Rakugo

I don't know if anyone else had the experience of storytellers coming to their elementary schools. But my school had a fair amount of them. The majority of them were native American stories. With puppet shows, and shadow shows or acting it out, or even just vocal performances.

Japan too, has a great many of these kinds of performances. They are called rakugo. They are a story that displays some sort of moral in the end, though not always. They are more known for being amusing. Though it is an odd sort of humor, where it is not really funny as in hilarious, but funny in a pitying sort of way meanwhile, making your life also feel better. I know it is strange to say.
Recently, I had the honor of meeting a rakugo artist and listening to him practice his tale. He was a Japanese man performing in English for an event to be put on at the Kyoto multi-cultural center September 29th. This man's story was one of death, and making deals with death. And of some poor sod who had a terrible life any way you shaped it and so he made a deal with a shinigami(god of death - in Japan there are multiple shinigamis). The man of course got greedy, almost like in Aseops tales, and tricked a poor shinigami. And well I won't ruin the story for you!
But here are a few examples of other rakugos preformed in English.

Identity Crisis!

Some people just know how to plan nothing!

And I am apparently one of them. 

So here is a story about getting your new identity card as well as what to do when renewing a visa in Japan while simultaneously being outside of Japan when your visa expires. 

Let me preface this that two days before I took an amazing European backpackers tour, I realized that my visa would expire while I was gone. Actually, that is not entirely correct. Two weeks before is when I realized that, but when I went to immigration to inquire about it, the man thought I wanted a re-entry permit so I to tell him that no I had one of those, so then he asked when I got it and I told him last December. Well he told me that I would be fine since those permits last a year. No, in fact they do not. Not if your visa expires before the re-entry permit does. In that case, your permit expires the same times as your visa does. 

For example, in my situation, my visa for Japan was validated August 19th 2011 (the day I moved to Japan). I got my re-entry permit in December (sometime near Christmas). These things are good for a year or until your visa expires. So in my case, it was good until August 19th of 2012. I had a one year visa because I had a teaching contract that was for ...well actually it was for 7 months at the time, but since I renewed, it was extended, allowing me to extend my visa in turn. Regardless~! They give you a one year visa, and they don't really give you ones longer than that unless your contract expressly says that you will work for multiple years. I suppose they don't really want us gaijins running amuck in their country. Understandably so!

Ok moving on now that you have the background information! So then looking at my passport days before departure, I realize that the immigration person must have been wrong (he never saw my passport or I am sure he wouldn't have told me such)! My re-entry permit expired when I was away. So THE DAY, that I left Japan, I went to immigration again to try to get a new visa or at least to do what must be done to enable myself to re-enter the country on an expired visa. 

So here is what happened, I went there first with a few documents and explained my situation. I had to use baby words, because despite what you might think, the Kyoto immigration officers speak English at a very minimal amount. I think my students are more knowledgeable...Well after discussing it and looking online and then in the end, calling my company and seeing what I had to do, I figured out I needed, 

• passport
• alien registration card
• tax slip (OR your the last 3 pay stubs you received - it should show that you are paying tax on them)
• a signed version of the contract with your company 
• visa application form
• 
  

Keep in mind that I am renewing for the first time. I heard that it is a bit different the second time, with residency taxes and all...

So I raced home and frantically searched for all of these things. Bare in mind, I had just moved out of Leopalace, so my new abode was looked like the unloading of a wharf in a port city in the 1800's.

Documents in hand, I biked back to the Kyoto immigration office (also note, there is a center in Osaka but that is hella far away from me, but they do speak more English there, I know because I got my re-entry permit there, but this would also not be at all feasible if I were going back and forth between my home and the Osaka office). I got everything turned in no problem. 

What they did was stamp my passport with a sign that said application in process and gave me a slip of paper that looks like a regular arrival card that you see on airplanes except it said for special re-entry permission and also read departure card instead of arrival. Later that same day, when I was going through immigration at the airport, they ripped the card n half, stapled it to my passport, and stamped it returning the passport to me and allowing me to re-enter the country upon my return. 

pretty much just like the one here. And on the back smaller featured part
 is where they put their little special stamp.

So what happened when I got back?

Well at immigration when I got back, I got lead to the side room by an official, where they proceeded to stamp my passport as per usual, or at least something of a similar nature (They had me sit on a sofa while they did big boy job stuff, so I did not really see what they did). They ripped out the little stamped departure slip and sent me on my way. The whole process perhaps took all of 2 minutes. 

