What to bring to Japan that you cant get there?

Please list all the things that you cannot get over here, that you wish you could.

Target.

Trader Joe's everything (especially the different nut and seed butters).

Whole Wheat pasta that's not spaghetti, linguine or lasagna.

If you are a woman with long legs, large feet (larger than a 10) and a big rack, I'd recommend you stock up on long length pants, non-athletic shoes and bras, or get really familiar with what brands you want to order online.

I can't think of anything I can't get sent though APOBOX.

Even so, I'd say underwear;
although you can buy it here, the selection is awful.

WESTERM BACON CHEESE BURGER AND ALSKAN AMBER!!!

Bedding, because the NEX has an awful selection, and a lot of places won't ship comforter sets. A lot of Japanese sleep on Futons, or have different sized mattresses, so we had a hard time finding a perfect fit for our bed.

If you have children, you might have to get used to ordering online. The NEX does "ok" with certain sizes, but then seems to totally skip over other sizes. We first arrived in December, and had just come from Texas. We had no winter coats with us, and I expected the NEX to be this massive entity compared to state side NEXs. I was horribly mistaken. They had nothing. No gloves, long underwear, hats, scarves, or coats at that time (for any of us). Knowing what I know now, I would've attempted to go off base. However, we were jet lagged, with out transportation, and had no clue about anything outside the base.

Another big mistake we made was selling off a lot of our "starter" furniture we acquired when we first got married. We were going to start new and buy a new kitchen table, a bedroom set, and new beds for our kids. The furniture store was bare. There was only 1 kind of mattress, and of course it was one of the extremely expensive ones that we weren't excited about purchasing. We didn't qualify for loaner furniture because our stuff was already here when we got here. So....we slept on cardboard boxes for a good week, waiting for a mattress to come from Zama. I'm not saying that it'll be like that when everyone else comes....it's probably just us because that's the kind of luck we seem to have.

Napkins, paper napkins. Tagless boxer briefs.

Doc

Lol, Target. Yes, please.

If you're a fancy smancy cook bring as many of those special spices, dry goods and such you know is hard to find in the States, because it will be harder to find here. Like Mexican, Indian... they have it here, but it may take a while for the newbie to locate them. And even then, it may be long train ride to buy them.

I second the ladies delicates and large feet. You can always buy online but that is usually stuff better bought after trying on. So if you've got those big feet, know you'll need comfy shoes because there is a lot of walking done here, so buy it before you come. This also goes for our just generally larger people. The NEX clothing can only take you so far, and good luck trying to find something off base.

Hot Sauces. Trust me on this if you like stuff other than the generic crap you can find in any grocery store.

Dehumidifiers and fans. Hard to get on base because they sell out and may be too pricey for your pockets off base, but they'll be nice. You will need these, for sure. The summers here are brutal and this is coming from a Floridian.

If your movers allow it, bring your favourite wine or liquor/liqueur that you also know is hard to find. Like we can't find a lemoncello worth a damn, just lemon liqueur.

Bedding. The NEX has it but they're always very low on stock, even the essentials(this also goes with towels/bathroom) and they're not "cheap". 'Specially queen size stuff. You can always order it but just make sure you have something for when you get here... as off base isn't a solution either.

I also don't recommend waiting and buying most of your furniture (newly wed couples?) when you get here (or selling off your furniture). You can get cheaper stuff in the States, plus you'll have tons of options. Selection on base is alright, but probably not in the price range of younger couples just starting out. Back home you have walmart, target, etc. Japanese furniture is different, and they do have Ikeas, but it doesn't solve the bedroom situation usually.

You people have lots of great ideas! I don't have any, I just wanted to thank my lucky stars that they have 110 volt currency (currency? That sounds funny. Current? Voltage outlets, etc). I grew up in Germany and ANY time you had any US appliance, you had to have a massive, ginormous transformer with it. It was annoying!

Sorry, back to topic. I bought a real-life Japanese futon (right on the ground). I love it and I will never sleep in a box springs mattress bed. So I guess in this case, I'm glad I didn't bring a bed. My futon is SO COMFY!

