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Travelers visiting Japan now have the unique opportunity to pack minimally by renting clothes upon arrival and arriving with an eco-friendly empty suitcase.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has introduced a year-long experiment, starting on Wednesday, that allows passengers to rent outfits based on season, size, formality, and color scheme.
Under this program, visitors to Japan can reserve their clothes up to a month in advance and use them for a two-week period. They can also specify the purpose of their visit to ensure they have appropriate attire.
The main goal of this scheme, according to JAL, is to provide travelers with a sustainable choice.
The rental clothes, which consist of excess stock from retailers and second-hand garments collected by a partner company, will be delivered to the traveler’s hotel or Airbnb accommodation before their arrival and collected at the end of their visit for laundering and recycling.
As for pricing, a woman on a business trip during the hot Japanese summer could rent five tops and three bottoms, including linen shirts, trousers, and an ankle-length skirt, for ¥5,000 ($35). On the other hand, a man on a casual winter trip could rent faded jeans, a hoodie, and a cozy down jacket for ¥7,000.
This trial program, called “Any Wear, Anywhere,” is led by JAL and the trading house Sumitomo, with the aim of promoting sustainable tourism.
Throughout the 13-month experiment, JAL will gather data to analyze whether the program leads to a decrease in the weight of passengers’ luggage.
According to the rental website, a reduction of 10kg in a passenger’s luggage results in an estimated 7.5kg reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. To put it into perspective, a 7.5kg reduction in CO₂ emissions is equivalent to not using a hairdryer for 78 days (assuming an average use of 10 minutes per drying session).
This program is launched during a period of significant post-pandemic growth in visitors to Japan. After strict restrictions on visitor arrivals between March 2020 and October 2022, Japan has now reopened its doors.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, visitors in the first three months of 2023 spent an average of ¥50,496 on shopping alone.
In May, nearly 1.9 million people visited Japan, a remarkable 1,191% increase compared to the same month in the previous year, as reported by the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Despite a significant decrease in visitors from mainland China, which still has limitations on tourist exit visas, the number of visitors to Japan has seen a sharp resurgence. However, the current visitor numbers are still around 30% lower compared to 2019.
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