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Most hotels in Japan have very strict check-in and check-out times, so what do you do with your bags if you’re flight arrives early or leaves late? Or, if you’re staying in an Airbnb where you can’t leave your bags with reception – what then? Here’s our guide to your options.
I see this question come up a lot in Japan groups, and the good news is, there are a few more answers to this question in Japan than there might be in other countries, so, here are your options.
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Leave Your Bag at Your Hotel
If you arrive early at a hotel in many countries, and your room is available, they will usually let you check in early. This rarely happens in Japan – I’ve had it only once, despite staying in over 30 different hotels. Most Japanese hotels are very strict with their check-in time (typically 3 p.m, sometimes 2 p.m) and their check-out time (normally 11 a.m), however, even if they won’t let you check in, they will usually take your bag for storage.
Depending on the type of hotel you’re staying in, this will either be in a designated luggage room or, if you’re in a business hotel, there might be a side room or luggage space with cords to secure your luggage for security.
For most people, this will be the easiest thing to do with your luggage if you arrive early or want to leave your bags after check-out. However, if you are staying in a hotel that doesn’t offer luggage storage or have booked an Airbnb where there is no one to receive your bags, you may need an alternative option. So, what then?
Hire a Nearby Coin Locker
People talk about how many vending machines there are in Japan, but there are also thousands of coin lockers that allow you to stash luggage while you go about your day.
These come in a variety of sizes. The older ones have keys and take cash, so you’ll need coins, but, increasingly, they are being fitted with electronic locking systems, which means you can also pay with a credit card, or IC cards like Suica – if you find one of these and have Suica on your phone, you can even pay with that. You then use codes, or your card, to unlock the locker at the end of the time.
The cost depends on the size of the locker, but expect to pay around 300-400 yen for a small locker, which is big enough for a small backpack and around 700 yen for suitcase-sized lockers. The bigger and busier the station, the more lockers they are likely to have – but also, the more likely it is that the suitcase size lockers might be taken. The fee runs from midnight to midnight.
Related Read: Dealing with Luggage at Tokyo Disney Resort.
There are a couple of ways to find out if your station has lockers and where they are located. If you are hoping to use a Tokyo Metro Station, each station has an online map which shows you what’s there, and these have lockers marked on them. If you’re going to a smaller station outside of the metro area, I use Google Maps and look at pictures of the station to see if I can spot a bank of lockers. Sadly, neither map can tell you if the lockers are empty.
Once you’ve locked your bag away, make sure you know exactly where the locker is located in the station. There can be lots of them, and they can all look the same. I usually take a photo of it, so I can make sure I remember the number, but this also puts a pin in the map that you can use to find your way back if you do get confused.
Baggage Storage
If you prefer to hand your bag to a human, you can find baggage storage rooms, and the benefit of these is that you can book these in advance, so you always know there is space and exactly where you’re dropping off, which might be easier than trying to find a coin locker for a large suitcase.
Related Read: How to Pack Light For Japan
You can also use these for multiple days. So, if you’re checking out of your hotel in Tokyo, for example, nipping off to Kyoto for four days, then coming back to go to the airport, and you don’t want to take all your bags with you, using a baggage storage service can hold your bags for you.
You’ll usually find these around big transport hubs, or, check out Radical Storage, who have locations around Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and more. Their stores charge from 600 yen per bag per day.
Each store has a maximum amount of time they will store for, but the nice thing about the way Radical Storage works is that, you can choose a store and type in your timings, and, if it’s over the maximum for that location, they will show you the closest place that can help you.
If you’re visiting a smaller town, these services may not be available, but the Tourist Information Office might offer storage options. This is the case for Okunoshima (Rabbit Island), for example; there are no lockers, you can pay to leave your bags with the staff at the island office at the ferry terminal.
Luggage Shipping
You don’t have to carry your luggage at all if you don’t want to. Luggage shipping is a fantastic Japanese service that can deliver your luggage to or from the airport or send it to your next hotel. This means you can travel hands-free.
Delivery From the Airport
If you’re arriving at Haneda and staying in Tokyo, services such as JAL delivery will send your luggage to your hotel on the same day (if you arrive before the cut-off time). See full details in our guide to the service.
If you’re flying into Narita, deliveries can be made that day or the next. Again, the earlier you drop your bags, the more likely it is that you’ll get same-day delivery. See here for counter drop off options.
Shipping Between Hotels
You can also send luggage from the hotel you’re checking out of to your next hotel. Depending on the destination, companies say that it will take 24-48 hours for your bag to arrive at the next destination; it’s usually closer to the former, especially if you use my strategy below.
Related Read: Rules for Traveling with Luggage on the Shinkansen.
Prices vary depending on the size of the bag and the distance it’s travelling. Shipping from Nagoya to Osaka, for example, costs 1850 yen for my bag, which is just slightly over cabin-sized, and 2190 yen for Mr Japanase’s medium-sized suitcase. See more about using luggage shipping here.
My Luggage Shipping Strategy.
I usually send my luggage the afternoon or evening before I check out. I ask what time the last pickup of the day is, and make sure my luggage is at reception, ready to go by then.
There are a few reasons why I do it this way. I usually move on early, so I’d pack that night anyway, as I hate rushing in the morning. You should keep an overnight bag with you in case the bag is delayed, so I wouldn’t have packed the things I need for the extra night anyway. But most importantly, it gives my bag a 17-hour head start over dropping it first thing. When I wake up in the morning, I can check its location (I put a tracker like an AirTag in it so I know where it is), and it’s usually at least halfway to my destination.
Shipping Back to the Airport
You can send luggage back to the airport, but it’s not a good idea to do so too soon before your flight. If your luggage is delayed, you may have to leave Japan without it, and it won’t be forwarded to you. This is why, even though I love sending my luggage ahead during my trip, I, personally, would never ship it to the airport.
If you are braver than I, though, send it 48-72 hours before your flight is due to depart. Also, check the office hours carefully if you have an early or late flight to ensure they are open when you need to pick up items.
So, that’s the main options for leaving your bags in Japan, allowing you to head out sightseeing as soon as possible, or make the most of the last few hours of your trip in this wonderful country.
Some of the images in this post are AI-generated, as it’s really hard to find pictures of people wheeling suitcases, and there’s none of me doing so in my library!! I promise that I have both dragged my suitcase around the streets, left it at the hotel, stashed it in a locker, handed it over in a tourist information office in a tiny town – and sent it on via luggage shipping in the past, though.
