Before leaving the states....
Apr. 27th, 2012 10:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jessicainjapanI chatted with a friend today about some of the things that she thought would be a good idea to do before leaving. Here's some of the pearls of wisdom I've gleaned from that conversation:
This one seems like a no-brainer, but if, like me, you'll be abroad for a few years the expiration date may sneak up on you. I definitely don't want to deal with passport renewal during a visit home to my family.
Another thing I wouldn't have even thought of when trying to decide how many socks to pack. I'm switching my mailing address to my parents' address since all of our family taxes are done together.
- There is an agreement between the US and Japan that excuses US citizens working in Japan from having to pay Japanese taxes for the first two years. Check with your BoE on how this applies to you.
I'll be in Japan for at least three years, so I'll need to double check how taxes will work for me.
This is a great idea!
My friend informs me that sunblock is extremely expensive in Japan even for small bottles. My skin can't hold any sort of tan and burns with even a little sun exposure, making sunscreen essential to my summer survival (even with sunblock I'd often take a parasol when walking to class). I'll update more on what I find out about packing/shipping sunblock.
- 3. medications you're partial to. Keep in mind that sudafed and Tylenol PM are illegal
Again, I'll be checking on what I can legally bring with me and how much I can bring. Because of my eyesight in one eye, I get migraines. I can get by without it, but migraine medication will make the difference in going to bed early or being able to work and/or relax after getting home.
- Clothing: if you don't want to go shopping, bring as much as you can! If you don't mind filling in some wardrobe gaps later, then just pack for humidity.
Figuring out what to pack when it comes to clothes is going to be my biggest challenge. I've been trying to go through my old clothes to donate anything I don't wear often to narrow down my choices. Ugh, I don't even want to think about choosing shoes to bring.
In my friend's prefecture, gas is really expensive, so she recommends to ignore how pricey an electric kettle can be. It'll save money in the long run.
- 豆乳 - とうにゅう - Soy Milk. Remember the kanji for it.
I don't drink a lot of milk anymore... it goes bad so quickly. I drink soy milk instead (more calcium!). I'll need to be able to identify it at the store -- time to memorize some kanji!
I'll update again as I find out more and solidify my list of things to do and things to pack. Until then...!
- Passport
This one seems like a no-brainer, but if, like me, you'll be abroad for a few years the expiration date may sneak up on you. I definitely don't want to deal with passport renewal during a visit home to my family.
- Tax Season
Another thing I wouldn't have even thought of when trying to decide how many socks to pack. I'm switching my mailing address to my parents' address since all of our family taxes are done together.
- There is an agreement between the US and Japan that excuses US citizens working in Japan from having to pay Japanese taxes for the first two years. Check with your BoE on how this applies to you.
I'll be in Japan for at least three years, so I'll need to double check how taxes will work for me.
- Place to Contact
This is a great idea!
- Packing
My friend informs me that sunblock is extremely expensive in Japan even for small bottles. My skin can't hold any sort of tan and burns with even a little sun exposure, making sunscreen essential to my summer survival (even with sunblock I'd often take a parasol when walking to class). I'll update more on what I find out about packing/shipping sunblock.
- 3. medications you're partial to. Keep in mind that sudafed and Tylenol PM are illegal
Again, I'll be checking on what I can legally bring with me and how much I can bring. Because of my eyesight in one eye, I get migraines. I can get by without it, but migraine medication will make the difference in going to bed early or being able to work and/or relax after getting home.
- Clothing: if you don't want to go shopping, bring as much as you can! If you don't mind filling in some wardrobe gaps later, then just pack for humidity.
Figuring out what to pack when it comes to clothes is going to be my biggest challenge. I've been trying to go through my old clothes to donate anything I don't wear often to narrow down my choices. Ugh, I don't even want to think about choosing shoes to bring.
- To-Buy List
In my friend's prefecture, gas is really expensive, so she recommends to ignore how pricey an electric kettle can be. It'll save money in the long run.
- 豆乳 - とうにゅう - Soy Milk. Remember the kanji for it.
I don't drink a lot of milk anymore... it goes bad so quickly. I drink soy milk instead (more calcium!). I'll need to be able to identify it at the store -- time to memorize some kanji!
I'll update again as I find out more and solidify my list of things to do and things to pack. Until then...!
