A Complete Packing List for Hiking Japan's Kumano Kodo Trail
This past spring, my husband and I spent several days hiking the Kumano Kodo trail in Japan (here’s the route and itinerary we followed). However, we were in Japan for a total of two weeks, jumping between outdoor activities like the Kumano Kodo and cycling around Naoshima (Japan’s art island) as well as exploring cities like Kyoto and Tokyo. As a carry-on only traveler, the mix of activities made packing tricky.
Here’s everything I packed for the Kumano Kodo trail and an additional 2 weeks in Japan. Below, I’ve listed my entire packing list for Japan, with an * next to the items I did not bring on the Kumano Kodo trail (I shipped a sent a small bag with these items on to the hotel we stayed at after the hike).
Bags and luggage
For this particular trip, I used:
Personal item: Mini Cloud Bag by Baggu (baggu.com)
Carry-on: Charlie 25 Pack by Remote Equipment (remoteeq.com)
Trail “purse”: Freerain Waterproof Packable Hip Pack by Matador (matadorequipment.com)
Packing cubes: Thule packing cubes (thule.com; amazon.com)
I chose the Mini Cloud Bag for my personal item and Charlie 25 for my carry-on because both can double as my every day bags when I travel. Thanks to its size, fun design, and zip closure, the Mini Cloud Bag was ideal both in-flight and while walking around town. It has a removable inside pocket that I use to stash items I need often during my flight, placing it in the seatback pocket. The Charlie 25 ended up being just as functional as a hiking backpack as it was as a travel backpack, thanks to its padding, hip straps, and outside water bottle cages. It was also completely waterproof—a huge save on the Kumano Kodo trail when we got caught in a pretty bad downpour.
I also finally caved in and replaced my old Eagle Creek packing cubes with a set from Thule, which makes an excellent, waterproof compression cube. Especially for the hiking portion of our trip, these were perfect, because they helped keep my dirty and clean clothes separate, compressed everything down to a nice small cube, and were waterproof (though, as I later learned, this was totally redundant because the Charlie 25 went above and beyond my expectations for water resistance).
The Matador Freerain Hip Pack was also nice to have. It packs down super tiny when not in use, but I wound up wearing it a lot while hiking or in transit so I could easily grab my phone or wallet without taking off my backpack.
Clothing and shoes
For clothing, I brought a mix of hiking and versatile urban clothes. Note: for the items with * next to them, I did not bring them on the Kumano Kodo (see tip below).
Clothing
1 pair of hiking shorts
1 pair of yoga/hiking leggings by Lululemon
1 pair of lightweight pants by Pact *
These have been my go-to for warm countries where you don’t want to dress too revealingly, like Malaysia, Singapore, and, of course, Japan. They’re currently unavailable (they were part of their summer line) but keep an eye out for similar products closer to the spring.
2 jumpsuits
1 casual jumpsuit by For Days (a really great sustainable clothing brand)
1 nicer jumpsuit for meals out *
1 dress
5 tops
1 light sweater (wore on the plane) *
Merino wool compression socks by Comrad for airplane *
1 lightweight jacket
Poncho, like those by Frogg Tog
5 undies
2 bras (1 sports; 1 non)
1 bathing suit
3 socks (including two pairs of hiking socks)
Baseball cap by Baggu
P.Js. by Lunya
These are luxe but also pack down super small. I love them for warm weather trips. Note that nicer hotels in Japan actually provide P.J.s so you could theoretically go without.
Shoes
1 pair of sneakers by Tropicfeel
These are washable, pack down super light, and are “water-friendly” (not waterproof). While they didn’t keep my feet dry in intense rain, they drain well and always dried out by the next morning. I also like that they’re slip-on, which is ideal in Asia where you’re slipping shoes on/off often.
1 pair of flip-flops by Roxy
Ideal for Onsen situations too
1 pair of slides by Roam *
Slip-on sandals are best for Japan. Although not all restaurants and hotels require guests to take off their shoes when entering, many do, so it’s nice to have shoes that come on/off easily.
💡Tip: Forward A Bag Before Hiking the Kumano Kodo
We spent a night in Osaka after landing and before taking the train to the trailhead. Since we’d be on the trail for too long to leave items in a locker at the train station (the max is generally 72 hours), I used a luggage forwarding service to send a small bag on to my next hotel in Kyoto. It cost about $16 for a small bag. To use this, ask the front desk at your hotel and they’ll handle the rest.
Toiletries
Since it’s pretty standard for Japanese hotels to provide you with toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrush, and razors in addition to the usual shampoo and soap we’re accustomed to in the U.S., you could probably get away with bringing even less than I did (note: body lotion isn’t all that common). Still, this is everything I kept in my toiletry bag, which I fairly light. I only added a couple of specific items for the trail (bug spray and blister care) that we definitely used.
What I packed my toiletries in
Toiletry bag: I use one by Matador
Toiletry containers: I use the original Cadence Capsules for small items like face wash, toothpaste tablets, and face lotion, GoToob for larger items like sunscreen and lotion. I tried the larger Cadence Capsules on this trip for shampoo and conditioner, but honestly, I didn’t like them for that purpose.
The toiletries I brought
Toothbrush
Toothpaste (I use toothpaste tablets by Humankind)
Face wash
Lotion
Deodorant
Shampoo
Conditioner
Tweezers
Razor
Makeup (just eyeliner + small thing of CC cream)
Sunscreen
Blister patches by Moleskin
These were super essential for the hike
Floss
Small bar of soap
Bug spray
Kinfield is my new go-to after some Deet bug-spray leaked in my bag and burned a hole through a plastic bottle. Do I really want that on my skin? Kinfield is chemical-free and actually works (unlike some other natural ones I’ve tried).
I know this isn’t best practice, but I really don’t keep a lot of first aid items on me when I’m hiking in areas that aren’t super remote—mostly because there’s a lot you can do for minor injuries with just a bar of soap and a few bandaids. The blister patches, however, are one thing I will never leave behind for long multi-day hikes like this.
Other hiking items
I did not pack or use hiking poles, though I don’t necessarily recommend doing the same. The trail is steep and bouldery and hiking poles, especially if you need a little extra help with balance, are very helpful on the trail. Black Diamond makes a good option if you don’t yet have any. Otherwise, a limited supply of hiking poles are available for sale at the visitor center in Takijiri-oji.
I also brought one reusable water bottle and bought a plastic water bottle before hitting the trail to re-use as my second water bottle.
Electronics
In a 2-liter waterproof dry-sac by Sea to Summit, I packed:
Camera
Kindle
Phone
Headphones
2 charger cords
1 multi-port charger brick
My husband also brought an Anker external battery pack, which we shared.
Travel accessories
As for the travel accessories, I stuck with the necessities. Aside from the RX bar, we used all of these items.
Passport
Wallet (I use a tiny travel wallet by Bellroy which I love)
Pen
Bandana
Mini umbrella
Sleep mask
4 packets of instant coffee by Verve
Note: free tea and hot water kettles are pretty common in Japanese hotels, but coffee is not. We used all of these.
1 RX bar
Note: I didn’t end up eating it; food and snacks were really easy to come by on the trail.
I didn’t travel with a travel pillow or blanket this time around, but if you do bring one (it’s a long flight, after all), consider leaving those in the bag you forward on to your next hotel before hopping on the trail.
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