Sponsored Links marked “Sponsored” on this page are ads. If you book through one, Traveln may receive a referral fee. The comparison treats the options that pay us nothing (the hotel desk, lockers, other storage companies and delivery) in the same way.
Hotel desk, coin locker, storage shop or delivery? It depends on where you are going and how big your bag is. Answer one or two questions.
What do you need to do with your bags?
Five ways compared
Hotel front desk
- Rough price
- No set price. Many hotels do it for guests at no charge; ask yours.
- How to use it
- Ask at the front desk before check-in or after check-out. You usually get a tag to collect your bag.
- Good for
- The morning you arrive and the afternoon you leave.
- Watch out for
- Some small inns and private rentals have no staff to keep bags, so ask before you go. Do not leave valuables in the bag.
Coin locker
- Rough price
- Small ones about ¥300–500 a day. The largest, which a big suitcase needs, about ¥900–1,200 (railway price tables).
- How to use it
- At stations and sights. Many take IC cards such as Suica as well as coins. No booking; some JR East lockers can be reserved on a phone up to a month ahead.
- Good for
- Small bags, for a few hours, near a station.
- Watch out for
- Few lockers fit a big suitcase, and busy stations fill up early. Another day’s fee is added after midnight (at Tokyu, after 2:00).
Luggage storage shops (book online)
- Rough price
- Radical Storage ¥750–850 a bag a day at the Tokyo shops listed, plus a protection fee per bag (¥370 at its Shinjuku Station shop). ecbo cloak ¥500 a bag and ¥800 a suitcase (¥1,000 at JR stations and some others). Bounce from ¥275; the Tokyo shops we saw ¥500–1,200.
- How to use it
- Shops, cafés and hotels that keep bags. Book on the company’s website or app, then show the booking at the shop.
- Good for
- Big suitcases, days when lockers are full, and leaving bags near the places you visit.
- Watch out for
- Each shop has its own opening hours. ecbo cloak takes up to 20 kg a bag. Each company limits what it pays if a bag is lost or damaged, so do not leave valuables.
Send it ahead (hands-free delivery)
- Rough price
- A big suitcase about ¥2,600–3,200 within the same or the next region; farther costs more (Yamato’s price table; size 140–160 means length + width + height of 140–160 cm).
- How to use it
- At an airport counter (look for the Hands-Free Travel mark), your hotel’s front desk or a convenience store. Show the name and address of the hotel it goes to.
- Good for
- Moving to the next city, the day you fly home, and families with many bags.
- Watch out for
- It usually arrives the next day. Some airports deliver the same day if you hand it in by the morning (Kansai Airport: by 10:00, delivered after 18:00). No valuables, fragile items or liquids.
Carry it with you
- Rough price
- Free. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, a bag over 160 cm (length + width + height) needs a seat with a baggage area, booked when you buy the ticket; without one, ¥1,000.
- How to use it
- Avoid weekday rush hours, about 7:30–9:30 and 17:30–19:30 (they differ by line).
- Good for
- Light bags, and travel outside rush hours.
- Watch out for
- Stairs and crowded trains are hard with a big suitcase. Stand by the door and keep it at your feet.
Prices and rules differ by place and change. The prices here were read on each company’s or railway’s page on the date below. Check at the counter or on the company’s own page before you go.
Sources (checked 2026-10-17)
- JNTO — Luggage storage
- JR East — Station coin lockers (in Japanese)
- Tokyu Railways — Coin lockers (in Japanese)
- JR Kyushu — Coin locker prices, as of 2026-08-28 (in Japanese)
- Radical Storage — Luggage storage in Tokyo
- Radical Storage — Shinjuku Train Station
- ecbo cloak — Pricing
- Bounce — Luggage storage near Tokyo Station
- Yamato Transport — TA-Q-BIN rates (in Japanese)
- Yamato Transport — TA-Q-BIN sizes (in Japanese)
- Yamato Transport — Kansai Airport baggage counter, July 2026 (in Japanese)
- JR Central — Oversized baggage on the Shinkansen