The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
I ditched my luggage and hired a whole holiday wardrobe instead
A new Japanese scheme aimed at cutting flyers’ carbon footprints lets you rent your clothes when you arrive. A sceptical Phoebe Smith puts it to the test
Ihate packing – a lot. So when Japan Airlines recently launched a (pardon the pun) pilot scheme allowing passengers to rent the clothes they need when they arrive at their destination, I was all in.
Working in partnership with Japan-based Any Wear, Anywhere, the trial programme (running until August 2024) centres on the idea that if we all take less luggage, flights will be lighter, burn less fuel and therefore be less carbon-emitting (the amount of emissions saved may be minuscule compared to those of an international flight – but at least it is a step in the right direction).
It naturally made headlines, but how does it actually work in reality for an average (UK size 12) woman who needs outfits for a range of outdoor activities, a conference and city sightseeing – and who is travelling with a messy toddler? I decided to find out.
With my flight ticket reference number in hand (currently it’s only open to JAL – and codeshare – customers) I went online to book my clothing packages. Going in September and to Hokkaido (the far north) as well as Tokyo, I opted for two – Fall and Spring/Summer – to hopefully cover all bases.
Options are limited by size and I was now a large in Japan (the offerings only go up to XL), so I had just four sets from which to choose my two (costing 5-7,000 Yen – around £27-38 – each).
The first thing to note is that, even though you don’t need your clothes, you do need underwear and socks, not to mention shoes. Add to that toiletries, a jacket and waterproofs for hiking (currently not rented on the scheme). As such, I ended up at London Heathrow with a 9kg bag – just light enough for hand luggage.
On arrival, without the need to wait at baggage claim, I headed to my first night’s accommodation, a traditional ryokan inn where my promised bag of outfits – sorely needed after my son spilt a heady mix of apple juice, biscuit crumbs and pasta sauce on me during the 14-hour flight – was waiting.
If there’s an ideal country to go clothes-free, Japan is definitely it. Slippers and PJs are provided in most hotels; swimsuits are not required for onsens (hot springs); and, in traditional ryokans, the provided yukata (kimono) is accepted attire for any time of the day. Sitting in mine that evening, I checked out my hired outfits with trepidation.
All items are sourced either from clothing store overstock (larger sizes more suited to western frames are always left over each season) as well as donated unwanted clothes. As such there was a mix of fashionable Japanese brands such as Mont Bell, and familiar chains such as Zara and Ralph Lauren. I was impressed.
The first couple of days were packed with outdoor activities, including hiking and fly-fishing, so I paired the long-sleeved Adidas top (great for tick protection) and the Columbia technical tee with what on the website had looked like smart black work attire but which actually turned out to be Gore-Tex waterproof overtrousers.
I disliked the humidity that built up in this odd choice of bottoms, but when tree sap wiped onto them and a fellow traveller spilt fish bait on me, I took heart that at least they weren’t mine.
Another afternoon I had an outdoor yoga class and plucked out a suitable set of togs – a pretty apt Save the Earth T-shirt with some stretchy green pants. I even got compliments.
When my conference started, the problems began to manifest. I selected a beige pair of trousers that I thought would look great with at least three of the supplied tops, but I’m not sure who they were sized for – I could not get the fly to close, and the leg length was a foot too long.
I opted instead for a well-fitting black pair of trousers from the fall pack. Over the following days, I had to either re-wear the black ones or opt for a snakeskin-print skirt (yes, really). I chose the former.
Sightseeing in Hokkaido, I could finally try on a different pair of trousers – and happily pulled out a pair of pinstriped blue and white. A little large and pyjama-like, but comfy.
Flying to Tokyo, I was running out of options. A navy blue top was a little short, and the flowery shirt felt too frumpy. As I was headed to the new, high-end Trunk(hotel), just opened in Yoyogi Park near Shibuya, I felt the time was right to bite the bullet – and try the snakeskin skirt with my Ralph Lauren jumper. “I love your outfit,” said the woman at check-in, without a hint of sarcasm. I went for a drink at the rooftop terrace and gazed over the Tokyo skyline celebrating what had mostly been a success.
On my final morning, I packed the clothes away and took them to the front desk to be returned, using the supplied postal label, before joining my partner for breakfast. “You’re right, some of those outfits are a bit garish,” he said, before I pointed out that these were, in fact, all mine.
The Any Wear, Anywhere trial runs to August 2024 for passengers travelling with Japan Airlines