What to Pack for a Circuit of Japan on ADDress

ADDress

ADDress is Japan's lodging subscription granting stays nationwide. After recent updates it runs on tickets rather than unlimited stays, and every house guarantees Wi-Fi.

Hi, I'm Masato — I circled Japan from April 2022 to April 2023 living on the ADDress lodging subscription.

This article covers what to pack for a car-based circuit of Japan on ADDress — the needed, the unneeded, and the nice-to-have, fresh from actual experience.

• The ADDress coupon anyone can use:
  →How to get the ¥20,000 ADDress coupon
  

The essentials

1. An ADDress contract
2. A smartphone
3. PayPay registration
4. Wallet and some cash
5. Loungewear, clothes, underwear
6. A suitcase (depending on travel style)
7. Shampoo and conditioner
8. A mobile charger

1. The ADDress registration

ADDress is the subscription that houses you anywhere in Japan. Similar services exist (HafH, HOSTEL LIFE), but for cost, ADDress wins outright. A referral gets you up to ¥20,000 off. (Note: post-update, it's ticket-based rather than unlimited.)

2. A smartphone

Google Maps for navigation, cashless payment for everything else — one phone substitutes for camera, wallet, and business cards combined.

3. PayPay — rural Japan's universal payment

I only adopted PayPay after starting the journey — and discovered that in the countryside, shop after shop takes only PayPay. Places that won't take credit cards still take PayPay. Transfers between friends are instant; "I don't have change" vanishes from your life.

Pair it with the PayPay Card for higher rewards and in-app top-ups. It even pays taxes. Genuinely indispensable for traveling Japan.

You can apply for the PayPay Card here.

4. Wallet, cash, ID — a minimum of cash is still needed

PayPay covers most restaurants, but holdouts remain: ticket-machine ramen shops, old Kyoto establishments. Cash also feeds shrine offering boxes. A small wallet with a little cash is easiest — plus a credit card and ID for safety.

5. Loungewear, clothes, underwear — no pajamas provided

Outside onsen-style lodgings, sleepwear isn't provided. And since ADDress laundry is sometimes paid or absent, accumulating a few days of laundry before washing saves money — I cycle about four days' worth.

6. A suitcase (depending on style)

When the cheap parking is a walk away, a suitcase saves you. Cheap ones have terrible wheels — buy one good enough for international trips. Mine cost about ¥50,000 and has lasted over ten years.

The one I bought straight out of high school and have used for over a decade is an AMERICAN TOURISTER — a solid brand at a reasonable price. Ten years for ¥50,000 feels like a bargain.

7. Chargers — portable and in-car

A portable battery prevents "filmed too much, phone's dead," and a car socket charger is essential if the phone is your navigator.

What you don't need

1. Towels
2. A hair dryer
3. Seasonings
4. Detergent (laundry and kitchen)
5. Guidebooks
6. Spares of things

1. Towels

Most houses used to provide towels — but recent updates have mostly removed them, so buy your own now.

2. Hair dryers — 100% present so far

Every house I've stayed at has had one, sometimes two. Unless you're particular, leave yours home.

3. Seasonings

Salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, cooking sake — the basics are stocked. Car travelers can carry favorites if desired.

4. Detergents and shampoo

Where there's a washing machine there's usually detergent — free or ~¥100. Dryers mostly run ¥100 a cycle.

5. Guidebooks — your phone suffices

Houses stock guidebooks, and each location's social accounts brim with tips. The fun discovery: LINE open chats — ask locals for restaurant recommendations and answers come instantly.

6. Spares

Fundamentally unnecessary. Run out, then buy. ADDress even lets you ship packages to the house you're staying at — I received contact lenses and car accessories from Amazon that way.

The nice-to-haves

1. The EPOS Card
2. An ETC card
3. Comfortable footwear
4. Earphones
5. An insulated delivery bag

1. The EPOS Card

Holding an EPOS Card makes ADDress up to ¥30,000 cheaper, discounts hot springs, and includes free overseas travel insurance. I never pay with mine — the perks alone earn its place in my wallet.

2. An ETC card

Car travelers need one — highways discount significantly. Issued alongside the EPOS Card it costs nothing extra through ETC, and you'll end up wanting one sooner or later.

3. Comfortable footwear

Long drives accumulate fatigue. Sneakers or strapped sandals; some legs between houses run four hours.

4. Earphones

Many houses have thin walls, and you may work from shared spaces. One pair covers focused work and protected sleep.

The pair I actually use is the Soundcore Liberty 4.

I bought them on 15 December 2022, as the image shows, and they are still in daily service a year and a half later. Sound quality and noise cancelling both satisfy.

The noise cancelling suppresses sound fairly aggressively — though it does not make everything silent, so calibrate expectations.

5. An Uber Eats delivery bag

Useful for income (a few days of food delivery patches a thin month) and storage alike — seasonings, groceries, everything. You can sign up for Uber Eats here.

[¥80,000/month, food included] The lean version of the journey

The companion system

ADDress companions use the service free — so two people on one contract paid ¥44,000/month total at the time, ¥22,000 each for unlimited stays. (Plans have since changed; today the referral coupon is the savings route.)

Monthly costs, itemized (pre-update)

• ADDress (lodging, utilities, internet included): ¥22,000
• Phone data: ¥2,000
• Food and sundries: ¥50,000
• Gasoline: ¥2,500
• Total: ~¥76,500/month

Every house guarantees Wi-Fi, so connectivity never becomes a problem — work and streaming both run free of data anxiety.

Summary: the complete list

Essential

1. ADDress contract
2. Smartphone
3. PayPay
4. Wallet and cash
5. Loungewear and underwear
6. Suitcase
7. Chargers

Nice to have

1. ETC card
2. Comfortable footwear
3. Earphones
4. EPOS Card
5. Delivery bag

Interested in ADDress now? Start at a discount:
→How to get the ¥20,000 ADDress coupon