Backpacking in style! Choosing, packing a capsule wardrobe.

Backpacking right now is all the rage. Instagram and Facebook are littered with people showing off their latest stay, and while I'm not a fan of showing off my entire life like that, I LOVE travel! I always wanted to backpack and some months back I got to make my dream come true when I left for Japan for three months. However one thing I really wasn't looking forward to was backpackers clothing. Not only do I feel horrible in the usual backpackers getup of jeans or leggings + tank or tunic, dressing like a tourist is how you get people to treat you like one too! Instead of going out and spending money on clothes I wouldn't like and that might get me singled out or even ripped off, I decided I was going to dress in my usual style for the trip. It worked, by the way, as several people I met thought I was a longterm resident!

The bag I bought is this Samsonite spinner, a real backpack wasn't an option due to my bad back so I chose this multifunctional one that can be used like a suitcase or worn like a sportsbag with a detachable shoulder strap. It's roughly the same size as a regular traveling pack albeit a bit wider. While it might look like I'd be able to cram a lot of clothes in there, over half of the thing was reserved for presents for family and AirBnB hosts (Japanese politeness!) and I needed to stuff way more than just clothes in the remaining half. I also brought microfiber towels (many hostels make you pay a fee to use their towels), my laptop and DS (later joined by a Switch that I bought in Akihabara) and all the cables they needed, toiletries, some writing supplies and six months (trip was cut short) worth of medicine. I think I may have had 1/4th of the thing left for actual clothes, if not less. So what did I pick? In order to not overstuff my suitcase with way too many clothes I gave myself a couple rules to work with.

1. No special laundry care

I'd be staying in hostels and AirBnBs with questionable laundry equipment so whatever I was going to pick would need to be able to stand up to harsh washing machines, cheap soap and no ironing. That immediately cut out most cottons and silks- unfortunately no kimono remake in Japan for me. I also found out quickly that a dress I'd brought lost fuzzies in cheaper washing machines, something it didn't do at home, so next time I'll be wary of fluffy pieces as well. If you'll be carrying a regular travel pack, make sure to pack tops that won't pill from the friction.

2. Multipurpose

I'd be traveling from warm autumn in Tokyo to winter in the Japanese Alps so whatever I'd pack would need to be multifunctional. When I left I'd packed a fluffy Liz Lisa dress, but it was too bulky and hot so I ended up sending it home. The best pieces I had could be layered for all sorts of weather.

3. Matchy-matchy

I wanted everything to match a specific colourscheme of blue-cream/white-black, so everything would match everything else and I'd have neutrals to wear with whatever I might buy on the way. It made getting ready in the morning super easy as I could just grab whatever was on top and I'd look polished.

4. Hard limits on certain things

I have a chronic problem of overpacking so this might've been the hardest one! To cut down on bulky stuff I set some limits for myself: two pairs of comfortable shoes (plus a pair of flipflops for hygiene), one match-all coat that I'd wear on the plane, one bag that could fit a lot and closed well (I ended up making one myself). Also, only as much makeup as comfortably(!!) fit in my toiletry bag and a few small bits of jewelry as I expected myself to buy new anyway. I also allowed myself only two pocket-sized books and no art supplies, which hurt my soul but cut down immensely on luggage.

What I ended up doing in order to avoid overpacking while building my little capsule wardrobe was quite simple. I took out everything I wanted to bring, which would've easily filled up the entire suitcase and then some. Then I spread it all out on my bedroom floor and checked if it hit all my rules: no fancy care, multipurpose, blue or white? If no it went right back into my wardrobe. Then I sorted it by item and saw if any of the piles were abnormally big- do you really need eight knits when you're traveling? Then lastly I simply got rid of about half of what was left. Why would I bring five bottoms when two would do fine? Why bring three tanktops when I could bring one and in a cold spell simply wear a cute tee under a knit instead? Why bring a separate house vest and regular cardi when my house vest matches my travel wardrobe and looks cute? And if you're wondering, YES, you NEED warm houseclothes in Japan! A LOT of buildings in Japan have horrid insulation and you'll end up freezing if you don't. I actually ended up buying a very bulky house suit that I dragged along with me for the entire trip despite me needing to buy an extra bag to carry it in. It's that bad.

