Luggage Storage in Japan: Coin Lockers, Counters and Delivery

Checked out of your hotel but your flight is in the evening? Arriving by train and want to sightsee before check-in? Japan has three easy ways to deal with luggage: coin lockers, staffed storage counters, and luggage delivery. This guide explains each one, plus the shinkansen rule for large suitcases that catches many visitors out.

The short answer

A few hours, small or medium bag: use a coin locker at the station.
Large suitcase, or lockers are full: look for a staffed luggage storage counter at the station, or ask your hotel to keep it.
Moving between hotels or going to the airport: send the suitcase ahead with a luggage delivery service and travel light.
Taking a large suitcase on the Tokaido, Sanyo or Kyushu shinkansen: check the size rule below before you buy your ticket.

How coin lockers work

Coin lockers (コインロッカー, koin rokkā) are found at most train stations and many tourist facilities. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, they cost about 300 to 600 yen depending on the size.

Find a free locker. Lockers come in several sizes. Only the largest ones fit a big suitcase, and there are usually few of them.
Put your bag in and close the door. Many newer lockers have a touch screen with an English option.
Pay. Older lockers take coins only (often 100-yen coins). Many newer ones also accept IC cards such as Suica and ICOCA.
Keep the key, receipt or PIN. Depending on the locker, you get a key, a printed code, or you use your IC card again to open it.

Lockers usually charge per calendar day, and there is a maximum storage period. The rules are shown on the locker itself, so read the sign before you leave your bag. If you go over the limit, the contents may be removed and kept by the operator, and you will have to pay to get them back.

Fees and rules can change and differ by station and operator. Check the sign on the locker you use.

When the lockers are full

Lockers at busy stations, especially the large ones, can fill up early in the day. If you cannot find one:

Try another exit or floor. Big stations have several groups of lockers. Station maps usually show where they are.
Look for a staffed storage counter. Some large stations have a counter where staff keep your bags for a fee. These can also take suitcases that are too big for lockers.
Ask your hotel. Many hotels will keep your luggage before check-in and after check-out. Ask at the front desk.
Use the next station. Smaller stations nearby often have free lockers when the main station is full.

Sending your luggage ahead

Japan has a reliable luggage delivery system, often called takkyubin (宅急便). Instead of dragging your suitcase through stations, you hand it over and it arrives at your next hotel or at the airport.

From your hotel: major hotels can arrange delivery to your next hotel. Ask at the front desk.
From a convenience store: if your hotel does not offer it, some convenience stores accept luggage for delivery.
From the airport: Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports offer delivery from the airport to your hotel, so you can start sightseeing straight away.
To the airport: you can also send your bags to the airport ahead of your flight and pick them up there.

Look for counters with the Hands-Free Travel logo. The Japan National Tourism Organization says these certified counters offer multilingual support, delivery on the same day or on a set date, tracking, and compensation for loss or damage. Yamato Transport and JAL ABC are two of the companies that run them.

Plan for the delivery time. Delivery is often the next day or later, depending on when you drop off your bag and where it is going. Keep what you need for one night in a small bag with you.

Limits: as a guide, a single item should not be larger than 160 cm (length + width + height) or heavier than 25 to 30 kg, depending on the service. Valuables, fragile items, fresh food, liquids and dangerous goods are not accepted. Lighters and gas canisters cannot be shipped.

Large suitcases on the shinkansen

On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu shinkansen (for example Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka – Hiroshima – Fukuoka), there is a rule for large luggage. Size means length + width + height added together:

Total size	What you need to do
Up to 160 cm	Nothing. Use the overhead rack or keep it by your seat.
161 to 250 cm	Reserve a seat with an oversized baggage area, at no extra cost. Without a reservation you pay a 1,000-yen fee on board.
Over 250 cm	Not allowed on the train.

The oversized baggage area is the space behind the last row of seats in the car. These seats are limited, so book early, especially in busy seasons. You can choose them when you reserve online or at a ticket machine, or tell the staff at a ticket office that you have a large suitcase. Sports equipment, musical instruments, wheelchairs and strollers are exempt.

This rule applies to the lines above. Check the rules of other lines before you travel. If you would rather avoid it altogether, send your suitcase ahead by delivery service.

Practical tips

Have some 100-yen coins or a charged IC card ready. A Suica or ICOCA card makes paying for lockers easier.
Take a photo of the locker number and its location. In big stations it is easy to forget where you left your bag.
Keep your passport, medicine, chargers and valuables with you, not in the locker or the delivery bag.
Before a long train ride, our free map shows the nearest public toilets, including those in and around stations.

Before you go: get mobile data

Finding lockers, checking station maps and tracking a luggage delivery all work better with mobile data. A prepaid eSIM that you install before your flight is the simplest option for most visitors. Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM first.

Sources: Japan National Tourism Organization – Luggage & Storage, JR Group – Oversized baggage on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, Osaka International Airport – Delivery service. Checked on 4 November 2026.