When I got back to Kyoto to my storage unit apartment, both in size and current nature, I went to immigration to get my new visa. I thought that they were supposed to send me something in the mail, but I also thought that about getting my ARC card the first time and lets face it, THAT never happened. Well this time there could have been a different reason about not receiving any mail, so if they mailed me of not, I could not tell you (new addresses and having to confirm that yes, you are living there and all, I missed that while being abroad and they only keep the mail for so long before they send it back). Apparently they were not able to tell me whether they mailed me or not either when I asked them...

Regardless, I got my new visa, which turns out is not a visa at all. It is a new alien registration card. This card is supposedly very similar to the Japanese version and will act as a visa and allow a gaijin for multiple re-entries. It also is supposed to make contractual agreements (as in for cell phones and apartments) much easier to acquire. I would not know that. Not yet at least. Also it is supposed to allow for a longer term between renewals (3 years or something)...well mine only lasts for a year, so, so much for thinking that. But it makes me wonder how the renewal process for this will go, since no one has had to renew theirs yet, as they have implemented this ID card as of July, they might change the renewal requirements for gaijins as well...
In addition to my lovely new card, an extra special stamp for me was my cancellation stamp. They stamped my passport atop my original multiple re-entry stamp, which was expired, and added a mark of their own reading CANCELED. A bit over the top considering it was already expired, but on the other hand I like getting my passport stamped. 

Other things they told me about the new identity card was that they were supposed to mail it to me (that is what my company said...really...-___-). "You don't have to worry about it, they will just grandfather you into the clause." That is actually what someone else's company told them. They do not need to renew their visa but were asking about re-entry permits and their company pretty much told them, that they did not need a permit because the new ARC said you don't need one. And if you don't have the new card, well since you got your other one so recently, it should count anyways. I don't think you need me to comment on this logic.

Or that you just do not have to get one, which is true, you don't have to get one right away at least. But getting a new ID card is actually cheaper than buying a multiple re-entry permit. 

A re-entry permit costs 6,000 yen whereas a new ARC card and everything will run 4,000 yen, plus whatever you pay to get your photos, for me it was 700 yen at a machine just outside the building. So if you are looking to go out of the country on your old visa, it might be worth your while to hassle your company to provide you with the necessary documents to upgrade your ID card.

All Gaijins Look the Same

This is such a hilarious statement of reversed roles that I practically snorted when I heard it.

But this is true enough. I have talked to several Japanese people about it and whereas some seem to think along the lines of 'pffft that is ridiculous', others who have less interactions with us gaijins profess its truth. Indeed it is a true opinion of some people in Asia. I asked my Korean co-teacher the same question and she said of course not! We were all so different! My South-African co-teacher at the same school and I both had blonde hair and fair skin. She has bright sky blue eyes and mine are green. She is also perhaps six inches taller. And though my Korean teacher said this, she would very often get us mixed up for one another in the classes.

I must admit, to myself it sounds like the strangest thing. We have different colors of eyes and hair and even different colors of skin, pale, olive, tan. And yet perhaps to them maybe it isn't that we all look the same but that we are unrecognizable to them in any unfamiliar setting. Perhaps it is really not that they cannot recognize us apart from on another but that the possibilities are so great that we could easily be someone else they refuse to recognize us for who we are. Or then again we all really do look alike and I just completely am missing it.
It is interesting to see our roles in reverse. Where in America, less cultured people will always tell you how Asians all look the same. And indeed, not that I couldn't tell people apart, but their hair color and style, as well as their skin color, and sometimes height are largely similar and therefore from a distance you might easily mistake them for someone else.
But now living in Korea and Japan I see the differences more clearly than ever before. Their faces are all so different to me as different breeds of dogs are to a dog lover. Their jaw lines. Their complexion. Their hair. The shape of their eyes (YES IT'S DIFFERENT). Perhaps it is not as drastic as blonde and browns of the hair color of western cultures, but I suppose when you live here long enough you see that there is different quality to each persons hair or their facial features are excessively prominent that how could you possibly mistake them for anyone other than themselves?

Borrowed Cars

An extremely interesting option for those who do not have a car, borrowing a car. This is like a car rental service minus all the people. 

