s Tips for Traveling With a Foot Injury

In spite of Rebecca’s need to wear a walking boot and both she and Trevor needing a cane to maintain balance, they decided not to cancel their trip. But that meant special attention to comfort needs during the 20 hours of flying from Miami to Tokyo, plus managing the daily rigor of being part of a tour group.
 
This is the time you need to splurge, says Rebecca, and book first or business class seats, or at least “economy plus” for the extra legroom. They flew first class and could stretch out comfortably in their seats.
 
While flying, they both wore compression socks on both feet to prevent swelling. (When touring, Rebecca wore the compression sock on her bad foot.) Rebecca also bought “instant ice” packs before they left Miami. She bought only a few to pack in her carry-on backpack since they were heavy. She used two on the 15-hour flight from JFK to Tokyo to reduce swelling of her injured foot; and she took baby aspirin to prevent blood clotting.
 
Both had adjustable, foldable canes – easy-to-pack-and-use lifesavers! They took a small travel pillow for Trevor but Rebecca used it instead to elevate her foot every chance she had.
 

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Travel Shoes - Readers’ Choice

Our most commonly ask question is “What shoes do you recommend for my trip?” – a question more women than men ask because they have more shoe styles to choose from.
 
I wish we could tell you exactly what shoe/s you should pack, but we can honestly only give you guidelines and share what has worked for us or travelers we’ve interviewed. Your feet are unique; what’s comfortable for us might not be for you.
 
Overall Support with Lace-Up Shoes
The good news this season (and hopefully for a few more to come) is the trend in wearing sneakers, as recently seen in New York, London, Paris and Milan.

The lace-up design of a sneaker provides more support than a ballet flat or loafer. There are many sleek looks to choose from (we are not talking about your standard workout shoe) but for lots of walking, consider the stylish sneaker look combined with strong walking shoe technology that a brand such as Ecco offers. Leslie's Ecco casual lace-up sneaker (similar to this one) bought a few years ago for a trip to Egypt is now in style for walking the streets of Rome!
 
Susan loves her soft gold metallic sneakers and wore them daily on her Baltic cruise last summer. Hers are no longer available but similar shoes are everywhere this year. She also wears red Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars with an arch insert - check out the many styles in this classic and colorful shoe.
 
Sharon M., a reader from North Carolina wore an Ecco BIOM HybridWalker during her 3-week spring trip through France. “Admittedly not as stylish as a Nike – and I saw a lot of those,” she says, “but with much more arch support.” According to Ecco, the Biom NATURAL MOTION® technology stabilizes and cushions every step. There are many styles for men and women. Both Susan's and Leslie's husbands own Ecco shoes for casual travel.
 
Another favorite lace-up shoe of Leslie's is by Ara. She's on her second pair so admittedly they are not as substantial as she would like. As long as the tread on the sole is in tack, it's okay in the rain and she loves the combination of black patent and quilted leather.
  
Slip-on shoes: Ballet Flats, Loafers and Mary Janes
For most city travel Susan and Leslie pack a flat shoe that can go from day to evening, usually a ballet style flat, but you might prefer a loafer or a Mary Jane, as did Rebecca on her recent trip to Japan (see article above).
 
When shopping flats or loafers, look for a rubber tread that will let you pound the pavement plus a padded footbed and molded arch support. Note: the popular pebbled driving sole on some loafers softens the step, but it won’t have the cushion you need for heavy street walking.
           
Leslie's current travel flat is a ballet style from Clarks. After walking in these shoes several times before taking them on a trip, she feared they would not give her enough support for walking tours so she added arch cushions and insole cushions from Foot Petals.

A colleague in the travel writing business recently recommended this slip-on shoe from Walking Cradles. She walked all over Prague and Budapest in these shoes!
 
Sherry M., a client Leslie helped pack for a trip to Paris and London last May, likes to wear Mary Jane styles. She purchased these Munro shoes, wore them every day and loved them.

Our friend Diane B. doesn’t travel without her Naots. A former retail storeowner, she initially bought these to support standing on her feet all day. Although this is not Leslie's typical style she, too, now has a pair from the same Koro collection that served her well in the Italian Cinque Terre last fall. 
 
Sandals
Newsletter contributor Lynn Benson introduced us to Vionic sandals with Orthaheel Technology in our last issue. For a trip to Southern California and Scottsdale this past March, Leslie bought two pairs of sandals - one white, one black – versatile enough to wear for both day street walking as well as in the evenings. More than a standard flip-flop, the midsole is designed to absorb shock. Susan bought a Vionic slide sandal with a thicker sole. It took us both time to get used to the fit but the technology provides desirable orthotic support and stability for light summer walking.
 
Smart Packing Note: Your foot comfort needs might be different from anyone mentioned above so try on several different types of shoes. And, to ensure comfort, be sure you wear any new pair many times before you take it on your trip.