Traveling to Japan in 21L – 7kg
This post is to inspire how it’s totally do-able to travel to the other side of the globe with only a 21L liter backpack weighing in at 7kg or less. This is all I need for my adventure from California to Japan in a GoRuck GR1 21L. Disclosure: the hyperlinks to the products on this page give me a commission from Amazon if you purchase anything from these links below. However, I bought all these products with my own money and are the products I found most useful for me and in my life.
Total weight fully packed 7kg (on the dot) – weight limit for ZipAir. Only excluded is the camera around my neck.
Contents of bag:
01 – Montbell Puffy Jacket. Plasma 1000 Down Jacket Size XL. This jacket was ordered from montbell.com online shopping. This is the Japanese version, which has pockets (unlike the American version). It weighs a mere 4.8 ounces and packs down to the size of a baseball for when you’re not wearing it. Excellent warmth layer to have under a rain shell on those cold Hokkaido nights.
02 – Vasco Translator V4. I bought this after using Google Translate on my phone the first two trips I made to Japan. When you are underground in the subways without cell signal, you can’t use Google Translate. This little device works offline. It can take photos of signs and translate them for you. It has almost real-time translation at the press of a side button. It is more convenient to me to have this instead of using my phone for translation.
03 – Zeiss Lens Wipes. These are needed to keep my camera lenses clean, my iPhone/iPad screen clean, or even my watch face clean. They weigh almost nothing.
04 – Hero Clip. I put this on the top handle of my backpacks when traveling because if you ever want to keep your bag off the ground in a questionable place (e.g. the men’s restroom), you just use this thing to hang your bag virtually anywhere. You can even hang it in your hotel room if you want it off the floor. The come in handy also if you need to clip an extra bag to your bag when shopping. Holds up to 60 pounds.
05 – Lonely Planet Fast Talk Japanese book. This little book will be re-read by me on the airplane during my 13 hour flight to brush up on basic, common words and phrases. I want to show respect to the cultures and countries I visit by learning as much as I can and not imposing my own language or customs on others. While most Japanese people know a lot of English, they are very shy to try to speak it in general. I believe they have such high standards of perfectionism that they get embarrassed speaking English to native English speakers, so they often don’t even try. I will embarrass myself trying to speak Japanese instead.
06 – Eye mask. The soft eye mask will come in handy on the flight when I am trying to sleep; it may also come in handy in any hotel rooms that have outside city lights peeking through windows. It’s hard to sleep when you have a 16 hour time difference, so any little gear like this that might help is worth trying.
07 – Snow Peak Titanium Chopsticks. If I buy food from a convenience store, I want to have my own utensils on hand that can be easily washed and re-used. These titanium chopsticks feel great in hand and weigh almost nothing in your bag.
08 – Snow Peak Titanium Fork and Spoon. Sometimes it’s hard to eat certain foods with chopsticks, so this is my backup when chopsticks aren’t cutting it. I plan to try more foods from 7-11 this time around, so these should come in handy.
09 – Bose Quietcomfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones. I flew once with only Apple AirPods Pro. I regretted doing so for 2 reasons: 1) they became uncomfortable after long usage (2+ hours), and 2) their battery life was short compared to headphones. On the flight back to the USA, I bought these headphones at the airport. No regrets. Great for blocking out sound and becoming immersed in a movie during the flight.
10 – Montbell Versatile Jacket Rain Shell – It looks like this jacket has been discontinued but I bought it for it’s ultra light weight of 6 ounces. It packs down to the size of a baseball when not in use. I prefer rain jackets to umbrellas to keep my hands free. I am almost certain it will rain while I am in Japan, so this is a must-have.
11 – Nemo Fillo Elite Luxury Pillow – During my last flight to Japan, I had a lay-flat seat on zipAir, which was great. However, what was not so great was that it was hard to sleep because I couldn’t get my head comfortable. When deflated this is the size of a tennis ball and will help me actually fall asleep during the long 13 hour flight this time.It is very light weight as well. I keep this on the top of my bag for quick and easy access.
12 – Anker Battery. While trying to find the link to the battery I was going to bring pictured below, I found this one instead: I just ordered it for the 25,000 mAh capacity and the fact that it has two built-in cables. Since this item weighs a whopping 1.3 pounds, my travel-hack cheat will likely be putting this in my pocket when getting my bag weighed, so I can stay under the 7kg limit. Having a battery in Japan is a must since you will be using your phone non-stop for directions, translation, Suica card, and more. You can’t afford to run out of juice in a foreign land — bring a battery with you everywhere.