This is a really nifty feature of Japan society. Since the majority of people do not have cars as there is simply no space to have a car (most houses do not come with garages or anywhere to park your car), and the fact that owning a car can get pretty expensive, with the parking fees (if you do not have a personal parking lot, you must pay some company for the use of their garage to permanently store your car when it is not in use) and the parking fees (when you go somewhere) and the insurance for the car, and the fuel it eats. You get the picture. It all adds up. So unless you are pretty well off, you most likely don't have a car. But that does not mean you don't have to not have a drivers license. You can still get one of these without registering the car for which you need it. Therefore this little invention of Times Plus, basically a rental car, can be extremely handy for people who need to get somewhere out of the way of buses and trains (or possibly you just have a lot of baggage that can't properly be handled on a train or bus). 

From a designated spot, and for a certain fee you get to rent out this car for a an undesignated amount of time. You pay a pretty low initial fee something like 2 or 3 hundred yen (I am not sure the exact amount here) to be able to use this car. Of course you must have a drivers license, with which at some computer you will register your use of the vehicle before you can use it. Clearly this is for their own security purposes, so if any damage comes to the car, your identity is on file. Now what is to stop you from stealing someones drivers license and identity... your good heart? I don't exactly know. But I do know that the computer at which you register has a camera so that if any inaccuracies or identity thefts occur, it can be easily checked. 

After you check out the car you also must pay by the hour as per use. I can't tell you the fee for that simply because I have never done it (I also don't have a Japanese license). And if you need more gas you have to pay for that too. You also have to pay for the parking of anywhere you park, and in Japan, parking is hardly ever free. 

When you are done with the car, you simply return it from whence it came paying for the hours for which it was absent from its parking spot. Nice and simple right?

Origami presents

Not that my kids are especially talented at it or anything, but they really love to make origami.

Origami has always been a significant aspect of Japan with their paper cranes and incredible delicate paper work done with fancied paper to make the observer a touch in awe with the delicacy and preciseness of the degree at which the paper is folded. In particular, cranes are most notable. This is because the crane is a significant bird in Japan. There is a particular Japanese crane with a red crested head. These birds are one of the few species that are entirely monogamous throughout their entire life. The crane that is thought to bring good fortune and thus if you fold a thousand of them, a crane is said to grant your wish. What is so significant about the art of paper folding is that for the longest time, centuries even, paper folding was passed along singularly by word of mouth and demonstration. There were no books on the matter for decades to come. Thus it is more or less a traditional art for, an intangible heritage of Japan.

I feel like my kids (ES) have endless supplies of origami paper and they are endlessly making me little paper presents. I have little lanterns and paper men and a samurai shirt and bunnies, frogs, and cats and hearts and this awesome necklace. Their gifts are endless. Sometimes neither I nor they have any idea what they made, but they folded the paper into some neat creation to gift me with. Other times they will have me sign a paper and fold it into something and then sign another paper themselves and fold it and give that one to me so we would be like an origami secret couple. 

But occasionally, this origami can be frightening stuff. When they get older (my JHS) they have a significantly decreased interest in the origami art, but later, perhaps high school, their interest in not so much increased as are the myths that come with it. There is an old voodoo like charm for origami paper people in which curses are involved. The belief is that you would take one of these paper people with a name of the intended scrawled upon it into a select haunted or otherwise creepy forest at night and nail them to a tree. I think that there are different reasons or beliefs surrounding this, but one is to curse people and another might be for love?

who needs a hair cut? Meeeeee

Look Right Through Me

Well not me...or well from a windows perspective. Not the even infuriating one through which you are likely staring at as you read this. I mean the one that leads outside. The great outdoors. You know the world?

In Japan as you might well know the great outdoors is pretty limited. Unless that is to say you live in the inaka, the out there, the pristine and non-technological world. Perhaps it is due to this that windows in Japan are no so much used for their views, but functional primarily to let light into the room. My personal view is of the birds drilling their holes into my neighbors in-great-need-of-renovation-house. That is if I opened my windows. My windows, as many of the windows in Japan are textured, making the outdoor view a pastel blur of a watercolor painting. I have found that normally the taller buildings that could actually give you a view of cityscape are more often not textured as such. This is likely because the higher up the building is, the less likely it is have a directly adjacent neighbor competing floor for floor in height; therefore giving the building a bit of a view. Or at the very least, more so than my own flat.It is one of those things you never really realize. Sure you know you live in a city, and yeah the buildings are close, but you never notice the lack of a view or the lack of interesting things going on outdoors until you are looking to look outdoors, which let's be honest, isn't something that people are always doing.

