I. Weather Forecast
It’s a bit early to look at the weather forecast – they only go out 10 days. But go to www.weather.com before you start packing and look at the forecast for
Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo. It will be hot like in NYC, with a chance of rain. Dress appropriately!
II. Exchange Rate
The current exchange rate is about 107 yen for every 1 U.S. dollar. So, if a can of coke is 150 yen, that’s about $1.50. We will be able to exchange money at the airport or the hotel.
III. Airport / Airline
We are flying United Airlines. You must confirm your flight two days before. To confirm your flight, call 1-800-UNITED1 and use your reservation number to confirm. While on the phone, you should state your meal restrictions if you haven’t already.
Our flight is at 9:30 am out of JFK. You should be there by 6:30 am – we have to check in as a group to get seats next to each other. You should text me when you leave and when you get there.
IV. How To Pack
KEEP YOUR PASSPORT IN YOUR CARRY-ON. KEEP IT WITH YOU CLOSE. DO NOT FORGET YOUR PASSPORT. DID YOU HEAR ME? DO NOT FORGET YOUR PASSPORT!
BRING A PHOTO COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT TO GIVE TO ME AT THE AIRPORT!
A carry-on bag must fit under the seat or in the overhead bin. If you bring a small carry-on (e.g. a backpack) plus another small rolly bag, you should be able to bring both of them on the plane. Try to do this!
For carry-on baggage, any liquids, gels or aerosols must fit in the clear, plastic, resalable quart-sized bag I’ve provided. Each item cannot be more than 3 oz (or 100 ml) in size. If you go to any drug store, they will have travel-sized items that you might need: toothpaste, saline, deodorant, hair products, etc.
If you are checking a bag, make sure you have a change of clothes and essential toiletries in the clear plastic bag in your carry-on luggage. This is in case your luggage gets lost. DO NOT PUT ANYTHING OF VALUE IN YOUR CHECKED LUGGAGE. Use the EF Tours Luggage Tag so it’s easy to identify.
On the airplane – you should wear comfy clothes (it’s a long flight), wear glasses instead of contacts, bring a pair of socks to walk around in. Bring plenty to read or games to play. Study your Japanese phrases!
V. What To Pack
Bring a week’s worth of under garments for sure….
We aren’t going anyplace fancy and you do not have to dress up to visit shrines in Japan. You should pack good walking shoes, a pair of pants, a pair of shorts, and several tops. Consider packing something nice for our last dinner in Tokyo.
When you are in Japan, you will have to remove your shoes indoors, so bring CLEAN SOCKS. If you wear flip flops, but don’t like being barefoot indoors, then always keep a pair of socks with you.
You might want to get one or two travel packs of Kleenex. Sometimes, the public restrooms don’t have toilet paper…
Bathing suit – we may have the chance to go to an onsen (hot spring)!
Electronics – if you bring electronics that need to charge, you might want to get a converter. Japanese voltage is 100V vs. 110V in the U.S. Our plugs will fit into Japanese sockets, and will charge, but sensitive equipment could get damaged because of the voltage difference. I will have a converter and the hotels might also have some to borrow.
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