Hi all!
For many of us, we have never been to Japan and are eagerly packing and prepping.
Speaking for myself, I’m heading to a cold prefecture and have spent my time preparing for that.
What tips and sage words of advice can you give for people heading to the orientation? What should we pack or forfeit? Are there any gems nearby the hotel that are a must to check out? Are there any nifty tricks for making the jetlag less terrible so we can enjoy our time in Tokyo?
Thank you!!
24 comments
This could have changed as it’s been years since I’ve been there, but iirc there was a conbini on the 2nd fl of the hotel. Good to know in case you needed something quick/needed an alternative lunch should the vegetarian lunch fare not appeal to you
Since you mention a cold prefecture, remember that the summer is still going to be hot, humid, and sticky! So make sure to have a good amount of hot weather clothes as well.
Likely it’ll be hot and long. Take some deodorant wipes and don’t wear a warm suit. Your new friends will thank you 😜
Tbh the orientation was LOOONNNNGGGG and boring. It prepped me for long school meetings though. I absolutely CANNOT sleep on planes. I just remember that week being so exhausting and hot. I went out with a couple of people though. THAT was fun lol.
I think orientation is back to pre Covid arrangements, which means three people to a hotel room. With that in mind, plan to bring your smallest piece of luggage to orientation (you should be able to send your other piece(s) ahead at the airport). Also pack what you think you will want for orientation in an easily accessible space. You don’t want to have to rummage through a huge suitcase, dumping half your belongings out, to find what you want. It’ll be less annoying for you and your roommates
You’d be crazy to bring anything for the cold weather – it’ll just occupy space in your bag and you’ll have months to buy it here in Japan before it is truly cold.
It will be overwhelming (but fun!) and everyone will be looking to make friends intensely, but I’d say don’t overthink it too much and go with the flow, you’ll make your JET friends that you spend most time with once you get to your prefecture 🙂
Speaking of cold prefectures, some people can be nervous about going to a place that is dark and cold for a lot of the year, but I personally went to Hokkaido and it was the BEST
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My tip for making jet lag less awful is to not sleep or barely sleep the night before so you can just pass out on the plane for as long as possible. When you arrive in the airport it’s a lot of lines and immigration and hotel orientation so doing that on no sleep is terrible. You will still be tired, but being freshly awoken from sleep is better than trying to do everything on 24 hours of being awake.
Sleep. And don’t worry about trying to roll with the “in” crowd.
You will be dog ass tired and catching sleep whenever you can is necessary. There will likely be some party type people headed out into the city at night. Most of these people will never see each other again after orientation…so they will have stayed up and partied with strange people who will likely remain strangers.
If you hang with anyone your best bet is to make it people going to the same prefecture as you. These are the people you will hang out with on a more consistent basis…but there are veteran JETs to meet when you get to your posting so the people at orientation aren’t the be all end all.
Focus on sleeping and learning from your seminars…networking and socializing should come later.
Does your flight land in the morning or the evening in Tokyo? If morning, pop some Tylenol PM tenish hours before landing to start to align your sleep schedule. If evening, try to stay up as long as you can on the flight so you pass out when you get to your hotel room. When I went, by the time we got to the hotel it was midnight and I was wide awake. Do not recommend lol. This app is also helpful: https://www.timeshifter.com/
HYDRATE and don’t feel pressured to wear a full suit in the height of summer. I got myself so sick with heat exhaustion / dehydration, and it’s quite easy to do with all the busy excitement.
You’ll be in a great area of Tokyo if you want to go out and grab some drinks and explore the city with some other ALTs!
But, you’ll also probably be hella tired and jet-lagged! I recommend trying to sleep on the plane if possible. I’m the type that can’t sleep at all on a plane so I was awake the whole time, but it was also my third time to Japan, so I knew what I was going to face with the jet lag. If possible, try getting a good sleep your first night, that’s probably the most important night to try and reset your sleep schedule! Spend the other nights going out and having fun if you would like!
As for luggage, you’ll be sending your bigger luggage over to your placement and keeping your small luggage and carry-on bag with you for the trip to your placement. Since you’ll be sharing a room with other ALTs this year (I had the luxury of having a double room to myself last year due to corona, so I had plenty of space to re-pack and do some Tetris with my luggage) I recommend packing your big luggage with your winter clothes and things you will not need for your first few days. Have your big luggage set and ready to go that way you don’t even have to open it and can just send it on its way to your placement!
In your small luggage, pack your suit, some work clothes, and some clothes for the summer because I’m assuming wherever you’re going, it will still be quite hot in August! Also, any essential toiletries I would try to pack in your small luggage or your carry-on!