Cleaning Time

In every classroom there is a cupboard. And in every cupboard there are brooms and dustpans. The essential cleaning necessities.

After lunch everyday is cleaning time. Occasionally with my JHS I feel that this time will come after school, especially if school on that day ends early. The students are required to clean their classrooms, hallways, stairwells, bathrooms, and pretty much the entire school, and will then call upon the teachers to come and check their work before they can be released to any sort of leisure activity for the remainder of their down time before class or club begins.
Their cleaning consists of sweeping the floors of the every room, as well as cleaning the chalk board erasers, the chalk board trey, washing the chalkboard, washing the bathrooms, as well as a variety of other stuff. Yeah, washing bathrooms. That really surprised me as well. What kid would willingly clean a bathroom. I am not even sure what their punishment is or if there is any for not doing it.
Though of course I could tell you of some students past who I know didn't even know the right end of a broom handle until well after school. So no I can say that not all students do it, but like it was in nearly all schools, the kids that get away with it pretty much fly under the radar or else everyone is too afraid of being a 'tattle-tale' to be the first to point a finger.

there in the back corner, near the window, is the cleaning closet.

Leopalace Apartment Check out

Everything comes to an end.

Including my love-hate, or more like love to hate, relationship with my apartment. My kitchen was too small. The burners were IH (UGH!). The storage was inconvenient (in the front hall). There was no storage.  There was less than no space for guests. Well you get the idea.

So ends my time in Suita, Osaka. 

But one thing you have to do before you leave, is check out. Almost like a hotel...almost. You will arrange for someone to meet you at a convenient time to go through the proceedings. But in reality you should be there two hours before, as the gas, water, and electric men will be coming to do the necessary things to shut off you utilities as well as give you a final last bill on the spot. Guess who wasn't there? Well that is besides the point. Unless of course you as well miss your appointment, in which case your employer may or may not be kind enough to have the last bills forwarded to the office to be taken out of your paycheck. 

Well once you meet with the Leopalace representative, you will of course invite them in to what is hopefully your emptied abode and begin the proceedings. They will site you down at the table they provided for you when you first moved in and will ask for your key and possibly some brief, residence related questions, and then they will get to work. They will spend the next 15 minutes walking through your apartment checking every outlet, light switch, window, ladder, aircon, and faucet, making certain everything is intact. They will also be checking for damages. This is the part I was really worried about seeing as I think just about all Japanese apartments use this really cheap wall covering stuff which is extremely easy to scratch and leave damages upon. Lucky for me, I feel like the stuff they use at Leopalace, is exceptionally cheap and super easy to scratch, but a quick tip for those moving out, you can mend the stuff with just a glue stick and a bit of pressing. There is no way it will look perfect, but hopefully passable enough that the representative will not notice that the damages are actually your doing and not some previous tenants. They will also be looking in your cupboards for stains; so another quick tip, store anything that might stain the pantry boards on higher shelves and hopefully they might fail to notice (or simply remove the boards and stack them or turn them upside down). They also poked at my floor at a nice big stain from where I spilled pancake batter. Hey now, no one is perfect. Either the rep thought that was totally removable and did nothing more than a few pokes or decided that either I couldn't have done it and it was someone previous or that he just didn't care enough. Regardless. I got charged exactly nothing more than my cleaning fee of 28500 yen, nearly 30000 yen with tax. This is a basic cleaning fee. You cannot get out of it. I know a girl who hired cleaners for her apartment for pretty much the same price, and it made no difference and they charged her for it all over again. So don't make that mistake. 

After all the checking, he explained to me the basic cleaning fee and that it would be discounted in a way as they would use the left overs of that months pro-rated apartment rent to cover for as much of the cost as it could. Which in my case was about half. The rest of which they would bill me for. 

So I signed a little contract and bowed somewhere around 8 times ( I seriously can't seem to get it right. I don't bow for long enough or the other person is bowing lower. So then I do it again, and once they realized I did it again they go and do it again. It is a vicious cycle...) and left. And that was that. 