At the end of the whole process, this is what I packed for the trip:

On the left offbrand black chiffon top for hot days, with a plain black tanktop underneath (not pictured, oops) that I also used for layering in the cold, cream Axes Femme skirt with a comfy elasticated waist, argyle Lodispotto top that I bought in the sale (and that really wasn't suitable for backpacking), Yumetenbou sukapan with again a comfy waist, Liz Lisa long vest that I also wore as a dress but that really didn't like the hostel washers so the hem is uneven now :( this guy was also far too bulky so I wouldn't bring this traveling again.
By the way, if you're wondering why I brought nothing but two mini skirts for a trip from October to January, shorts and short skirts are worn in Japan regardless of season! A miniskirt with tights and a sweater is a perfectly normal winter outfit, so I took advantage of that to avoid having to pack more bottoms.
On the right, cream Axes Femme knit, blue Lodispotto knit (again bought on sale instore), Gelato Pique house vest that I also used as regular cardi and an Uniqlo Heattech shirt for layering. When I left home I also has a cream Axes Femme tee but it was suuuuper worn and I ended up tossing it after a month. What you can't see here but what did influence what I kept was that both sweaters and my vest rolled up super small despite being very warm.

On the left my Liz Lisa coat, Uniqlo oversized scarf for either a light coverup on a chilly day or layer on the coat for extreme cold, my one bag (with pins!) and Uniqlo heattech gloves. On the right my shoes, and yes it's three pairs. I left with my Dr Martens and sandals (that are way comfier than they look) and I bought the boots for some 300 yen in Closet Child. They were as good as new and only missed one ankle strap! These were also extremely comfy, I actually ended up hiking in them! When it got too cold I sent the sandals home.

Not pictured: underwear, a bikini, tights in black and white, a few pairs of socks (mostly warm house socks, regular socks are EVERYWHERE and they're cheap so I didn't bother packing them and just bought some there), pajamas (one set) and my house suit (a chunky sweater and long pants). I wouldn't exactly say this was my "definitive" wardrobe though as it kind of shifted over the months. I sent some pieces home and bought some new and I threw away a couple things. This is roughly what my wardrobe looked like at the end of my trip which is why it's very warm- December in Kyoto is very cold so I held onto more warm clothes than I otherwise would've packed. I'd also given away my presents (although I ended up with presents in return, so my suitcase wasn't empty) so I had more space for extra sweaters. I could've packed a much more efficient wardrobe (no Liz Lisa vest, one sweater etc) but I liked the variation and shipping more home was expensive anyway so I didn't bother changing it up.

When packing, be sure to not fold your pieces but roll them instead! You can fit way more that way. If you did pack a bulky item, save a small plastic bag (you'll probably get one on your first day there, konbinis hand them out like candy), then roll the item, stuff it in the bag and tie the handles shut. Pressure on the bag will eventually rip it but by that point you'll have amassed a whole collection of replacements anyway. Panties and socks fit in your second pair of shoes as well as tiny holes left in your luggage between rolled up clothes and places where the rounded edges of the rolls meet the straight suitcase edge. If you're worried about something crumbling up when rolled, fold it so that the parts you want to keep nice (usually the front) faces outwards and roll it that way. The back on the inside may crumple but the front on the outside will stay relatively smooth. To pack dresses, fold the skirt inwards to create a rectangle if the skirt is flared, fold down the bodice, then roll.

Some things I learned for next time: don't bother with jeans, I packed some to be sensible but after I didn't wear them for a full month I sent them home, don't bring embellished pieces, the one bedazzled top I bought and kept with me already started to show some wear after two weeks, and too little is better than too much! Sending things home is costly, bringing them to the thrift store is often not possible for tourists and trashing them is a waste. It's a much better idea to bring a very minimal wardrobe and simply add onto it where necessary, shopping in Japan is fantastic anyway and thanks to good ol Japanese superstition, if you go secondhand it's extremely cheap!

