Ultimate Travel Checklist

I hope anyone reading this list finds it useful.

I'll leave what type and the kind of underwear you want to bring up to you but

In Japan, when anyone moves the traditional thing to do is to give gifts to the new people around you. It is a way to introduce yourself to your new neighbours and, in return, be granted admission into the local community. At work, the gift pre-pays any favors you receive and trouble you may cause your co-workers and new boss.

The best omiyage to give is anything quickly associated by most Japanese people with the country you are from. The important part is "by most Japanese people". Many Canadians, for example, associate anything with a native art motif as being Canadian but most Japanese people do not.

The only rule with Omiyage is that being fair counts. So, don't overlook anyone important or leave out anyone with the same relationship to you as someone you did give to. The safest route is to take a few small extra pieces in case you end up short. Left over gifts shouldn't be a problem as they are excelent christmas presents to give to your new friends. People higher than your direct supervisor and people you don't work directly with probably won't expect anything unless you live in a small town. When in doubt, ask someone.

I can easily say I could have brought less but then I really wanted to give more. The Kawajiri Board of Education had some of the nicest people I've ever met working there. The hot plates went to my two schools and superintendent and the rest to my boss, English teachers, my closest neighbour (I really doubt she cared) and a co-worker who spoke English (which my boss couldn't). My town merged with Kure after my first year so I ended up getting a few extra things mailed to give to my new boss.

Yes, that was a lot of stuff to do and things to buy. Very little of it wasn't worth it, though. The one exception would be I highly recommend trying to get an idea of what the Japanese english teachers at your schools wear. A dress code is good but still probably doesn't tell you what will fit in. It turns out what I packed was fine and matched the other teachers fairly well but my dress code is in fact far looser than my collars.

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