Sending things ahead (things that are worth it)

[Bejma]

Howdy folks! I hope everyone is psyched and ready to go! I know I am certainly looking forward to it! Now that placement is over and we will soon be hearing form our BoEs things are really starting to pick up. Q and As are around the corner and I personally have begun selling some of my possessions for extra spending money upon arrival.

Anyway, so according to the GIH we are allotted two cases of specific dimensions at 50 pounds a piece. I know for this will not be nearly enough for everything I will want to bring with me so I have begun looking toward shipping things ahead. (I haven't started actually doing this since I don't have a finalized apartment/house/triplex or what have you) I just wanted to get a general idea of some things people will be shipping ahead. I know personally I will need to ship clothes and shoes because it was nearly impossible for me to shop for clothing in Japan back in 2005. I will also be sending multi vitamins and fish oil/protein supplements ahead as well because i know that nutritional supplements in Japan are pretty pricey or non-existent (depending on the supplement) outside of major cities. I am a huge health nut so vitamins are really important to me. Is anyone perhaps going to ship gifts ahead or maybe other useful items?

I just want to get an idea of what others might send is all.

Thanks in advance.

[KIKKI.K]

As for vitamins and what not, you can find them for not very expensive in your local supermarkets and drugstores^^ Plus, if you bring over a certain amount with you, Japanese customs might think you're trying to set up a shop....

[Siyris]

If you are bringing omiyage... don't ship those ahead... you will want those when you first get to your BoE and therfore should bring them in your suitcase.

I was in the same boat as you with clothes, but it did kind of backfire a bit as I lost a lot of weight since getting here... when I go home for a visit this summer I"m bringing with me a bunch of clothes that are now far too big for me, and doing a lot of shopping at home. Some advice on shipping clothes: If you are not sure if you're going to wear it or not, don't bring it. Bring only the clothes that you KNOW you will wear -- it's not worth cluttering up your closet with things you don't put on except for once every two months or so.

When I came, I needed only to ship one big box... a good company to look at is Nippon Express and their pelican pack -- it was something like a 60 lb box for $100 which was the cheapest I could find anywhere.

For the vitamins and fish oil I don't think you need to bring as much as you fear. I see vitamins everywhere at grocery stores here and they aren't that expensive. For fish oil, you will be getting more than enough of that just by eating the school lunches -- you won't need to have extra supplements of it. Instead of bringing those, throw a few extra sticks of deodorant into your to-ship box. Antiperspirant deodorant is really hard to find here, so I would suggest bringing your own from home.

Because the most affordable way to ship things is by boat, it takes about 2 and a half months to get here. What most JETs did last year, was put their winter clothes, refills on things like deodorant and toothpaste, and some winter shoes into their to-ship boxes. Make sure it's things you don't need or want right away.

[Bejma]

As for vitamins and what not, you can find them for not very expensive in your local supermarkets and drugstores^^ Plus, if you bring over a certain amount with you, Japanese customs might think you're trying to set up a shop....

Yeah, I guess you're right, I'd better watch myself on that. Thanks for the reminder.

If you are bringing omiyage... don't ship those ahead... you will want those when you first get to your BoE and therfore should bring them in your suitcase.

I was in the same boat as you with clothes, but it did kind of backfire a bit as I lost a lot of weight since getting here... when I go home for a visit this summer I"m bringing with me a bunch of clothes that are now far too big for me, and doing a lot of shopping at home. Some advice on shipping clothes: If you are not sure if you're going to wear it or not, don't bring it. Bring only the clothes that you KNOW you will wear -- it's not worth cluttering up your closet with things you don't put on except for once every two months or so.

When I came, I needed only to ship one big box... a good company to look at is Nippon Express and their pelican pack -- it was something like a 60 lb box for $100 which was the cheapest I could find anywhere.

For the vitamins and fish oil I don't think you need to bring as much as you fear. I see vitamins everywhere at grocery stores here and they aren't that expensive. For fish oil, you will be getting more than enough of that just by eating the school lunches -- you won't need to have extra supplements of it. Instead of bringing those, throw a few extra sticks of deodorant into your to-ship box. Antiperspirant deodorant is really hard to find here, so I would suggest bringing your own from home.

Because the most affordable way to ship things is by boat, it takes about 2 and a half months to get here. What most JETs did last year, was put their winter clothes, refills on things like deodorant and toothpaste, and some winter shoes into their to-ship boxes. Make sure it's things you don't need or want right away.

Yeah, i was wondering about the deodorant. Last time I was there I ran out about half way through my home stay and Japanese deodorant did not cut it. I'm glad vitamins are cheap and yeah, I guess living anywhere in Japan would pretty much make fish oil unnecessary.

Thank you both.

[sleepykitty]

We get two 50lb checked bags, one 20lb? carry-on and a purse/bag. Not much space for moving, but it'll work out.

I am also a health nut and face the delima of what to take in the way of health products and what to attempt to find in Japan. I will probably pack my suitcase with a years supply of supplements, FIBER, sugarless peanut butter, shampoo I like, organic soap, cooking necessities, etc. I might be able to find similar ones in Japan (unlikely for some things) but they are dirt cheap on swansonsvitamins.com So i might as well take them with me.

I will either ship winter clothes or just buy them in japan along with shoes. Nippon express pelican pack sounds like a pretty good deal, I'll check it out when the real packing starts.

One thing I'd be tempted to send is a memory foam mattress topper. The bed at my host family's house gave me bruises but hopefully my next bed won't be that awful.

[KIKKI.K]

One thing I'd be tempted to send is a memory foam mattress topper. The bed at my host family's house gave me bruises but hopefully my next bed won't be that awful.

You can buy them off amazon.jp, and they accept cash on delivery as a payment option...
also, it's "dilemma"....

[teabot]

seriously, guys, don't overestimate the benefits of just not taking that much stuff with you in the first place. be really critical and editorial about everything you want to bring, and ask your pred or JETs in your area about the availability of things in your area. everyone (including myself) ends up bringing over stuff that they don't need or end up not using, so may as well save yourself from it as much as possible.

things like deodorant and toothpaste aren't necessary to bring, i think... i came with one or two of each, not stockpiles. toothpaste with flouride is available here (Aquafresh), and here's a post about getting deodorant in Japan. of course if you are extremely picky or otherwise have sensitivities/allergies to certain things, bring backups, but i don't think you should completely write off trying different products here. after all, if you try it and it doesn't work as you'd hoped, you can always ask family/friends back home to send something in a box, or pick up extras when you're visiting home.

[Gizmotech]

*nodding in agreement with Syrius and Teabot*

I did ship over a bunch of stuff, a bunch of it I didn't need, and a bunch of it I've thrown out. (I've lost quite a bit of weight since coming to Japan). That being said, if you can afford it, ship it. It's not the end of the world, just perhaps your bank account.

On the Deodorant front, yes you can find some stuff here that is good enough, however I haven't found anything like my gillete clinical stuff from back home, and still get it shipped in.