Overall, just have fun! You might never speak to the people from orientation again or you might make some long lasting friends! I made some friends from different prefectures and we still talk and even did a trip together! Enjoy some Tokyo food and night life while you’re there, but don’t feel pressured to stay out late if you’re tired! You’re gonna need all the energy you got for settling into your new placement!
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I hope you’re excited! Enjoy the time you have left with your family and friends at home! Safe travels! <3 😀
Don’t push yourself. Since you’ve never been to Tokyo you might want to take advantage of being in the middle of Shinjuku but just do your best and go out when you have the energy too. Then again, I was quarantined there for 2 weeks unable to leave so what do I know?
Dont take it too seriously. There are some important things in orientation and you shiuld definitely listen and ask questions if you’re unsure about something. But, enjoy it. Some people were stressing too much. Jet is an experience. Also, enjoy the safety and convenience of the train system.
So many people from orientation were like “omg let’s add each other on Line!” I haven’t spoken go a single one of them since. Be friendly to the people you meet at orientation, but don’t expect to ever see or talk to them again
Everyone tries to leave and go back to their rooms at the same time so it can take a while (like 10+ minutes sometimes) to catch the elevator. Be sure to build in time for that
My advice for jetlag is to sleep according to the time at your destination. Is it 3am in Tokyo when you get on the plane? Then go immediately to sleep. When it hits around 10am in Tokyo, wake up and watch a movie. Stay up and don’t nap until it’s night time in Tokyo. That way you’ll be ready to go immediately to bed if you land in Tokyo at night, or able to stay up for a while if you land in the morning. You’ll be able to fall asleep at an appropriate time the first night and then hopefully wake up at an appropriate time in the morning and have beaten the worst of jet lag
The best packing tip I can offer is to make sure you have the clothes/things you need for Tokyo Orientation in your carry on luggage: your suit/business clothes, dress shoes, pajamas, and anything else you might need for those first few days.
To keep your luggage down, I would suggest having your cold-weather stuff shipped to you once you arrive in your town. Even in Tohoku/Hokkaido, it’s warm even until October., so there’s plenty of time to get it sorted. But really, just stay hydrated in Tokyo. Number one advice!
I didn’t pack any cold weather stuff aside from sweatshirts. I bought everything else here before the snow came. No need to bring a whole coat you won’t use for months that takes up insane space in your luggage
Unless you have some really nice gore-tex, just wait until you get to Japan and get your winter clothes locally. Fussing over that when you have zero experience with cold weather is really not worth it.
Do whatever you feel like doing, whenever you feel like doing it! ^_^
Only piece of advice I can give about the jetlag is a warning: You will be expected to go to work basically when you arrive at your final destination. There won’t be any “oh you just arrived, so we’ll let you have a week where you can settle in”.
My plan for the jetleg, and what I’ve done in the past both with jetlag and flipping an accidentally messed up sleep schedule (like when my job opened back up after quarantine in 2020 and I had to very quickly stop being nocturnal) is to just take the L and lose a night of sleep. No matter how excruciating, I will force myself to stay awake until an appropriate time to fall asleep in jpt on my first day in Tokyo (I’ll shoot for at least 8-9pm). When that time finally rolls around I’ll be so exhausted that I won’t have any trouble falling asleep, so as long as I can manage to wake up at a decent time I’ll be golden. For this reason, I’m not really planning to do anything on my first day in Japan. But from my second day I’ll be fairly adjusted and raring to go. It sounds insane but it works.
As for how I’ll manage to stay awake for what will be nearly 24 hours, last time I spent it playing Civilization V. This time I plan to start Tears of the Kingdom on the plane.
I don’t necessarily know if I’m recommending this method, but it sure is one.
Don’t drink too much at the hotel. There was a case where someone had their private area shaved by their room mates after they passed out after becoming blotto.
The jet lag is REAL. I felt like I had the flu, I was so out of whack. Given that, stay hydrated and drink lots of water. It can be confusing getting around Tokyo at first but luckily you’re staying in the HEART of Shinjuku which is easily one of the best wards of Tokyo (in my opinion). Map out how to walk to Shinjuku station and take everything in, it’s less than 10 minutes away. It’s bustling, lively, and full of energy. Once there, head a few minutes walk to Omoide Yokochō to experience one of Tokyo’s quintessential historic small alleys lined with restaurants. And it’s all right there not far from you at the hotel and within walking distance.
Other than that, enjoy yourself. Take it in. You’ve probably been waiting for this for a long time so make the most of it in the way you best see fit. Enjoy!