Best way (economical) to transport belongings from US to Japan?

Question

I'm moving to Japan in August and I've no idea what the best way is to transport all my belongings. I know airports are charging for extra baggage, but I'm wondering if it would be that much more expensive than shipping my belongings by post.

I need to transport all my clothes (including bulky winter items such as coats, boots, etc.) a couple boxes of documents/books, and some electronics/media (laptop, cds, DVDs)

Should I take certain things with me on the plane and ship the rest separately? Any and all tips are much appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

I spent seven weeks in Japan.  When I traveled there, I brought my bicycle, which was so handy to have!  I stopped at a local bike store, and asked if I could have a bike box (which new bikes are shipped in).  They said sure, take one.  I packed other stuff around my bike in the box (clothes and such).  It didn't cost anything extra to bring my bike, because American Airlines let me count it as my second suitcase.  Of course it had to be under a certain weight limit.

Although... I went to Japan in ... hmm... summer of 2003.  Wow, that was awhile ago!  Restrictions have changed since then...  

Make sure to visit Nikko (near Tokyo): http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=nik...

and Matsushima: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&...

Have fun and good luck!

Answer 2

transport by ship is by far the cheapest way to go