Inside my bag. Handy items to carry with you as a business person in Japan.

Over the course of a decade working in Japan, I’ve learned many tricks to get by. Most deal with culture and interpersonal interactions, but today I want to highlight the physical items that I carry with me.

Here are the categories I’ve got.

1. The Business Essentials

Skip over things like computers and things you probably already have, the bread and butter are as follows:

• Meishi

• pen/paper

• mask(s)

• The bag it self

Meishi (名刺) or business cards are your face. Even if you are not planning to go to a meeting elsewhere, sometimes you have guests or you meet someone unexpectedly. Best to have your face on hand.

I have been to buildings where the security will ask for you to provide two meishi to enter. I am not sure how much security this actually provides, but by presenting two, it shows that you didn’t just pick one off of the street. Supposedly.

Pen and paper leaves a good impression. There is something about the analog that puts people at ease. Sure, you can take notes on your phone, but it looks like you are not giving your attention to the person in front of you. 

Of course, leaving a good impression is super important, and I’ve covered it in this article on basic Japanese Business Etiquette! 

A mask is handy to have for several reasons.

First and foremost, it is great for when you’re feeling a bit under the weather but not quite sick. During the high-pollen season it can reduce your suffering. Sometimes you get caught on a really stuffed train, and you have to breathe in the recycled air of the people you are sharing the ride with.

For some, it is a good way to cover up any bad-breath or a day without make-up. When you know you’re in for a long meeting, it can cover up a yawn. Maybe a colleague is feeling a bit sneezy or has a runny nose and you might provide them with one.

Or maybe you don’t feel so social and would prefer that people keep their distance. A mask is more useful than you may think.

Of course, you’ll need a bag to carry it all.

Recently I have noticed that a lot of business people are purchasing cheap backpacks. It was my impression that previously most people were carrying more expensive leather-based bags, but a backpack is obviously more convenient.

When choosing a bag, it’s best to pick a very simple design that can look professional. This Nordace in particular seems to be popular for its versatility and price point. I use an older version of this bag, and the price seems to not have been affected by general inflation.

2. Tech Stuff

Maybe you already have these handy. But let me gloss over what I have found useful to carry around and why. 

• Mobile battery / cables

• Tethering

• Headphones (with noise canceling feature)

Okay, so the mobile battery should be a no-brainer, but this ties into the second bullet, tethering. Imagine this scenario:

You are at a meeting at the end of the day. The client’s office had a terrible wifi network and you are forced to use your tethering (a major battery drain). 

Just when you thought you were home-free, you are peer-pressured to attend an impromptu nomikai. Oh-no, your battery on your phone is on its last legs. Aren’t you glad you have back up power?

I own a battery, but actually you can opt for a rental type as well. Charge-Spot is available in many locations and will be good for most of your needs. And you don’t have to carry it all the time.

Onto the third item.

As I write this article I am on a highway bus and was just attending one of those meetings that are not critical for myself to speak, but somehow are important enough that I have to attend and listen in. Having the noise canceling airpods pro is super helpful in drowning out ambient noise.

Better concentration is one thing, but if you take any public transport, you already know that it can get loud. Lowering the decibel levels that reach your ear will definitely improve your quality of life. We can all do with less stress in our day to day routine.

3. Hygiene

• Face wipes / hand towelettes

• Pocket tissues

• Hair product

Face wipes and hand towelettes can help you look and feel refreshed before going into a meeting with a client or even your superiors. 

Gone are the days of the sweaty salesman who had to show how passionate he is and how hard he is willing to work by running to each place he was going to. It is now the day and age of taking care of yourself. 

Walk into any convenience store and you will definitely find some Biore, Gatsby or some other generic wipe. Find a scent that you prefer or unscented and you too can feel fresh throughout the day.

Offering one to a colleague is great too. I suppose it is like how glasses might make you look smart, having the wipes and caring for others gives people the impression that you must also be good at work too. 

In addition to wet wipes, I also carry a packet of pocket tissues. When I start sneezing, I can’t seem to stop. The free stuff the advertisers hand out can be okay, but for frequent users like myself, I recommend Hana-celeb (鼻セレブ). They are so soft and the packaging is cute to boot. 

Hair products can be handy in covering up that bed-head. I carry it around, though I do admit I rarely use it. Of course when you don’t have it, that’s when you want it… perhaps it is just my OCD remedy.

4. Money

Some of us have very tidy compact wallets, whereas some of us have a library of point cards and an assortment of credit cards, etc. I have tried both ends of the spectrum and ultimately here is what I have ended up with:

• Auto charge IC card (Pasmo /Suica if you are in eastern Japan)

• Cash 

• PayPay

I also have a bunch of other junk in my wallet as well, but this article is geared towards business. So I will focus on the items I keep to make my workday in order. 

At the top of the list, is the auto-charging IC card. I currently have a Pasmo that tops up 5,000 yen when I enter a gate with less than 2,000 on my card. This setting has changed over time to match my spending habits.

The key point here is the automatic charging. You don’t want to be that person that gets stuck behind the gate because you forgot to top up. It is especially frustrating when this happens when you’re running a bit behind schedule and speed is the name of the game.