This whole process can actually be made a lot shorter if you speak Japanese or the rep speaks English. That is not exactly my case however. And I had no idea to words like "basic cleaning fee" or "pro-rated" in Japanese. So the rep and myself had to do some cell phone translator magic to communicate some certain aspects of the end-contract. 

Also as a warning, this did no happen to myself, but it did happen to another working for the same company as myself: make sure you remove everything from your apartment. Everything. I do not know how it happened, such as if there was an after charge for this, or perhaps she was not present for her checkout, or perhaps it was just a different system. But she left a coat hanger in her closer. A. As in singular. The removal fee of said coat hanger was 3000 yen. 30 bucks. Most expensive coat hanger ever. 

Well I was warned when I first moved in. And now you are too. Leave nothing!

Moving to Japan: What to bring?

Moving to Japan is entirely different from moving to college or taking a vacation. For starters you are moving your whole life to another country half way across the globe. But then again you have a limit to what you can bring. So the essential question, what to bring?

Here I have made a list to help with some added helpful and or snarky comments. Since I am a girl my list is mostly doctored to help girls out but men can pretty much just subtract the girly items. 

Clothes (what I packed)	The obvious	Not as obvious and optional	NOT essential
Bottoms •4 skirts (3 business skirts and one that can is business casual) •4 pants (different colors – khaki, black, blue, brown) •2 jeans ( You still have the weekends and vacations. You are going to want these) •?? Shorts (I brought 3 but I rarely wear them)	Tech •Laptop  •Camera(s) •Handheld gaming & games •Chargers  •Adapter  •IPod  •Headphones •Phone (optional. it wont work in Japan)	On the plane •A book (Optional. And just one don’t be greedy!) •Snack  •Bottled water •Your own headphones •IPod  •Handheld games	Don’t Bring! •Your gaming console (haha I am one to talk! But I brought mine over after I went home for a Christmas. If you bring this then you have to take it out at every security scan in addition to your laptop. IF you bring this make sure it isn’t region locked!!) •Bedding (you can get them easily enough in Japan unlike Korea) •CDs and DVDs(bulky + DVDs are region locked) •Large amounts of health care products ( you are not moving to a 3rd world country) •Any of your crazy Japanophile paraphernalia (ok the figurine is OK but leave the katana or body pillow at home) •Kitchenware ( unless you have something really unique and doubt its availability in Japan get that stuff here. It just takes up room) •Extra clothes ( you will buy stuff here don’t worry. And yes they have ‘American sizes’ - don’t be silly. They even have American outlet malls) •Alarm Clock (well don’t bring one that plugs in anyways. Most electronic plug-ins are perfectly capable in Japan, but because of the current differences, clocks will work fine but run slower and slower. And you will be late for things. )
Shirts •3 sweaters or cardigans •3 long sleeves shirts (used for winter undershirts) •6 short sleeved shirts (appropriate for work. Must have sleeves. Japan doesn’t do the sleeveless look. It isn’t proper)  •3 tank tops (summer is hot and still good for undershirts) •4 long sleeved blouses  •2 T-shirts (weekends. Vacation.) •2 dresses	Essential •Passport  •Wallet, cash, & cards (make sure you have Yen and your countries currency – for airport use. Don’t do travelers cheques they are too much of a hassle and not many banks in Japan will recognize them) •Tickets  •Directions printed out (there likely won’t be anyone with a sign for you and you won’t have access to the internet or your phone)	Unsuspecting Health •Meds (remember pain reliever, while they have it here is a different dosage and you can’t read the bottle) •Cortizone (useful in every situation) •Nyquil (Their medication for colds is depressing here. Pretty much just a face mask.) •Sunscreen (wickedly small and super expensive here) •Contact case (if I had a dollar for how often I left this behind…) •Tampons (just in case) •Packet of tissues (just in case) •Towels (they do not have an abundance full body towels in Japan they use what we would call a dish or hand towel)
Shoes •7+ pairs of socks •Indoor shoes (tennis shoes or slippers. Rubber soles. You will wear these inside school and not out of it)  •Running shoes/ walking shoes •1-2 Professional shoes •1 pair of flats  •2 boots (I have snow boots and hiking boots that are water proof. There is a rainy season here) •Indoor sneakers (optional – to be used in the gym at school. They are typically different from your school shoes and are also indoor only shoes) •Flip-flops (I am American after all. Also you might go to the beach and they don’t take up that much space)	Bathroom supplies •Travel kit for shampoo/conditioner and soap  •Tooth brush •Tooth Paste •Contacts  •Mini contact solution  •Deodorant (heck bring 2! This stuff is nonexistent in Japan!) •Brush  •Razor  •Make up And that should hold you over until you get to Japan where everything else can be readily bought from the dollar store. If you have favorite brands of certain products, they may be really hard to come by overseas. Example: Studio Gear make up? Can’t get it here. Also Clinique, and Maybelline are ridiculously expensive (I know, Maybelline, right?!	Bit Random •Umbrella (only the collapsible kind. Only if you come during the rainy season. Otherwise they run a dollar a piece at the 100yen store) •Omiyage  •Address's (only if you are an awesome friend who sends postcards) •A small dictionary (no don’t get that phrase book! Don’t be ridiculous you are not going to use that) •Japanese study books (only if you are really going to use them! Their selection here is limited inside bookstores and online shopping is best but be prepared to do it in Japanese!) •Mamas baked goods!  •Any food favorite from home ( cookies and candies are likely to be double here and Australian and British brands are less available. Things like oatmeal is nearly unheard of and much more difficult to find in smaller cities) •A bit of home (it would help decorate your room and lessen any homesickness) •Coffee (its just no good here) •Sports equipment (Like for hiking Mt. Fuji. Be sure you are going to use it )
Coats •1 matching blazer to a pair of suit pants •1-2 light jackets for spring and autumn •1 coat for colder autumn (like a pea coat) •1 winter coat (if you are not prone to cold or are not to live in cold places then you can do without) •1 raincoat (rainy season. It is a month long)	Accessories (optional) •Hats  •Scarves  •Hair accessories (hair ties and bobby pins) •Glasses  •Sunglasses  •Jewelry  •Belt(s) •Purse(s) •Gloves  •Watch  •Pantyhose  •Backpack (really good for weekend traveling)
Undergarments •2 (ish) weeks of panties •4 bras (different colors – white, skin colored, black, and a fun one) •Robe (optional) •1-2 sets of sleepwear	I have extra space and I really care about my hygiene •Tweezers  •Nail clippers  •Perfume (more expensive in Japan) •Band-aids