Must-brings

There are however a couple things I would 100% bring and risk having too many of rather than buy in Japan for whatever reason, be it saving money or things being harder to find there.

If you are above a B-cup, bras. You can buy cute small bras all over the place and briefs that fit wide hips can be picked up at any Uniqlo, but big bras are something else! They're expensive and sizing is limited, so just pack one extra and don't risk needing to scramble for anything in a D-cup when the hostel washer eats your favourite bra.

For tall girls, tights. Socks can be picked up a dime a dozen, but tights will be aimed at women of about 160cm/5'2", so if you're above that and you rip your only pair of tights you may be screwed. Things like skirts I found weren't a problem as every girl seemed to wear micro skirts, as long as you wear tights underneath it's just seen as a fashion choice and not as skimpy.

Good walking shoes. 99% of shoes in Japan will be pleather, which will inevitably start peeling with the amount of walking you'll be doing, not to mention sizing is again limited. If you do somehow find yourself in Japan without good shoes, look for a trendy vintage "thrift" store as they're bound to have Dr Martens in lots of sizes. You'll pay some $180 for them and they won't be new, but you can be sure you can walk them to the end of the earth.

If you like hot springs, bring a small towel for your hair! I had one that I bought for my hair post-shower but it ended up as my onsen-towel. It's for covering up when moving between baths, wiping off sweat when in one and can be used in lieu of a big towel if you just want to hop in quickly without bringing a full sized one. Some onsens won't let you in without a towel and you may be forced to pay a fee to hire one. Many onsens sell small towels and you can always buy one there as a nice souvenir, but prices can vary wildly (up to $25 in some cases), so bringing your own is your best bet.

Lastly a few small healh-related things to keep in mind when traveling that you may not think of:

- for Europeans, paracetamol is called tylenol and it's less strong. It has the same working ingredients but instead of 500 mg per tablet it'll have 300, so if you're feeling unwell be sure to take a double dose. The box will tell you not to but the Japanese limit is extremely conservative and aimed at a smaller frame anyway.
- you will get sick. Japan is an island and has its own viruses and if you're there long-ish term you will probably catch one. I got sick three separate times in my three months, once so severely I was bedbound for a week.
- bring allergy medicine or look up how to ask for it in Japanese. You may not be allergic to anything at home, but you might just end up being hella allergic to Japanese flora!
- fruit and veg are expensive, keep an eye out for mom-and-pop stands from small shops or even selling from the garden. Japanese people are used to a low-fruit diet and if you're living on a budget you'll likely end up not eating much veg, to avoid feeling crappy keep your eyes peeled for shops selling lightly bruised apples or a granny selling mikan from her yard. Bananas will usually be the cheapest fruit at regular stores for about 100 yen a pop. If you're desperate, you can also purchase the 2000 yen fruit plan at Sweets Paradise and absolutely stuff yourself with seasonal fruit for a vitamin kick. I actually brought a small cooling bag to hold cheap food I happened to come across in weird places and it usually had at least some mikan in it that I picked up somewhere along the way.
- in summer it's extremely humid and all other seasons are excruciatingly dry. Lots of makeup is aimed at replenishing moisture and there's lots of skincare available, but if you want specific products, bring them just in case as your skin can seriously hurt if you can't find the right replacement products. Leave your lipsticks at home and buy new, I never ever have dry skin but the air in Japan made my lips peel, and lots of locally sold lipsticks are aimed at combatting it. If your skin is painfully dry, substitute face cream with hand cream in a pinch. If you use coconut oil for your skin or hair and absolutely don't want to switch it out, bring a full jar as it's impossible to find.

This ended up being a monster of a post! I hope it was helpful in some way or another. May your future travels be stylish!