Sending luggage to the airport before your flight
You land back at the airport tired and want to walk in with one light bag.
Food, etiquette and daily basics
Sending luggage between hotels: what to check
You are tired of dragging suitcases across cities and want to know if sending them ahead is safe.
Sending luggage between Japan hotels is safe and routine, and it works best when you plan it as part of the itinerary. Check the size limits, the receiving hotel and the timing. