Packing tips: What I packed for my year abroad in Japan

Packing for a whole year of uni anyway is pretty daunting, but deciding what to take to Japan for my year abroad was so hard! Especially with limited space.  In the end, I managed to take just one suitcase, a mini carry on, and my laptop! Lots of people took three whole suitcases of stuff, so I reckon I packed light, but I still managed to bring a tonne of stuff with me. Today's post is about what I took with me on my year abroad, and a couple of my tips on how to pack light and avoid any mishaps.

Here's what I packed:

• Clothes// T shirts x10 Collared Shirts x9 Jumpers x6, Hoodies x1, Skirts x4, shorts x1 PJs x2 Underwear, tights and socks for 2 weeks. I wanted enough clothes for a few weeks worth of outfits, But, I didn't want to take too many clothes because I planned on buying loads here (because Japanese fashion is gorgeous).
• Shoes// Sandals, Jellies and Dr Martens. Honestly, I could have just taken the DMs and got away with it. 
• Accessories// Waterproof coat, Warm jacket, Hats x 3, scarf

Beauty/ Toiletries// 

• Travel sized versions of toiletries: deodorant, shower gel, soap, shampoo and conditioner, face mask, makeup remover, tissues, toothbrush etc. This way I could have a shower straight away (in theory.... In practise I lost my luggage due to it being mishandled >_<;;)
• Full-sized versions of my skincare items because I wanted it to last all year.
• Tangle teezer and combs
• hair ties, jewellery and accessories
• Everyday makeup and my two favourite nail polishes (including the topshop one pictured).
• Hair dye, tint brush and bowl and a pair of hair dye gloves. While you can buy alternative hair colours in Japan, it's expensive so I wanted to take a couple of tubs to start me off. 

Paper items/ Miscellaneous// Last year's grammar textbook and kanji book

• Small pencil case
• Notebook and a Book for the plane
• A couple of sachets of coffee so I could make some as soon as I got to my room
• Important documents- passport, health record, national insurance number, student loan, Osaka documents
• Laptop and USB stick
• Money (in yen obvs)

Packing tips:

• Pack all your valuables and also essential toiletries in your hand luggage- in case your luggage gets lost like mine did
• Pack all your toiletries, perfumes and liquids in ziplock bags in your luggage to prevent spills. Two of the things I took actually leaked, but I was safe because I'd done this.
• Roll up clothes- this will save space and stop them from wrinkling so much.
• Group clothes into categories, they'll already be organised so they are easier to unpack.
• Do your research into what you can and can't buy in the country you're going to- for example in Japan, strong deodorant and dry shampoo are really hard to get hold of.
• Maybe take a mini snack or some coffee like I did so you can feel at home as soon as you get to your room.
• If the voltage is really different in your destination country (again, think Japan and the UK), don't bother taking heat styling tools like straighteners or hair dryers as they won't work.
• If you're going to buy things like kettles, heat tools etc. maybe buy them on amazon as soon as you get there (so you don't have to go without tea)

Hope this was helpful! I also posted my uni packing list last year when I went to Leeds, which includes stuff like kitchen stuff too, so check that out if you're interested! I also wrote some Airplane survival tips too.
-Amy xoxo