You can pick up a free dehumidifier from the Self Help Center on base (in Yokosuka - not sure about other bases). It's a really nice one. I haven't used mine yet, but I know I will need it once summer hits. My house was really humid last summer.

I would recommend bringing a good humidifier. They don't provide them at the Self Help Center. Winters can get very dry. It's something you can always buy online, but it might just be cheaper and easier to buy one back in the states before you move out here.

I agree with Elizabeth on the hot sauce! Stock up on those if you like 'em!

I also don't think the furniture store on base is all that great, so bring what you got from the states or buy what you can before you move out here. There is a MUCH better selection in the states and it's MUCH cheaper than out here.

Dog treats (rawhides, dog chews, etc)......they are terribly expensive off base, so stock up on them if you have dogs! They'll thank you for it!

If you bring a humidifier, get extra filters so you can change them, otherwise you may not be able to get them.

Your US alarm clocks probably won't work here unless they have the ability to change from 60hz to 50hz then they will work. But you can buy them here.

If your printer is a bit older, then you might want to stock up on some cartridges, because the NEX doesn't carry all brands.

Cordless phone (you can bring it if it is above 900 mghz).

I agree on the comforter sets or bedspreads. Sheets aren't too bad, but if you like the higher quality, you may want to buy them and bring them.

If you have a favorite Bra, then buy a few of them. You probably won't find another one like it anywhere here.

Most of the townhouses have carpet upstairs but none downstairs. Towers have no carpet at all. So if you see rugs you like there, and they are a good price for bound rugs, you may want to get at least one! I would do an 8 x 10 ft at minimum, and 9 x 12 if you can find one for a good price. They sell them here, but most are over $200 for a good sized rug, unless they have lowered the prices recently. Most furniture will fit in the townhouses and towers. Just stay away from the HUGE oversized stuff.

If you have a small freezer, you could bring it if you have the weight available.

Leave your lawnmower as they have coop ones available here to use if you end up in a townhouse.

If you want to redo your bathrooms, there isn't the biggest selection here, so you might want to get new shower curtains there as well as bath rugs.

Put all your small items in zippered clear bags, saves a ton of trouble when you unload the boxes. Also remember that they will unpack for you upon delivery, they just won't put it away. Candles, and other things put into zippered clear bags help them to want to pack them also especially in the summer months. Use all the sizes available.

Good luck!

The soccer moms were all chatting Saturday at the soccer tourney that their kids can't get soccer shoes larger than size 12. In fact, many kids buy their sports shoes online, but the online stores only go up to 12. So if your kid has big feet and looking to play sports, get plenty of shoes before you come out. Don't forget they'll grow a couple sizes while they're here so plan ahead.

I wish we had brought our lawn mower. The ones here aren't the electric push button kind, so I can't even use them. My arms are too short to pull the thing all the way out, and I can't pull it hard enough because it's so long. Also, you have to provide it gas. So I have to weed wack the whole yard(it's big) and that gets pretty painful!

(it's big) and that gets pretty painful!

THATS WHAT SHE TELLS ME!!! LOLZ

Oh man...how does she put up with you?!?!?! LOL!

If you are bringing hot sauces (the really, really hot ones), please bring double for me! =)

Online shopping WILL be your friend. Shoes are a must. So hard to get unless you are a size 7 or smaller, but also really hard to get for little ones.

Bedding is a must as well, but this can also be mail ordered.

RUGS. RUGS. RUGS!!! These floors suck. Bring padding while you're at it.

I got jokes and jokes and jokes lol. You setem up I'll knockem down.
They only have the red dot, tapatio, franks redhot, and tabasco hot sauses here. They have tiger sauce and sweet chillie too but they are not hot sauses imo. I get crystal hot sause ship to me here because its amazin.

Prime, it's "That's what she said...hehhaaaa". *wags finger*

I just received "Gringo Killer" (lol) and the green Tabasco... I was so tired of the selection on base, heh.


