Pole Dancer in Japan

3 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Pole Dancer in Japan**

   Hi all!

   In a few weeks I’ll be moving to Japan. I already have my space picked out and have a year long lease. In addition, I’m also an avid pole dancer. It’s a huge part of my life and something I’m not willing to give up, so I plan on taking my pole with me if possible.

   Please note that my pole does not require any drilling and is renter safe, so it will not damage the floors or ceiling at all. It is easy to put up and take down whenever necessary. The only problem is, I’m completely unsure as to how to get it to Japan.

   My pole was about $450, it’s around 40 pounds and has a chrome finish. My current options seem to be
   – use one of my checked bags and pack only the pole (+ pray it’s not over the weight limit and will get through customs)
   – somehow ship my pole to my new address is Japan (if that’s possible/allowed)
   – just buy a new pole in Japan (if they sell the same quality one I have. I’m definitely not against this option if it’s my only choice, the price isn’t a problem)

   So overall I have a few problems with figuring out how to get my pole over there/if it’s even allowed in the country. I would love anyone’s help/advice, or resources to look at to research further. Thank you!! 🙂

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2. If it is under airline baggage weight and size limits, I think just boxing it up and taking it as one of your checked bags as sporting equipment should be ok.

   Some airlines need you to notify them odd sized sports gears will be checked in advance. And the limits vary by airline. Some charge extra and others give you one sports item free but 1 less suitcase. Give them a call.

3. You probably won’t have any difficulty bringing the pole into the country, but you’re going to find that actually *using* it is going to be a very different story.

   First off: You need to verify with your landlord if this would even be allowed. “Modifications” covers a lot more ground than just drilling holes in Japan. There’s a good chance that your landlord is going to straight-up forbid it.

   Second: Even if that landlord is vaguely ok (or you choose to just hide it from them), you still have potential issue.

   >Please note that my pole does not require any drilling and is renter safe, so it will not damage the floors or ceiling at all.

   Assuming it’s one of the tension/jack/whatever-the-official-name-is poles (the ones that expand to press against the floor/ceiling kinda like a shower curtain rod) you’re going to want to be ***very*** sure that your apartment can actually support it.

   A lot of Japanese apartments are… Let’s go with “fragile”. I’ve lived in a number of apartments where the floor/ceiling would absolutely buckle under that kinda of pressure. Unless you’re going to be living in a concrete-framed “mansion” you’ll need to be very careful.

   Third: Neighbors. A knock-on effect of “fragile” is that there’s also frequently little to no sound insulation in Japanese apartments. Pole work is going to be audible to your neighbors and they’re going to be less than thrilled with you.

   Generally speaking you should assume that any sort of exercise or even vaguely high-impact activity should be done outside of your apartment lest you incur the wrath of neighbors and eventually the landlord.

   Final point: Without getting into a super deep discussion about other things… You need to look into visa restrictions. If your pole work is just for exercise/a hobby… There are pole studios in Japan. I’d recommend looking into those. If it’s associated with… “other things” you need to look into whether that’s allowed by your visa (probably not) and the risks involved in doing so.