EVE of TRAVEL

Merry Christmas Eve! Cherry and I are departing tomorrow on Christmas Day for our 16 day trip to Tokyo, Nagano, Ishikawa and Gifu.

A few last minute changes on our part (after hearing from some very persuasive individuals 😉) meant that we decided to cancel the driving leg of our trip and instead enjoy the scenic route by catching the trains and buses through the Japanese alps. It did however, result in some last minute panic booking as buses and trains were mostly booked out between Kanazawa and Takayama. Nothing a little bit of sleuthing couldn’t solve, but a stark reminder to not underestimate the importance of the New Year Period for the local Japanese population.

One thing we definitely were NOT able to secure was… KFC dinner for Christmas! Us silly gaijins thought we could rock up nilly willy to a local KFC and secure a bucket of chicken in Japan on Christmas Day. Alas, we found out that preorders had opened as early as November and none of the stores we could find in metro Tokyo had any slots left. Here’s to hoping we could at least have some of the famous fried chicken from one of the various konbini chains; fami-chiki anyone?

Packing for a trip like this is secretly exciting for me. Months of gear shopping and planning come together in the name of efficiency and organization! My research into appropriate winter wear for Japan led me back to the world of Merino with the clear warning to avoid thick layers given how warm the heaters would be indoors in Japan. We also agreed early on that we needed at least a pair of sneakers with Gore-tex as we would be doing a little bit of exploring in nature in some of the more snowy regions of Nagano, Ishikawa and Gifu prefecture. Eventually I settled on the Adidas Terrex Freehiker 2 GTX (what a name) with a brand new pair of comfy sneakers: the Puma Speedcat OG; for metro Tokyo.

Here’s my packing list for clothing and such:

• 2 x Icebreaker Merino Base Layer 200

• 1 x Smartwool Merino Base Layer

• 3 x Smartwool Merino Undies

• 3 x Smartwool Merino Socks

• 2 x Jeans (Uniqlo and Japan Blue)

• 1 x Smart Ankle Pants (Uniqlo)

• 1 x Braided Belt

• 1 x Trackies (Uniqlo)

• 1 x Patagonia Baggies Shorts (can’t travel anywhere without them!)

• 2 x Flannel/Thick Cotton Shirts (Stance + Uniqlo Flannel)

• 1 x Knitwear (Mr. Simple)

• 1 x Long Sleeve Tee (Blue Blue Japan)

• 1 x Hoodie (LSKD)

• Fjallraven Nuuk Lite Parka (incredibly warm and waterproof, negates the need for more layers!)

• Adidas Terrex Freehiker 2 GTX

• Puma Speedcat OG (Black)

Anything else… there’s always a Uniqlo or GU down the road!

It was important to ensure all of the above (sans the 2nd pair of shoes) fit into our carry-ons as we plan on leaving our check-in luggage behind in Tokyo before departing for Nagano. So far, success!

The next challenge was to fit gear into my backpack. I wasn’t quite comfortable with having my camera and lenses roll around with the rest of the items in the main compartment. A last minute shop in Melbourne’s CBD today landed me the Lowepro Gearup XL II, a well built camera insert that held my mirrorless set up with plenty of room to spare. For a fantastic price too!

Here’s my packing list for gear:

• Backpack: Trakke MUIR III

• Traveler’s Notebook Large (2 x dotted grid + 1x Tokyo Special Edition inserts; thanks Megan!)

• Goshuin Book

• Platinum #3776 Fountain Pen + Tag Kyoto Ink

• 4 x MojiniLine non-bleed highlighters

• 1 x Pilot Fude Pen

• Hiby R6 Evangelion Edition + Crinacle Dusk IEMs

• Kindle Paperwhite (12th Gen)

• Playdate Console

• Analogue Pocket in Pelican Case with custom inserts

• LARQ PureVis 2.0 1L Water Bottle (UV + Filter + Hydration Tracking = no gout!)

• Insta360 Ace Pro 2 + Assorted mounts and accessories

• DJI Mic 2

• 1 x Heymix Multi-Port Adapter with 65w built in charging

• 2 x Lencent 20w Multi-Port chargers

• Oura Ring Charger

• Nikon Zf Camera Body

• Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8

• Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8

• Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 Plena

• Nitecore NB20000 Gen 3 Portable Power Bank

• Anker Nano Power Bank (for Cherry)

• Nomad Kevlar Cable Universal USB-C V2

• Evergoods CAP 2 (Griffin)

• Evergoods CAP 1 (Phoenix)

• Revolut Visa Debit Card (no pesky conversion or card fees!)

Pardon the wear on the Trakke MUIR III, it simply has been a fantastic EDC for the last 6 months

The Steam Deck didn’t quite make the cut this trip. There just won’t be time to game to justify bringing a console of that size. The Analogue Pocket gets a fair bit of use by both of us on trips. Cherry and I have an ongoing Tetris challenge with each other… which I am of course, losing.

The aim with the Tokyo Special Edition insert (a gift from lovely Megan) is to capture some of the tickets and loose paper we collect as mementos this trip. It will also be where we will be collecting eki-sutampu (train station stamps)! Finally, the trip wouldn’t be complete without bringing our goshuin books that we started in 2023. Given the new year period in which we are visiting, we will no doubt be dropping by some shrines — every shrine has different stamp designs (goshuin) which you donate a nominal fee for and they proceed to unleash their impeccable calligraphy onto your goshuin books.

Can you tell that I’m excited?

We will no doubt be reporting on the trip as it progresses and hopefully we will at least get some fried chicken on Christmas night in Japan!