And one thing I needed to order when I got here because they NEVER had it in the right colours was a bed skirt. OMG, that's a endangered species on base (along with mattress pads).

Well played mam lol.

Have you guys heard of "The Source" hot sauce?  Supposedly, it's the hottest hot sauce on earth (7.1 Million Scoville Units rating) and promises enough heat to bring you to your knees!

Only costs about $100 for one fl. oz bottle.

Seems like our fine military are trying it all over the world!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irLTVnIT8Ms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqfYmF0ovIE

this info has been great to me we are in pcs mode and i have a small child who is 11 months old so now im preparing myself for this move - & i guess im going with my first thought buy here send there !!

Posted By Yoko-girl on 10 Mar 2010 12:13 AM
Have you guys heard of "The Source" hot sauce?  Supposedly, it's the hottest hot sauce on earth (7.1 Million Scoville Units rating) and promises enough heat to bring you to your knees!

There's a dirty joke in there somewhere, but I'm too tired. Prime?

Welcome, Tops. I must say all the advice is def worth taking seriously. It's the little things you think you could easily buy here that end up making you frustrated. I waited on the bed skirt, thinking it'd come in stock and it never did, lol.

And I love hot sauce, but IDK why anyone would ever spend that much on something that's practically uneatable, lol.

Yeah, I thought so as soon as I typed it!  Oh well....

I often have that effect on woman...heyoooo!!!

Here's an odd one: 3-prong to 2-prong adapters. Japanese houses off base have only 2-prong outlets but I have several 3-prong appliances. Couldn't find the adapter at the MCEX (Iwakuni) nor offbase. Amazon has them and shipping is like 3x the price of the product. Then they said they won't ship to FPO. Three vendors said that! So I had to have my brother buy some & mail them to me. Lame!

We bought a whole bunch of them when we first moved here. They were only 100Y a piece. I can't remember where we got 'em......maybe 100Y store????

Y-G, do you know if it's possible to get that shipped here?

If you have kids, stock up on things like undies and socks... at least for the boys. The NEX selection sucks and they rarely have the size you need. Kids shoe selection is horrible too. I think someone mentioned it before also, they kids department seems to skip some sizes completely (3T anyone??). If you have an infant and like Carters, you'll be in heaven though.

Car seat. If you value safety of your child, buy a quality car seat in the states. The ones here aren't the best rated and it will be extremely difficult to find a place to ship one out here. So if you have an infant now, think ahead and buy that nice Britax for your toddler before you head out here.

I would also bring school supplies- nice binders, folders, especially. The school supplies run out fast here once school starts up and the binders and folders, trapper keeper things they sell are complete gargbage and will fall apart before the first quarter is over.

Prime--that was TOO FUNNY! Still laughing..

I second the school supplies..I bought all of them when we were in the states last summer, because I couldn't find supplies the previous year at the NEX.

You def need to get plain pocket folders and dry erase pens.

The NEX does have most things, but if you don't want to wait a while for certain things to get restocked, amazon.com really helped me.

Favorite haircare products... Like shampoo, conditioner, weave, wig, etc...

Humidifer

LS1
LS6
LS7
t56 transmissions

everything else i can get here

Posted By KRushPhoto on 10 Mar 2010 07:28 AM
Y-G, do you know if it's possible to get that shipped here?

yokota has TONS of them

It's taken me years to find a local source for sausage casings. A friend turned me on to "themeatguy.jp". For some real exotic stuff to put your hot sauses on check it out. Kangaroo meat? Got it. Wild boar? Got it. He takes Paypal and delivers in a couple of days via Takyubin (black cat). Pricey, too.
Can't get stuff to your FPO/APO? There are a few companies out there that do it for you. It's shipped to them, they re-label, attach the customs form and ship it to you (provided it's within size/weight limits). I use "shipitapo.com" with great success and they charge reasonable prices. I conversed with the owner when they first started up and he is a retired military officer who knows our needs.
If you are bringing a motorcycle bring a shelter for it. No garages except up north near Misawa. Covers don't cut it in the salt air near the water.

