Rent Clothes in Japan! Minimize Your Luggage with Any Wear, Anywhere

Rent Clothes and Minimize Your Luggage

Clothes usually account for most of your suitcase space when you travel to Japan, right? This is especially the case in the winter because of how bulky winter clothes can be.

Many people who live in countries with warm climates throughout the year like Southeast Asia probably don’t own autumn or winter clothing.

In this article, we introduce a cost-efficient and environment-friendly clothing rental service called Any Wear, Anywhere that is quite useful in this situation.

Renting Clothes in Japan with Any Wear, Anywhere

1. What is Any Wear, Anywhere?
2. 5 Advantages of Renting Clothes with Any Wear, Anywhere
3. What Are the Disadvantages?
4. Actual Clothing Samples
5. How to do Laundry in Japan
6. Make a Reservation with Any Wear, Anywhere

What is Any Wear, Anywhere?

Picture courtesy of Any Wear, Anywhere

Any Wear, Anywhere is a clothing rental service for international travelers and Japanese residents. It is operated by Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s largest commercial firms, in partnership with Japan Airlines (*).

Make a reservation online to get a set of five tops and three bottoms delivered to your hotel, Airbnb, or other accommodation. The clothes are laundered and ironed before being delivered, so you’ll be able to wear them out immediately from the day you land in Japan.

Clothes are available for men, women, and children. Sizes are available between S to 3XL for men and women, or 80 to 160 cm for children.

The service recently began in summer 2023, but it has already been featured in over 200 media platforms including CNN, and has become a hot topic due to being an amazing initiative for the environment.

* The service can be used by anyone including travelers flying with other airlines besides Japan Airlines.

5 Advantages to Rent Clothes with Any Wear, Anywhere

Let’s take a look at the advantages of using Any Wear, Anywhere. There are roughly five main advantages to the service listed below.

1. You Can Minimize Your Luggage

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The largest advantage of using Any Wear, Anywhere is being able to minimize the amount of luggage on your trip. By using this service, you can reduce the weight of your suitcase and ease the burden of traveling around with it.

Additionally, this leaves open space in your suitcase for more souvenirs to buy and take home!

2. Easy to Prepare Winter Clothing

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If you’re someone who lives in a hot and humid region throughout the year, then you probably don’t own any winter clothing. But you may also feel it’s a waste of money to buy clothes specifically for a trip. This is especially the case with children’s clothing as they grow so fast.

Any Wear, Anywhere will prepare winter clothing for you that suits Japan’s weather and climate. It can also save you from common hassles like bringing a few extra outfits just because you don’t know what the actual weather in Japan is like.

3. Good for the Environment

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Concerns regarding the effects on global warming caused by CO2 emissions from aircraft have heightened in recent years.

Renting clothes at your destination will also reduce the amount of luggage loaded onto the aircraft. By doing this one action, you can reduce the amount of fuel that is used and contribute to reducing CO2 levels. Any Wear, Anywhere also measures how much the impact on the environment has been reduced by the reduction in cargo luggage in partnership with Japan Airlines.

Any Wear, Anywhere uses excess inventory set for disposal and second-hand clothing. Some clothing sets also include upcycled yukata and kimonos (types of traditional Japanese wear). These aspects of the service also contribute to creating a sustainable future.

An estimated 7.5 kg of CO2 emissions can be reduced by minimizing luggage weight by 10 kg on a flight from Tokyo to New York. This is equivalent to 78 days of CO2 emitted by a hair dryer used for 10 minutes per day. (Reference: Any Wear, Anywhere official website)

4. Better Value Than Buying Clothes

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If you rent women’s summer clothing for two weeks with Any Wear, Anywhere, it will cost 33 dollars (delivery fee included) for five tops and three bottoms (as of April 2024).

The same set of clothes at Uniqlo, a fast fashion brand in Japan, would cost you between 15,000 yen (about 97 dollars) to 20,000 yen (128 dollars).

Given the possibility that even if you buy new clothes, you might not wear them after returning to your home country due to the difference in temperatures, then renting is absolutely the better option.

5. Returnable at the Airport

Picture courtesy of Any Wear, Anywhere

Any Wear, Anywhere orders can be returned through your hotel reception desk or the JAL ABC counter in Haneda Airport or Narita International Airport. All you have to do is place the clothes in the bag it was delivered in and return it, making it a hassle-free process.

It’s also possible to have your clothes order delivered to and returned from any hotel throughout Japan.

1. What Are Any Wear, Anywhere’s Disadvantages?

There are many benefits to Any Wear, Anywhere and many of their actual customers have left reviews noting their “immense satisfaction” with the service (reference: official website).

