"Things you'll miss....." Top 5 Page for this destination Osaka Packing List Tip by Hewer

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Women: All clothes. My wife complains about this all the time. She has given up trying to buy clothes here because the sizes are too small.
Men: Footwear if you have large feet, i.e. larger than 10, 26 or 42 (depending on which size scale you use.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: 1. Anti-perspirant deodorant and toothpaste. Deodorant here is weak and doesn't last long. The toothpaste is grainy and doesn't work as well.
2. Contraceptives.

Photo Equipment: Digital cameras and tripods are cheaper here. When I bought a new digicam last year and I compared prices for the same model in Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. Japan won hands down. Tripods are almost a joke, they are so cheap. I just bought a SLIK SDV-10 for 1500 yen (USD14).

Miscellaneous: Here are some tips for people coming to Osaka on a long term-basis.

There are numerous grocery items that are difficult to obtain here or are only available in specialist import shops. In other cases, they are just too expensive. A common talking point among expats is where you can obtain certain food, drinks etc.

Cereal, oatmeal, baked beans, flavoured milk, soda pop (other than coke and a few unuusal local varieties) and good quality tomato ketchup.

Here are some things that are noticeably cheaper (I am comparing to Australia, Canada and the UK). Don't bring any of the following, as they will be cheaper here (even if you are buying them duty free):

Cigarettes, spirits (whiskey, vodka, bourbon), wine, men's ties, stationery, electronic devices. All of these things are cheaper in Japan. Canadian Club is half the price in Japan that you pay in tax-obsessed Canada. It's all about the tax, baby.

Good luck!