r/kendo • u/thatitalianboie • 24d ago
Brining new Bogu by plane in Japan
Hey guys, I will be going to Japan next week and my sensei suggested bcs I wanted to buy a bogu and he told me that would be smart to buy it there bcs he said it's cheaper.
My question is, how does is work to bring a new bogu with the plane to Europe.
Thanks for the help already!
8
u/JoeDwarf 24d ago
Depends on your budget. If this is your first bogu and you are buying something entry level, odds are they will fit you from off the shelf stuff and you can take it back with you. If you are buying something nicer then you probably will have to wait for it to be made, it can take up to 3 months typically so they would just ship it to you.
If this is your first bogu, I assume you will also be buying a bogu bag, in which case you can pack the bogu into the bag and then just take it as checked luggage.
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u/thatitalianboie 24d ago
It's actually my first bogu! So ur answer answered all my questions! Thanks a lot! :)
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u/Vercin 24d ago
check the airline sport goods rules and prices .. there should not be an issue. People that go skiing for example carry way larger gear bags.
Compare to getting it shipped, EMS if available for your country should be affordable and probobly cheaper than the airline as well.
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u/thatitalianboie 24d ago
I just checked with the airline that I can bring it back then :). Thanks for the help!
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u/Kaiserbread 24d ago
They have these things called suitcases, you can put all kinds of stuff in it! Also you can go and buy something off the shelves as is, but if you want to get proper measured and sized they then have to make it so then you'd just get it shipped to you, probably better fitting bogu and you don't have to deal with carrying it.
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u/thatitalianboie 24d ago
I am going backpacking so a suitcase is not an option. My sensei got a friend in Osaka who will be helping me to buy it but thanks for the advice:)
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u/AsianEiji 24d ago edited 24d ago
tbh the main thing to really look for is the men.... that is the single most important piece of your kit so be picky on it. Wide stitching on the men is better protection 2.5-3bu while narrower 1.0-2.0 is for looks. As for machine stitching.... dont go lower than 2mm, ill pick 3-4mm tbh.
For the head I recommend going for more protection. I would also buy the extra padding that you slip into the men in case you need more (depends on your dojo if you have any hard hitters which you really dont know till you actually don your bogu). And get the right size tennugi, bigger head folks have it hard.
Everything else can just be comfort and looks.....
Carry on luggage I recommend if only the bogu bag. If you want checked luggage your going to need a luggage case to protect it against from getting crushed by other bags and thrown around (ill add more padding to the sides also).
You can also ship via post office to save you the headache (check your country import laws first though).
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u/itomagoi 24d ago
As someone who has been living in Japan for a while, unfortunately my experience with the Japanese post office has been that it has become more expensive and more of a hassle, esp. in the past year. That's not necessarily a Japan thing, from the explanation international shipping rules have tightened and they're just conforming to those. Also do keep in mind post office staff most likely have very poor conversational English.
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u/Meniac67 6d ago
Take a second bag in the hold with your bogu without further declarations. I traveled a lot with my bogu during my business trips. In Asia (Japan, Vietnam, Singapore) and in Europe Germany and France. Never had a problem with customs. It doesn't have to be packaged like a new bogu, that's all. It's sports equipment. On the other hand, it is better to have the shinai/bokuto loaned on site, because it is difficult to transport and depends on the conditions of the airlines.
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u/Great_White_Samurai 24d ago
Probably easier to just have it shipped home. It will still be cheap since the yen is in the shitter.