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I am finally going to Japan! I already had Japanese currency so there was no need to exchange money. Since I had just gone to Korea, I knew that my cell phone international plan was active. We had to apply for a visa and thankfully the group I was traveling with coordinated the visa application so I don’t have advice for you. I needed a negative NAAT/TMA/PCR test result 72 hours prior to the flight departure. I went to Urgent Care and paid $125 for the rapid test needed to board the plane. Thankfully, the result of my test was negative.

This is an 11-day trip and is a more extended trip than the ones I’ve taken recently so I had to strategize the packing. Additionally, this is a Sister City Goodwill trip and so I packed aloha attire. As far as bringing omiyage to your friends and family outside of Hawaii, besides are awesome cookies from Hilo, you might also consider getting NOH brand poke mix. It’s light and easy to pack and is easy for anyone to use. I get mine from KTA. In Japan, I’m expecting the weather will be hot and humid with the possibility of rain so I’m trying to keep things cool and light. A note on packing — we are going to take advantage of the very convenient takyubin service to send luggage ahead of time to hotels on our itinerary so that we are not lugging all our luggage to all the stops. We have 6 different hotels we are staying at on this trip for either one, two, or three nights. To help with organizing my things, I used those large Ziploc-type vacuum bags to organize clothing to be used at each hotel. Additionally, I know that my clothes will get wrinkled by packing things this way so I am also packing a portable steamer to help. I am packing a hanging toiletry bag in case some rooms are on the smaller size and don’t have much counter space. . I also pack extra luggage tags in case the ones I’m using break or if I end up getting another bag and need one.

I am taking Japan Airlines on this trip and not Hawaiian Airlines I’ll get back to you about that experience. I updated my Kindle during Prime Day and have my books downloaded and ready to read. I downloaded some shows to my iPhone to entertain me on this 9-hour flight. As you’ll see, some of the shows are ones I haven’t watched on previous trips. I’m not much of a tv watcher so it takes me a while to get through the shows. I have the following downloaded on my device:

• Amazon: Train to Busan, House of Gucci, Jiro Dreams of Sushi
• Apple: Pachinko (8 episodes)
• Hulu: Ramen Heads
• Disney: Hamilton
• HBO: King Richard

Some things I plan to look for in Japan — new Kit Kat flavors, ingredients for my pantry, and fun snacks. Stay tuned for updates on my Japan stops. Living Hilo Style in Japan.