At the same time, if any of the situations below apply to you, then it would be better to bring your own clothes.

You Want to Wear Your Favorite Outfits in Japan

It’s your long-awaited trip to Japan. Some people may want to wear their favorite outfits to take pictures in front of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

With Any Wear, Anywhere, you can pick and choose clothing sets to rent from several different styles. However, your favorite style of clothing might not necessarily be available.

That’s why you should bring your own clothes if you have a favorite outfit or two you want to wear in Japan. Nonetheless, another recommendation is to wear your favorite outfit on a special day and then wear clothes rented from Any Wear, Anywhere on the remaining days.

If You're on a Short Trip (2 - 3 Days)

Any Wear, Anywhere typically rents out clothing on the assumption that your stay in Japan will be between one to two weeks long.

For that reason, renting clothes from Any Wear, Anywhere would actually add unnecessary baggage if you’re only traveling for two to three days. It’d be more convenient to bring your own clothes if you plan to visit for two to three days.

You Want to Rent Different Fashions Every Month

Any Wear, Anywhere is fundamentally a service designed for travelers, not for long-term stays. On the other hand, many monthly subscription clothing rental services exist in Japan. These services are normally only available in Japanese, but consider it as an option if you want to try Japanese fashion.

You Want to Rent Dresses or Other Formal Wear

As of April 2024, Any Wear, Anywhere does not provide rentals for formal wear such as dresses, tuxedos, and suits. If you wish to rent formal wear in Japan, then there are various other rental services available only in Japanese as options.

Actual Clothing Samples

What clothing styles can you rent from Any Wear, Anywhere? In this next section, we introduce a few samples.

Summer Clothing (Women’s)

Picture courtesy of Any Wear, Anywhere

Winter Clothing (Men’s)

Picture courtesy of Any Wear, Anywhere

Winter Clothing (Children’s)

Picture courtesy of Any Wear, Anywhere

5. How to Do Laundry in Japan

A set from Any Wear, Anywhere typically comes with five tops and three bottoms. If you’re staying in Japan for over a week, then you will want to wash your clothes during your stay.

There are mainly two ways to do laundry in Japan.

1. Use the Hotel Cleaning Service

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Many hotels in Japan including business hotels like APA Hotel and Toyoko INN have a cleaning (laundry) service.

This service involves entrusting the clothes you want to wash to a dry cleaner’s through the hotel. After some time, your clean clothes will be delivered to you.

It varies by hotel, but the going rate for this service is around 300 yen for one shirt. For suit jackets, pants, and other delicates, it will cost around 2,000 yen for a single garment.

Many hotels will place laundry bags in the hotel rooms, so all you need to do is fill the laundry bag with the clothes you want washed and bring it to the front reception.

In most cases, you can receive clean clothes the same day or the next day at the latest.

2. Use Coin Laundry at the Hotel or a Laundromat

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Using coin laundry is another way to do your laundry.

Coin laundry is often found near hotels or inside the hotel itself, so it’s a great option. Please refer to the steps below on how to use most coin laundry services.

How to Use
Put your clothes inside an empty washing machine and close the door → Cycle time and fee will be displayed, so input coins into the machine as shown and press the start button → Take out your clean clothes once finished

Price Guide
10 kg (30 minutes) 400 - 500 yen, 20 kg (30 minutes) 400 - 700 yen, 30 kg (30 minutes) 1,000 - 1,200 yen
* About 30 minutes should be enough time for a wash cycle for regular laundry.
* We recommend you also use the dryer for clothes that are difficult to dry like jeans. Dryers are about 100 yen per 10 minutes.

Precautions
- Most modern coin laundries automatically add detergent to the wash. However, though rare, some coin laundries require detergent to be added, so it’s best to check this detail beforehand.

- Most coin laundry machines will only accept coins, so make sure to prepare change. But most modern coin laundries will have change machines.

- Services available via smartphone will tell you what coin laundry machines are available and when your wash cycle is finished. These services are mostly available only in Japanese, but it would still be useful to give it a try.

Many coin laundry operations in Japan are clean and trendy, while sometimes even being attached to a cafe or having a play area for kids. A visit to the coin laundry might end up being a valuable experience.

Use Any Wear, Anywhere and Travel Light

By using Any Wear, Anywhere, not only can you travel light with less luggage, but you can also have an environmentally friendly trip to Japan.

Reservations with Any Wear, Anywhere can be made by clicking the link below!

Main image by Any Wear, Anywhere