Cash is still king somehow. Most places have improved their payment options, however there are still situations where cash is most convenient. 

Perhaps the most common scenario is if you are splitting a restaurant bill with a colleague or trying to pitch in for a taxi. These facilities take credit cards, but you won’t be able to split the tab like in the US. 

For that it is good to have smaller denominations of cash including coins if you are like me and prefer not to owe people money. Also having loose change is great for when you need to use that one vending machine that doesn’t accept IC payments. 

You can also opt for using PayPay which is a digital wallet that is very popular amongst the Japanese. You can top up with a credit card and exchange money in very small amounts that you may not have the loose change for.

I resisted getting this app myself, but I did oftentimes find myself in situations where people were ready to pay me back, but only if I had the app.

On a side-note. PayPay is the easiest method to pay for Tokyo Disneyland tickets. Their website is difficult for processing credit cards for some reason. Hopefully that has been resolved by now.

5. Apps / Web Resources 

• Navitime / Japan Transit (jourdan)

• Go Taxi / S-Ride

• jisho.org

• LINE

Everyone has a smartphone, which is why I don’t include it in my list. It is not a business essential, it is simply essential to having a life.

Android or iPhone, It’s not what you got, it’s how you use it.

First app I want to highlight is any sort of train transit application. As a navigationally challenged individual, I heavily rely upon the excellent services of Google maps. But sometimes, it doesn’t have the best transfer information.

For this reason I recommend having another app to cross-reference your plan of attack for public transit. I use NAVITIME, but HyperDia and Jorudan are reliable too. 

For taxis, Uber just isn’t economical, and they’re quite uncommon. Taxis in general are also not economical, but your best option in the Tokyo area will be to install Go Taxi and S-Ride. Both of these allow you to hail a cab to your exact GPS location. 

If you happen to pick one off the street, you can make a payment before the end of the ride by scanning the QR code using the on-board screen. 

Check out this article for more information on Uber in Japan, and some apps that are commonly used as alternatives in Japan.

Moving away from the transportation tools, the next essential is jisho.org.

This website is great for looking up kanji and words you might not be familiar with. I often use the function to draw the kanji to find the one I don’t know how to read. You will likely need to have a basic understanding of kanji to utilize it, but it is really useful in a pinch. 

Here’s another helpful guide for learning business Japanese, which is handy for long term language learning purposes.

Of course, finally there is LINE.

Personally I don’t like this communication app. Alas, it is the most widely used one throughout the Japanese community. 

I will use it for group chats with colleagues that I prefer not to have to share my personal Instagram or Facebook profiles with. This allows me to demarcate personal and business matters. 

Be aware that probably many people will be using LINE in the opposite way as myself. Their LINE is their personal space and to ask for a LINE connection might be construed as inappropriate. Always be mindful of what the other person is okay with sharing with you. In the right/wrong context, going in directly to ask for a LINE can sound like you might be using a pickup tactic.

6. Personally Speaking…

• Allergy medicine

• Umbrella

• Socks

During the high-pollen season, mentioning kafun-sho (花粉症) is like talking about the weather. It is good small talk, but it is also a really big deal.

Everyone has a different allergy, but there is always something floating in the air throughout the year. The big one is sugi (杉), cedar trees, which are prominent between January and April for Tokyo and the greater Kanto region. You can see this chart for different allergy seasons.

You can try a mask, but there is only so much you can block out physically.You need to resort to chemical solutions! Over-the-counter medication stuff is available in most drug stores, but you may consider prescription-grade. If you're lucky, maybe something sourced from home.

Those of you who have spent the rainy season in this country can certainly understand: When it rains, it can really come down. Even for the shortest walk to the convenience store or to get back to the train station, a foldable umbrella can be a godsend.

You can certainly splurge on an expensive one. But some convenience store umbrellas are quite high quality. This site compares Lawson and Seven-Eleven folding umbrellas. Either is a good option to keep in the side pocket of that Nordace bag. 

I will admit that having a spare pair of socks with you might be weird. I unapologetically carry a backup pair on me inside of a sealed zip-lock bag for those heavy rain days with major puddles forming. No umbrella is good enough to protect your feet. And that is why I take matters into my own hands to avoid spending the day with moist shoes.

Wear boots you say? Sometimes it’s just not an option…

Dry socks are essential to maintaining a good demeanor (for me). 

Just don’t change them where everyone can see you. It’s a good idea to keep a plastic baggy for the wet pair. And don’t forget to take it out of your bag once you get home. 

Other notable items:

• Sunscreen

I do not carry this around. But I have seen my female colleagues pull this out of their bag on many occasions. For the UV conscious, this is something to consider. 

7. Conclusion

Now, if you’re looking for other tips to get adjusted into Japanese work life,  understanding cultural differences in the Japanese workplace might be a good place to start. 

So that has been a peek into my business essentials pack. Reflecting on it, I can see that I have been a little bit flexible with my definition of “essential.” But if something makes you more comfortable in your daily life, maybe it is not so crazy.

I encourage you to build your pack to elevate your day-to-day mood. It’s never a bad idea to be prepared!