So last time we talked about preparing for Japan, and this time we're going to

take with you to Japan, which is going to include the best way to exchange money,

what kind of clothes you should bring, toiletries, food, and gifts.

Now of course before you can go to japan the most important thing you need is your

passport, because you can't get into the country without it.

Now if you're going to be studying abroad or if

you're going to be working in japan also need a visa

but your place employment or your school will take care of that for you so

if you're one of 36 different countries you can participate in the

Visa Waiver Program which means you don't need a visa at all.

All you have to do is just arrive in Japan with your passport and a flight ticket

out of japan within those 90 or three months,

Now technically they want you to prove that you have enough money to survive in

Japan for the amount of time that you're going to be there.

They don't usually check but as long as you have some credit cards you should be ok.

But you're not going to japan without money anyway so what's the best way to

You can take cash to Japan and exchange it at the airport or large post offices or

but if you do that they're gonna give you a really crappy exchange rate and you're

You can take travelers cheques which are safer than cash,

and they'll give you a slightly less crappy exchange rate,

but it'll still be kinda crappy. And you have to exchange travelers cheques at a

You can't use them at any stores in Japan or anything like that.

Now what most people do is they withdraw money from their credit cards

Now not all credit cards can do this and not all ATMs accept this so make sure

you do your research before you come to Japan without any cash at all.

The ATMs in 7/11 convenience stores are probably your best bet for this

because they accept most major credit cards. Keep in mind that your credit

card might charge you a fee for this, though.

The way I personally exchange money is by withdrawing money from an ATM with

a Capital One Bank debit card. It may not be the best way but it's the best way

I know how, because it charges no foreign transaction fees,

no fees for using an ATM and if the ATM itself charges you a fee it even

reimburses a set amount of that every month.

And the 1% fee charged by Mastercard itself-- Capital One eats that fee for you

and that makes it the only bank that does not.

So you essentially get to exchange money for no fees at all: it's free.

If you're paying attention though you'll realize

that I didn't say anything about the exchange rate that Capital One uses.

And that's where things get tricky because it's difficult to pin down what

the exact difference is between the actual exchange rate

and the exchange rate that you receive is.

Some companies hide fees by adjusting exchange rates, so how does Capital One's

Well, this morning I took out \10,000 from my account which withdrew $124.89.

\10,000 was worth $123.35, or the difference of $1.54.

At the same time according to x-rates.com,

\10,000 was worth $124.56 or the difference of 33 cents.

So all in all it doesn't look like Capital One is hiding much in fees

I do recommending your own research before making any decisions about money, though

because for one companies change their policies all the time and what

might be true now might not be true later.

As for what kind of clothes you should bring, it

really depends on what time of the year it is, where

in Japan you're going and how much you wanna conform to local standards.

If you're going to be in central Japan around Tokyo, Nagoya or Osaka

then in the winner at the coldest it gets maybe a little below freezing

but in the summer it gets to be upper 20s or a little over 30, or

But more than that it's humid! It's extremely humid in Japan.

It's so bad that sometimes you can be outside for just a couple minutes and

Japan likes to keep their buildings really cold

so once you go inside you need a jacket even though you were sweating outside.

As for what Japanese people actually wear,

well I've linked to a really great resource for fashion in men and women

In general Japanese people love layers and loose fitting clothing.

Guys whatever you wear you're probably going to be fine

so I'm not gonna spend too much time talking about that,

but for ladies there are a couple different

standards that most Japanese women tend to abide by.

It's acceptable to show off as much leg as you want here.

They frequently wearing leggings or tights underneath those as well,

and sometimes even the type that stops at your upper thigh--

However Japanese women are very conservative

when it comes to the chest area-- they don't show anything at all.

If you want to be really safe I would keep it just a couple inches below your

There are of course exceptions, and as a foreigner you won't be held to the same

However, as a woman with a low-cut shirt you will be making a lot of

Some people will stare openly, others will wait until you pass or turn away but

No matter how much you like attention, eventually you'll want them to stop

staring, so make sure you at least bring something that's appropriate!

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Packing for Japan: What to bring and exchanging money!

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