Packing for Tokyo 101: Pop quiz, hotshot

No. 2 pencils only. You will have three hours to complete this section.

Step 1: Gather every item of clothing you own.

Step 2: Assign each item to one of the following categories:

1) Goodwill: I don't want this anymore. Why do I even own this?

2) Take on the plane: I'll need this within 30 days of arriving.

3) First shipment: I don't need this right away, but I'll need it within three months, I think.

4) Second shipment: I'll need this at some point in the next three years.

5) Storage: I want to keep this, but I don't need it in Japan.

Categories 1 and 2 are fairly easy. (You'll have access to laundry, if that helps -- you can pack for a week and then wash everything four times.)

Category 3 is pretty much everything else you wear day-to-day, so again, not too hard.

4 and 5 are the toughies. Putting the Patrick Roy jersey in category 5 was a no-brainer, but asking yourself what clothes you need for three years is asking what your foreseeable future will be, and who knows? Will I need an evening gown? A suit? The white go-go boots that make such a great Halloween costume when paired with this mod dress? If I take the boots, do I need to take the white lipstick too?

And then there are the more existential questions: What kind of person do I want to be for the next three years? Do I want to keep dressing like a quasi-professional, or should I just live in jeans and CafePress T-shirts? Do I need 8 pairs of black slacks? (In D.C., the answer is no -- you should have at least 10 pairs.) Do these pants look exactly like ones that Stacy has, and is it creepy to take over Stacy's job AND dress just like her? (Moot point, it turns out, because the pants don't fit, but it's still a good question.)

Finished? Good. Now repeat this process for EVERYTHING YOU OWN.