13 – Cotton Hank from Japan – I don’t have a link to a place where you can buy this, but this is just a simple cotton hank from Japan. This comes in handy for random stuff, like wrapping your camera in your bag, wiping your hands dry from the Japan bathrooms that never have hand dryers, etc.
14 – Gitzo Mini Traveler tripod. I had to do a lot of research to find the lightest, most deluxe travel tripod money can buy and this was what I found. I put a high value on photography when in Japan, so this will pair with my iPhone 16 Pro Max and my Leica Q3 43 when taking photos. If I want to be in a photo, I need this tripod to take a good selfie. I will also use it for long exposure shots at night to get the trailing light effect. It weighs only 245g.
15 – Maui Jim Foldable Sunglasses – I have owned many pairs of Maui Jim sunglasses over the years and this is my all-time favorite model. Unfortunately, they decided to discontinue this model. What made them absolutely unique was how small they folded down into a tiny travel case. Hopefully I never break or lose this pair! Most Japanese people do not wear sunglasses at all, but this white boy with blue eyes needs it when the sunlight is strong.
16 – Aer Slim Pouch X-pac – this is to hold my electronic accessories all in one organized place. Has lots of zips and pockets to keep your stuff organized and it its proper place.
17 – Apple USB-C to SD Card reader – I need this little dongle to take my SD card from my Leica camera and import quickly all photos to my iPad Pro or iPhone. While I can transfer photos wirelessly, or directly from camera USB-C to USB-C, I like the speed of this little dongle so it’s worth bringing.
18 – Magnetic Cell Phone Stand – – another discontinued item but it weighs very little and uses magnets to keep your cell phone standing up on its own while you’re watching movies on the plane.
19 – iPhone holder for Tripods – If I want to take a selfie using the travel tripod and my iPhone, this is what I attach to the tripod. If you don’t have an Apple Watch (I don’t), then you will need a little wireless remote shutter to trigger your iPhone’s camera button.
20 – 25 Liter Ultralight Shopping Bag by Nanobag – this thing packs down to something smaller than a golf ball and weighs less than one ounce! I bring this for if I go shopping and can’t fit all my stuff in my 21L GoRuck. Use the HeroClip (above) to clip this bag to the GoRuck.
21 – Anker USB Charger – I like this model, the 737 GaNPrime because I only want / need to charge up to three things at once and the 120W is fast power delivery. I will use this to charge my Anker battery while also charging my phone and then either my camera, translator, or iPad. This type of plug works both in Japan and the United States without any kind of adapter needed. Japan doesn’t have a 3rd prong – the grounding prong.
22 – White Noise machine – These white noise machines are truly tiny and weigh very little; if you’re in the unfortunate place of being in a noisy hotel room, this will drown out the external world sounds so you can rest better. I prefer this to using earplugs. And, while your iPhone can be a white noise machine, I find it easier to have a dedicated device for this so there are no other dings, interruptions, or blips.
23 – Anker Nano small USB charger – This is one of those “just in case” items I probably don’t need to bring, but will anyway. This pumps out 30W of energy in a tiny package, so if I need more power for whatever reason than my 737 can provide, I have this as a backup.
24 – 3ft USB-C cables – I think Anker makes the best USB cables; these are coated in silicone and function beautifully. I’m bringing 3 total cables, 3 foot long each.
25 – US Currency. I am bringing this “just in case” my Yen runs out and I need to exchange USD for more Yen. I am doing this instead of bringing a debit card. I don’t want any risk of having my main checking account compromised while abroad and I don’t want to open a new debit card account either — so this is my backup.
26 – Silicone drain plug. This may seem weird, random, and unnecessary, but it is a life-saver when doing sink laundry. Most sinks have a plug, but often they are not sealed tight enough and you will have water loss. These just plop over the sink hole and keep your soapy laundry water where it should be as you do sink laundry.
27 – Tom Bihn toiletry kits (standard spiff kit). I like this one because it is light weight and waterproof. It has just the right amount of space for what I need to organize. It has a little hanger hook in it.
28 – Magnesium and Melatonin. Have I mentioned it’s hard to adapt to sleep going from the US to Japan? Magnesium helps me relax and sleep better; melatonin also helps my body learn that it’s time to sleep when it’s dark outside. I bring this because I don’t think they even sell it in Japan.
29 – Tide Laundry Travel packs – this is for doing the sink laundry. I don’t count on having a laundry machine anywhere I stay, so I go ready to do my own clothing washing in the sink. My wife thinks that’s gross, but it’s not. The cleanliness in Japan is incredible, and washing clothes in a sink is not much different than in a machine.
