«And then I’ll be staying on a tiny island and I don’t know if I’ll be living in a hut, or what.»
«Very exciting … as a luggage problem!»
Joe Banks and the Luggage Salesman in «Joe Versus the Volcano» (1990)
One thing I wanted to try out during a Japan vacation was traveling lightly. Normally, I have T-Shirts and underwear for each day in my luggage, and socks for half the days (you can wear them two days in a row … they are hiking socks, that is actually fine!). This time, I wondered whether 1/3 of the days would be sufficient, provided I use a laundromat.
I also tried to reduce the clothes in general. I also did not take a sweater with me. Given the July/August 35°C plus temperatures, I would only have used it for Mt. Fuji, and it wasn’t worth the space for that one day. Also no second pair of regular trousers, just a shorts to wear during the day. No second pair of shoes, just the rugged jogging shoes I usually wear on my feet. They have proven reliable to wear for a couple of months. And for bad weather, just a thin (but high-quality) waterproof windbreaker jacket and thin trousers for rain.
The result was one regular sized everyday backpack with clothes and other stuff, and a side-bag with my camera. Meaning I had only carry-on luggage (backpack) and a personal object I stowed beneath the seat (side-bag).
Overall it worked very well. No waiting after the landing. I could carry my luggage easily prior to checking in, or just store the backpack in a coin locker.
Washing and drying was also easy. The laundromats in Tokyo were easy to understand and already have the washing powder integrated.
Even the time spend there was nice, at least in a better laundromat that had AC and a table. Originally I thought it would be wasted time in a great city, in which I spend only a few days. But you cannot be active 24/7. Some times you just want to take a break and think about what to do with the rest of the time. And, yeah, thinking and planning while you do some washing works great. This worked especially well in the capsule hotels that had laundries.
Of course, the quality of the laundromats varies. One rather … not good laundromat had old machines and no AC.
So, yeah, overall, traveling with minimal luggage and washing clothes a few times was a good idea. I only missed a sports shorts I could wear in the hotels or when washing the trousers, so I bought one for cheap.
I also wonder whether I can reduce the amount a bit more, because one problem was the lack of storage space for bought goods. Originally I did not plan on doing shopping in Japan, but, well, they do have some beautiful stuff … and cheap books ( Recommendation: Mandrake Stores in Japan ). So I’ll probably make sure that I have at least 20% space left in the backpack.
And when it comes to stuff I would never travel without — the Sigg metal bottle is fairly high on the list. Easy to refill, incl. at airports after the security check, provided you notice the water stations:
And of course, my camera, although the zoom was a bit heavy (Fujifilm 16-55mm F2.8). But overall, relatively few things I absolutely need.
So, yeah, happy light traveling.