Get your wardrobe ready for autumn in Japan with practical seasonal clothing storage tips for small apartments, including vacuum bags, space-saving hangers, humidity control, and closet organization.
Autumn is always tricky, no matter where you go, and that also goes for if you’re living in Japan. One day it’s warm, the next it’s cold, and don’t even get me started on getting on the train when the AC is blasting despite the weather already beginning to change. It’s really difficult to understand how to dress.
Take it from someone who lives in Osaka: the weather is surprisingly warm even when autumn begins, but you’ll find that by October, you’ll definitely need your sweater.
It’s important to think about what you’ll need and how to switch up your clothing before you completely start reorganizing everything. You don’t want to suddenly wake up one morning when it’s cold and realize that all of your sweaters are buried somewhere in storage!
One of the best things I can tell you right now is to make sure that you have a system to rotate your clothes by season.
During summer, of course, you have your white clothes out and an excess of lighter clothing because it’s so hot. But now that autumn is going to be coming quickly, I’m starting to break out my sweaters, cardigans, and jackets.
Though to be honest, I’m easily cold, and my cardigans never really leave my main wardrobe.
What I plan to do is slowly start packing away my summer clothes, just a little bit every day, in press-to-seal storage bags so that I don’t have to really struggle when the season completely changes.
If there are any summer clothes that I know I definitely won’t be wearing again, they’re going into storage immediately.
This is one of the easiest ways to make seasonal clothing storage in Japan feel less overwhelming. Instead of trying to reorganize your entire closet in one day, you can slowly switch out your clothes as the weather changes.
Even if you’re living in a small apartment, it doesn’t need to feel that way, and it won’t if you know how to properly package and store things.
Like I said above, I’m using storage bags where I just have to put my clothes in and roll them up to make them slim enough to store many of them in one box at a time.
I really suggest this method and actually storing them in storage boxes or cardboard boxes. It’s easy to see what you have, and they’re reusable, so you can just switch out your fall/winter and summer/spring clothes each season when necessary.
This is especially helpful if you’re living in a small Japanese apartment where closet space can be limited.
This has saved me so much space!
I make sure, especially with pants, to get hangers that have layers to them. Rather than just hanging everything on one hanger each, getting hangers that allow you to hang more with different levels (or just going to the 100 yen store and getting a hanger that has three different layers to it ) is so helpful.
You should especially consider using slim hangers if you want to save as much space as possible.
It’s just a matter of using the space in your closet or wardrobe efficiently rather than working against it.
Even when fall comes, it’s still going to be pretty hot, and you still might have trouble with moisture or mold.
Always make sure that you’re completely drying your clothes before you put them away. If you think something is sweaty or it’s recently been washed, give it some time to completely dry off.
I always make sure to have moisture absorbers in my closet. In fact, even all around my home, just because of how my living situation is.
Again, these are something that can be found at the 100 yen store.
This is something that I think foreigners living in Japan should especially keep in mind. Japan’s humidity doesn’t completely disappear just because autumn has arrived, so you still need to think about protecting your clothes from moisture and mold.
As someone who is currently trying to revamp their apartment and understand how to better make my home less cluttered, I find it important to really think about what I want in my home and what I don’t.
That also includes following Marie Kondo’s tips by thinking about what sparks joy.
In my heart of hearts, I know the clothes that I wear often and the ones that never see the light of day from the back of my closet. Knowing that helps me to understand if I should keep something, donate it, recycle it, or throw it away.
It also helps if you turn your hangers the opposite way and check every couple of months to see which hangers and clothes you use.
The ones that are facing the opposite way are the clothes that you don’t use often, so you know you can probably let them go.
That being said, you know which clothes you wear for:
* Your everyday life
* Special occasions
* Different colors and types
* How frequently you wear them
* Work or school
* Seasonal activities
Organize your clothes by that and really think about what you want to keep in your closet this time around as you start organizing your clothes again.
You don’t need to have a huge walk-in closet to have an organized wardrobe. Sometimes, it’s just about being creative with the space you already have.
I hope this article served as real food for thought as you decide what you are going to do when it comes to organizing your wardrobe and clearing out your space. Even if it seems a bit stressful, getting an early start and following these tips will surely help make this a more stress-free cleaning session for you. I’m wishing you luck!
Autumn is one of my favorite times to reorganize because it gives you a chance to look at your clothes again, get rid of things you no longer need, and make your home feel a little more comfortable before winter arrives. So, grab your storage bags, pull out those sweaters, and get your closet ready for the changing season!
Until the next article, please stay happy, healthy, and excited for organizing in Japan!
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