Japan at Easter and packing

[Stompythedinosaur]

Hi, I wonder whether anyone can help me with my current packing stress!

Me, dp and dds (age 11 and 12) are heading to Japan for 16 days covering the very end of March and beginning of April, staying in Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto.

My googling has given conflicting information about whether it will be jumper and long trousers weather or a bit warmer? And I'm also keen to work out how rainy it might be, and whether we'll be ok with some lightweight waterproof jackets that can be shoved in a bag, or whether we'd be better with proper waterproof jackets and maybe an umbrella?

If anyone's been to Japan at a similar time if year it would be great to hear how you found it!

The weather tends to be similar to the U.K. - why not just take layers?

Definitely layers. I went at a similar time a number of years ago, definitely jeans and coat weather, with some slightly warmer sunnier days. We had some very rainy/stormy weather too when further up the mountain from Hakone.

As pp says, very similar to UK weather at that time of year, basically be prepared to anything!

Ps please don’t stress about packing, light Mac In a rucksack and a t shirt if it gets warm. They’ve lots of shops out there should you need anything.

focus instead on having an absolute blast! It’s an AMAZING place - your kids are so lucky.

We went last March, around the 11th to 18th and did Tokyo and Osaka. Found it to be warmer and drier than I expected. I worn jeans, long sleeve shirt, and down gilet and was fine. We did lots of walking so maybe that kept me warmer. DCs were in track pants and hoodie most days, with one also wearing a gilet. We weren't out too late in the evenings to notice a drop in temperature.

weve just come back recently from Japan.

this might be of help.

hotels usually have coin operated very cheap washing machines/dryers. So it’s very easy to wash and dry clothes.

there’s a brilliant service where you can forward your luggage to your next hotel, or the one after, so you can just travel with a backpack. The hotel desk will do this for you, or corner shops if you are in an air b and b. It costs peanuts.

so if you totally wrongly pack and don’t need big jumpers you can send them all on to your last hotel or the airport. We found this service really useful if we were spending a couple of nights somewhere and jus5 wanted to travel with back packs.

clear plastic umbrellas are very cheap in convenience stores, and free from hotels. Everyone uses them.

enjoy, it’s a brilliant country to visit.

Thanks, this is all really helpful! We will definitely use the luggage transfer service. I didn't know that hotels are likely to have washers, that's really helpful!

I’d expect it to be a bit warmer than the uk, high teens perhaps low 20s. Take a jumper or two and a light rain jacket. (Lived in Tokyo for 2 years).

We were there at Easter and it was quite cool most of the time. Not cold, but mild spring. Layers would be good. And buy some clothes while you are there. Japan has great fashion. 12 storey Uniqlo in Tokyo!

@Stompythedinosaur how fabulous.

This site has great info on everything.

www.japan-guide.com/e/e2273.html

Going to follow for tips - I want to do this next year (but in May)

We were there at end of march several years ago. Just flicked through the pictures. We have winter coats on in half the pictures. Rest are mainly jumpers, but some with kids just in teeshirts.

I'd say layers!.

Thanks everyone - this is really helpful and helping me feel a bit more confident about what we're taking!

I went at hanami. In my photos I generally am wearing a coat, trousers and sleeves. The weather iirc ranged from hot (Hiroshima) to snow (Hida)

im so jealous. It's beyond wonderful.

i was there in may last year and it was warm & humid most days, one day of torrential rain so echo the suggestion for layers. have a great time!

OP I am very jealous 😀 we went in May almost 5 years ago and I still think about it all the time! We had the same itinerary as you, you're going to have an absolute blast! As all others have said the weather can be changeable, it was very warm when we arrived but cooled down for the second week, light jackets, jeans, a few dresses should have you covered. Enjoy!!

Have you had the vaccinations to go there? Just make sure you have. You don’t want to catch the nasty Japanese encephalitis. It’s a very expensive vaccine too

https://trulytokyo.com/luggage-shipping-the-smart-way-to-travel-in-japan/

You don't need any vaccinations for Japan - unless you are going to stay in very out of the way area for a long time then you might need Japanese Encephalitis....

It's an incredibly clean country - you won't need Hep A and Hep B..

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/asia-east/japan

It’s always best to be on the safe side. I know someone who went to Tokyo and had a scare with Japanese encephalitis. The doctor directed her to a morgue

Here is the NHS guidance on Japanese Encephalitis
https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/japanese-encephalitis#:~:text=The%20risk%20for%20most%20travellers,or%20around%20rice%20growing%20areas

i doubt the op is going to be at risk from being bitten by a mosquito that favours paddy fields with a couple of weeks touring large cities. She could also be eaten by a stray polar bear that escaped from ueno zoo or fall under a moving Shinkansen.

"Japanese encephalitis causes headache, convulsions, encephalitis and meningitis. Most people will have a mild illness with no or few symptoms but for those with severe disease around 30% can develop permanent neurological problems and around 30% will die from the disease." So 30% of the people that get really ill will die although no figures as to how many people get seriously ill. Either the above poster is scaremongering for their own reasons or their friend has rather embroidered their story.

we didn't have any vaccinations.

No need for vaccinations for most parts of Japan. I lived there for years and never heard of a single person getting Japanese encephalitis. The OP is hardly going off the beaten track so she doesn't need to worry about this.

Re what to pack...yes to plenty of layers and some lightweight waterproofs. I would expect the temperatures to be a bit higher than the UK on average, but it's very changeable at that time of year.

It's a wonderful country and you'll have a fabulous time.

We were there for Easter 10 years ago.
T shirt weather in Tokyo and Kyoto but Hakone was colder.

Thanks for all the advice!

Grateful for the thought about the Japanese Encephalitis but it isn't recommended for where we're going. We are all set in terms of vaccines.

The packing advice has been ideal, thank you so much!

All of the above, but also remember Japan is the home of Uniqlo so if you need an extra layer or t-shirt, it's not a problem.

And my other bit of packing advice is, keep it light. We bought so much stuff (KitKats, small bits of tech, clothes, food) that we also had to buy another suitcase. And I am still mourning so much that we didn't get...

Last time I was in Japan for the Easter holidays it was a bit of a heatwave, so although we had taken Uniqlo ultra-light down jackets (they pack into tiny stuff bags) we ended up popping into Uniqlo for more t-shirts...

I agree that layers are ideal, don't forget to take shoes that are easy to put on and take off (not lace-up DM boots), as you will be doing that a lot if you visit temples etc, and you will be able to buy cheaply anything you have forgotten at Uniqlo, Muji, Daiso etc so aim to pack light.

If any of you suffer from hay fever or pollen allergies, make sure you take antihistamines with you, as spring is peak pollen season in Japan. And be aware that the rules on medication are pretty strict, so some things you can get over the counter here (eg Sudafed, cocodamol) are classed as illegal drugs in Japan, so check before you go.

I lived in Japan for years and the poster worried about Japanese encephalitis is way off the mark. It may have originated there but it is definitely not a problem now.

"The doctor directed her to a morgue" - absolute nonsense.