Traveling To Japan For 10 Days - Packing Challenge

This is as hypothetical for me as it gets: I wouldn’t do Japan for only 10 days (not with having to account for time difference taking away a whole day going in and a whole day going back), I wouldn’t pack just Lolita with me and I wouldn’t have just my 23kg suitcase to use (I have in the past, but my next trip is most likely to be with others). However, let’s rise to the challenge and if I were to go to Japan for such a short period of time and had to wear only Lolita, this is what I’d pack.

The Practicalities

Let’s get some things out of the way first. The challenge didn’t specify which season of the year the trip would take place or which part of Japan, which would affect plenty of things.  For the sake of convenience, as well as plain likelihood, the coords here are aimed at Osaka in mid-spring or early to mid-autumn, when it’s warm, though still can get a bit chilly or a bit wet. The coordinates will also have to take into consideration the urban area of Osaka, so things like practicality and comfort on long days of shopping and walking on concrete.

As for petticoats, I’d pack my F+F hoop. It allows for both extremes thanks to being adjustable and because it can be either laid flat or kind of folded it would take less space than any of my actual petticoats. And should I want to go mad on skirt volume, I’d still have that option.

Of course, my suitcase would also have to have room for down-to-earth things like pyjamas, underwear including bloomers, toiletries and a jacket (though that I’d probably wear to save on suitcase space), but none of these are included in the post.

The Items

This is what I decided I would pack (click to enlarge the photos).

The reason behind these three main pieces was that the first two are machine washable and all of them are made out of lightweight materials, so would work on both warm and cool days. The OP provides a bit of comfort and allows me room for lazy days, as does the JSK since it’s fully shirred. All three of them can be dressed up really fancy or worn as casual as they get and all three fit into my favourite (and most common in my wardrobe) colour scheme of red, white and blue, here leaning more towards the jewel tones with a few lighter bits should I fancy slightly Sweeter looks. Although the themes on these pieces are quite different, they’re also easy enough to blend, meaning that accessories should be easy to exchange between outfits without clashing.

The Looks

You’d think that for this challenge you had to create ten looks, one for each day, but you’d be wrong. You can’t predict the weather at the point of packing, so you need to have a few backup plans up your sleeve for extreme weather: cooler, warmer and wetter than the average for the time of year you’re going. For each main piece I actually created five outfits and then selected four favourite ones to include here, meaning twelve outfits for a ten day stay. Forgive me, I only had one free evening to do these flatlays, they’re the best I could do with the light I had.

In all fairness, this doesn’t even come close to exhausting all possibilities with these pieces. You already know that there were three more that I had made and there are many more unexplored options still remaining, so with this selection I really would be able to mix and match my outfits as I felt on the day. Besides, for us Lolitas the whole point of going to Japan is to shop, so with this as my base I’d have plenty enough room in my suitcase for new purchases (this could probably fit into a small carry-on luggage if I packed smart!) and potentially be able to wear any new bits with what I brought (although I didn’t consider this in the post because I wouldn’t know what I wanted to buy so I’d be happy not wearing things until I got home). But I’ll admit that this was quite challenging: I’m used to packing little bits of Lolita, two outfits tops, so to have to think of fourteen, and in one evening too, was quite a push for me. Having said that, now that I’ve done it, I feel like this would be a perfectly wearable suitcase of clothes. There are outfits here that I could wear even in the UK, if not to on a daily basis to work then at least for a shopping trip. Maybe I am closer to that daily Lolita dream than I realised I was? That’s certainly a nice thought.

Would you pack exclusively Lolita if you were going to Japan for 10 days? Are there things in your wardrobe that you know you would absolutely have to pack with you? Would you plan for incorporating future purchases when packing? I’m very curious to know – and don’t forget to check out what other blogging Lolitas would’ve brought with them!

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