Bumping the thread to make it easier to find.

We brought our crib but the movers broke it.  

mmm I got a crib shipped to Okinawa Via amazon.com. The trick was it had to come from amazon its self not one of its sellers. I also ordered a chrissmass tree and one of those baby play yard gates that make an ocotgon from walmart. Walmart will ship up to 40lbs and the same for amazon. That means you have to have the crib and mattress shipped seperately. The down side to this is the shipping cost goes up alot and walmart takes forever to get here.Now target and JCpenny will ship small iteams like cloths but nothing over 20lbs. There are many more sites that do ship FPO/AP but you have to read the fine print on the sites shipping policy and the policy from your local PSC.

FavoritePrincess- Have you tried Yokota yet? They seem to have a decent selection of cribs. They'll deliver too; I think they charge $40? Not sure. In any case, I hope you filed a claim for your broken crib!

we had the same issue with our crib- movers broke it, arghh.. but we got a crib at the nex here that we loved and it was on clearance...lol...so we got a $400.00 crib for about 100 bucks. You can also look on line at the nex and see what they have and they can ship it to the store for no shipping fees I believe....and superbabymall.com ships here too.

What about mattresses? My husband and I were thinking of buying a new mattress for our bed... problem is we have a CA King size bed with an enormous heavy massive posts. I'm thinking our beautiful wooden bed frame must stay behind in storage in the states... (sigh...) It's so heavy when taken apart, not even my husband (and he's a big burly strong man) can move either the footboard with posts or the headboard with posts!

So, back to the mattresses... You guys suggest we should buy a queen size mattress back here in the States? We'll be arriving in early May 2011.

You will have a better selection of mattresses back in the US. You will have a much better time finding one that will suit your body. The selection here (Yokosuka) is limited to one or two.

2007jjms,

We live in one of the towers on Camp Zama and have a king size bed and it fits in the master bedroom with plenty of room to spare. I think most of the towers on the bases here in Japan are the same three bedroom floor plan. (There may be some two bedroom floor plans on some of the other bases.)

We had read on-line not to bring a king size bed to Japan, but were determined to have our bed even if things would be a little tight, so we put our mattress in storage and bought two extra long twin mattresses. The two together make a king mattress.

The XL twins fit perfectly on the king box springs (2) and all the linen fit perfectly as well. However, in retrospect, I would have just shipped the king mattress had I known I was going to live in the tower. The movers would have had no problem shipping it either. There is also plenty of room in the elevators and halls to move things around, which was our big worry; that we may not be able to get it inside.



Bedroom size is 11'8" x 14'5"

Here is a link to the floor plans for Camp Zama housing. This may help you figure out whether or not your furniture will fit.  The high rise is floor plan H-3.

https://onestop.army.mil/_hqd/?bid=17

I would say bring cologne's and perfumes that they don't have at the NEX. For example I wore Hollister Cologne, but they wouldn't ship it out to me, so I had to purchase it online and send it to a friend back in the states to send it out here to me.

I played full contact football out here and getting certain things was difficult, even online. I kick and punt footballs and getting kicking tee's and football holders was a nightmare to get out here. I had to do the same thing with the cologne and have someone send it to me out here. You can use APOBOX and other things like that, but if you play sports and don't feel like waiting forever to get your gear, bring it with you.

That's about it and it's really not that much of a hassle to get it out here, you just have to know where to look and find the places online that can ship out here. There are alot of places that ship out here and are pretty quick about it while others are not so quick. Not sure where the delay is, but it can be a pain if you really want something quick.

Oops! Just looked at this again. Thanks to all who responded about the crib. We did put a claim in and got the money of course but my main problem is that I am too picky. I do not want something with veneers, I want hardwood. This brings the weight way up. I am also super specific about the style I want. I wasn't in love with anything at Yokota although they do have a large selection. Still searching for a shipper for my dream crib! LOL

Cavendars Greek Seasoning!