Travel hands-free: sending your suitcase ahead

Japan's luggage delivery services, known as takkyubin, carry a suitcase from one hotel to the next while you travel light. Locals use them for skiing, golf and moving house. For visitors they make train days much easier: no lugging a 25 kg case up station stairs, no fighting for the oversized-baggage seat on the shinkansen, and no locker hunting on check-out day.

What it costs in 2026

Prices depend on the bag's size (length + width + height), its weight and the distance. These are Yamato Transport's published rates for a bag sent from the Kanto region (Tokyo) to the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto) or within the same region.

Yamato takes ¥100 off per parcel when you drop it at a Yamato office, an agency or a convenience store yourself. Hotels sometimes add a handling charge, and airport counters run by other companies set their own prices, usually in the same range. Some convenience stores cannot accept anything over size 180.

How to send a bag, step by step

1. Measure the bag. Add length, width and height including wheels and handles. That number decides the price band.
2. Choose where to send it from: your hotel's front desk is easiest. Convenience stores (most 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson branches handle Yamato or Sagawa) and Yamato offices also work.
3. Fill in the delivery slip: your next hotel's name, address and phone number, your name exactly as on the booking, and the check-in date. Copy the address from the booking confirmation, in Japanese if possible.
4. Pick a delivery date and time slot if offered. Ask for the day before or the day of check-in.
5. Pay. Hotels often add it to your bill. Convenience stores take cash and usually cards.
6. Keep the receipt. The tracking number on it lets you check progress on the carrier's English site.

Timing

• Between major cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka): usually next day, often arriving in the evening.
• Airport to hotel: often the same evening in central Tokyo, otherwise next day.
• Hotel to airport: send it at least two days before your flight, and three to be safe for an early morning departure.
• Further away (Hokkaido, Okinawa) or during Golden Week, Obon and New Year: allow an extra day or two.

Luggage options compared

Worked example: Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka with two suitcases

Estimate Two medium (size 160) bags, Yamato rates, October 2026, ¥100 drop-off discount not applied.

That is real money, so be selective. Kyoto to Osaka is a 15 to 30 minute train ride with lifts at both main stations; many people carry bags on that leg and only forward the long Tokyo–Kyoto one, which is where the shinkansen oversized-baggage rules bite.

Tell your next hotel

Send a short message to say a bag is arriving before your check-in. Most hotels are happy to hold it, but some, especially small guesthouses and apartment rentals with no staff, cannot accept deliveries. Ask in advance, and never send a bag to a self-check-in property without confirmation.

When it is worth it

• Moving between cities by shinkansen with big bags, and avoiding the oversized luggage booking.
• Staying somewhere with stairs, such as a ryokan or a small guesthouse.
• Overnight detours between hotels, for example Tokyo to Kyoto via a night in Hakone with only a day bag.
• Arrival day: sending bags from the airport lets you ride the train into the city light. See your first three hours in Japan.

How to measure your bag

Couriers price by the sum of length, width and height, measured at the widest points including wheels, handles and anything strapped on, and by weight. Measure at home with a tape so there are no surprises at the counter.

• A typical cabin bag (about 55 × 40 × 25 cm) adds up to about 120 cm.
• A medium checked bag (about 65 × 45 × 28 cm) adds up to about 138 cm, so size 140; slightly bigger cases tip into size 160.
• A large checked bag (about 75 × 50 × 30 cm) adds up to about 155 cm before wheels, so usually size 160 or 180.

The same measurement decides whether you need an oversized-baggage seat on the shinkansen: anything over 160 cm does.

Airport delivery counters

Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports all have luggage delivery counters in the arrivals halls, usually run by Yamato (TA-Q-BIN), Sagawa or JAL ABC. They also run the reverse service: send your bags to the airport a few days before you fly and collect them at the counter in the departures hall before check-in.

1. On arrival, find the counter after customs, fill in the slip with your hotel's details and pay.
2. Before departure, send the bag from your hotel or a convenience store to the airport counter for your terminal, with your flight number and date.
3. At the airport, show the receipt at the counter, collect the bag and check it in as normal.

Useful words on the slip

Common mistakes

• Underestimating the size. Wheels and handles count. A "26 inch" case is often over 160 cm.
• Sending to the airport too late. One day is not enough margin.
• Packing valuables, batteries or liquids that leak. Keep passports, cash, electronics and power banks with you.
• Using a name that does not match the hotel booking. The hotel may not accept the bag.

FAQ