Dealing with luggage when traveling in Japan

Airport arrival and departure

With the jet lag and long flight times, you may want to unload your suitcases so that you're hands-free when first arriving in the country. To do this, send your suitcases directly to your accommodation using the Takkyubin (or Ta-Q-Bin) delivery service. There will be a counter for this service at the airport.

Takkyubin has the advantage of not requiring a reservation and, in some cases, delivering your bags the same day.

Takkyubin delivery services for luggage in Japan

Luggage on trains and Shinkansen

Train travel is a staple of transportation for those living in Japan and those visiting Japan. For those visiting and carrying around luggage, it's important to know how to handle and store your luggage when using said trains!

For Shinkansen bullet trains and other specialized express trains (such as the Narita Express or Skyliner), there are designated areas for storing luggage. It's important to note, however, that there are special rules for luggage storage that need to be followed.

On these Shinkansen bullet trains, luggage that measures over 160 cm in total dimension (L+W+H) is considered "oversized baggage," and thus, must be placed in one of these two storage spots:

• Oversized luggage compartment: Located between train cars that require no reservation
• Oversized luggage area: Located behind the back seats of the train car that require a reservation for the seat, which, in turn, comes with access to the storage area.

Luggage under 160 cm is able to be placed in the overhead compartment above the Shinkansen train car seats. A breakdown of what is and isn't allowed with luggage can be seen in the table breakdown below:

Using coin lockers for luggage when traveling

When visiting Japan, coin lockers are essential in a number of circumstances:

• It's preferable to travel light and store your heavier bags in a locker while leaving a "base camp" city for a day or several days.
• The luggage lockers let you get the most out of your day without becoming weighed down, whether you're arriving at the airport early or departing late.
• You only need to bring the necessities when you are going from one city to another.
• The lockers are ideal for leaving the majority of your possessions in order to try the experience of spending a night in a capsule hotel, which is naturally small.
• According to the Japanese model, you may keep your goods in a locker area throughout a shopping session while you take a break or continue shopping.

Coin lockers are useful while you're on the go for whatever reason. Additionally, it's typically easy to locate one near you because of their vast quantity.

A central touch panel with an English-language interface controls more modern lockers. After choosing a free locker from the list on the screen, fill it with your items and shut the door. When you return to the screen, you can choose to pay with cash (coins and banknotes) or a prepaid card like Pasmo or Suica. The machine generates a ticket with a PIN code for cash payments. Enter this code on the screen or scan the IC card used to pay to retrieve your luggage.

Envie d'en apprendre plus sur le Japon ? Abonnez-vous à notre newsletter et suivez-nous sur Instagram.