IN ALL HONESTY, you can bring like a week of supplies and buy the rest here. THOUGH you would have to find good stores that carry suitable good quality products ( I feel like the quality is hard to find). If you are located out there in the inaka, you might have a much harder time of this. The size issue, it is not so much as an issue any more. There are American stores here and they carry most sizes, albeit they have a diminished stock of larger sizes (they don't need to order as many). There are also stores that cater to a very willowy Japanese figure and they are pretty prevalent. Especially in Osaka.
However, to buy everything here is kind of expensive...So, you know, make your decisions wisely...

Extra advice:

• Bring 2 suitcases. Even if you don't need both of them, you will accumulate stuff in Japan to fill up that room when you go back home. (conversely, you can just get an extra suitcase in Japan but they are more expensive)
• If you are coming in March, you don't have to worry about your winter clothes as much and hope that your family is more loving and charitable and will send you your winter clothes at a later date. Shying on the winter clothes, coats especially can significantly increase your space, but note that if you are placed in the northern regions, that it can still be snowing at this time. Even in the regions like Osaka and Kyoto as well... but that is a bit infrequent at that time and never lasts to see daylight. 
• If you have space and want to save on money then I would advise you to pack a nice electric razor (for men) and hair electronics for women (if you care about that sort of thing...I don't). These items are apparently more expensive here and sometimes  difficult to find ones of better quality(for men). This is a complaint I heard more than once from people who have recently made the move (hard to find/expensive). But I also know for fact that recycle shops will carry a very wide range in quality and a significant number of said products at a good price. Also there is yahoo auction where you can find cheaper things, but is limited to Japanese.
• Buy a mini sewing kit at a 100 yen store. Super useful things. 
• I cannot think of a single electronic besides clocks that do not run perfectly in Japan. They may have less power than you are used to, but they will function just fine. Personally I have a CuisineArt hand held and of course chargers and the like, no problems here. 

Extra important advice:

In your carry on pack everything you might need for a week or two. This is good so you don't have to root through your bigger suitcase during orientation only to go through the hassle to pack it all up again. The less bags you open the smaller the mess. Also if you are lazy and haven't unpacked before school starts then you will know where everything you need is conveniently located.