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About this tool
Plan what to wear and pack for Japan by month and region, covering temples, ryokan, onsen, restaurants and office dress codes.
This planner works out what to wear and how much to pack for Japan from three inputs: the month, the region and the places on your itinerary. Climate normals for Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Naha set the layering band, and the packing count comes from a simple rule — carry one laundry cycle plus a spare set while a wash dries, never more than the length of the trip. It then applies the venue rules that actually catch visitors out in Japan, which are far less about modesty than about shoes coming off, tattoo policies at onsen, and smart-casual minimums at restaurants.
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Paste your code or data sample into the workspace.
Pick the format, conversion, or analysis you need.
Copy the polished result straight back into your project.
Sapporo in February and Naha in February are twenty degrees apart, so the plan uses the region you are actually visiting.
Quantities come from one laundry cycle plus a drying buffer, capped at the trip length, rather than a guess.
Shoes-off venues, onsen tattoo policies and smart-casual minimums, rather than dress codes Japan does not have.
There is no enforced dress code at the vast majority of them, which surprises visitors who have been to Thailand or Italy. Shoulders covered is a respectful default, hats come off at the worship hall, and shoes come off before entering a temple hall. The practical consequence is socks: you will be standing in them several times a day, so pack a couple of extra pairs and wear slip-on shoes.
Yes, in most of daily life, and Japanese people wear them in summer. Where they will stop you is at the smarter end: fine dining and kaiseki restaurants expect smart casual, some Tokyo clubs and hotel bars refuse shorts, vests and open sandals at the door, and business settings are conservative. One smart outfit with covered shoulders, long trousers and closed shoes covers all of those.
The lightest breathable fabrics you own, plus one light layer for how hard the trains and shops are air-conditioned. In Tokyo, Osaka and Kyushu the mean temperature runs 26 to 29 °C in August, and the humidity is what exhausts people, not the number — assume you will change tops mid-day. Add a small hand towel, which is what everyone local carries, since many public toilets have no dryer.
Often, though it has loosened in tourist areas. Many public baths, pools and gyms still refuse visible tattoos because of the historic association with organised crime. The reliable options are a bath that advertises itself as tattoo-friendly, a private family bath booked through a ryokan, or waterproof cover patches for a small design. Check before booking rather than at the changing-room door.