30 – Salt Crystal Travel Deodorant stick – Last time I went to Japan, I unfortunately forgot to bring my deodorant. I was sweating a lot with a backpack on my back, so I bought some Japanese deodorant. Let me tell you — I don’t know what sort of chemical they use — but it burned like hell. It burned my pits so badly that I couldn’t even seem to wash it off to stop the burn. Lesson learned – bring your own! This salt-based deodorant is unscented and works well. It lasts forever too. I choose unscented because the Japanese tend to not wear much scent at all.
31 – Sea to Summit Clothing Line – After finishing your sink laundry, you need to squeeze as much water out as possible, roll the clothing item in a bathroom towel, then unravel it and hang it on one of these lines to dry overnight. This ultralight clothing line works great to give your washed clothing max exposure to air to dry out overnight in your hotel room.
32 – Tiny travel hair gel – I bought this super tiny thing last time I was in Japan. You can easily buy stuff like this when you get there.
33 – Norelco Oneblade Electric Shaver – most hotels in Japan actually will provide you with a razor every day for free. However, in the event your hotel doesn’t, it’s nice to have your own option. This is a small, lightweight face shaver that works for a clean shave to beard trimming. 154 grams. Charges via USB-A.
34 – Toothbrush with cover – Cocofloss toothbrushes are my favorite brand of manual toothbrushes. Very soft and won’t damage your gum tissue. They cost more than your cheap alternatives, but you get what you pay for. These toothbrush covers work great as well
35 – Tweezers – I love products made in Japan, and I love products made in Germany. Both countries seem to have very high standards in design and production quality. These German-made tweezers come with me just in case of splinter or bee stings or random hair to pluck.
36 – Nail clips – again, the German ones. Japan makes some mighty fine nail clips too – so just buy some when you get there if you don’t already have some of the best clippers on earth.
37 – prescription medication – I have a prescription that I have to bring with me; I have not been questioned about it yet, but they say you should be ready to show proof that it was prescribed to you. Check Japan’s list of illegal drugs before traveling with anything drug-related. They are much more strict than the USA.
38 – travel bidet by CuloClean. Almost everywhere you go in Japan will have a built in bidet; some of the finest toilets on earth are in Japan. In the extremely rare event I find myself in a hotel without one, however, this thing is TINY and you can use it with any water bottle.
39 – Clothing container – this one is by GoRuck. Clamshell opening. You can use any compression-type option to keep your clothes organized, compressed, and in small space.
40 – Clothing container – this is the same clothing container, opened up. I like having a mesh to allow airflow. You don’t want to be trapping any moisture in with your clothes.
41 – one hat, two shirts, two underwear – this little bucket hat is super light and packs down; my two shirts are by Herleon and are “the world’s cleanest shirts”. They really do resist odor better than any other material I’ve tried. The underwear is by ExOfficio and are great for sink washing because they dry out extremely fast.
42 – face mask, pants, two socks, buff, and stretch strap – just in case I catch a cold or need to wear a face mask, I am bringing my own fancy one (all black with special filtration); pants are ultralight, waterproof, and by GoRuck. The buff is for covering my neck if it gets freezing cold, or covering my face / eyes if trying to sleep. The stretch strap is for stitching out my legs and hamstrings after a long day of walking.
43 – iPad Pro with pen – I bring this to do my photo editing and even video editing with Final Cut Pro and Lightroom. I import the photos and videos from SD card using the dongle above (item 17). I also will use this to watch movies on the plane, and/or read an e-book.
44 – Yen Currency. I am brining more than I probably need, since many big ticket items can be paid for with a credit card. I bring cash just in case a vendor only accepts cash.
45 – silk currency holder – this one is by eagle creek and it was the only silk undercover money belt I could find. Everything else was polyester or some blend. Silk feels better and also won’t smell as quickly if you sweat on it. I wear this under my clothing with all my yen cash in it.
46 – fully loaded 21L backpack – this bag weighs in at the limit for ZipAir – 7kg. My only cheat will be removing my battery from the bag at weigh-in. I will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo with only this bag on my person, and from Tokyo to Sapporo. Domestic flights have bag weight limits, and I will be in compliance both on size and weight. This bag will always fit under the seat in front of me. It is one of the best bags ever made in my opinion, and I have tried them all! It is waterproof, tough, and very comfortable to wear.
So there you have it — you can travel across the globe with only one small backpack. Anything you forget, or need, can likely be bought there upon your arrival. When I find stuff to buy in Japan, I will either ship it back home from a Japan post office, or I will be purchasing a suitcase in Japan to fill up and check in on the way home.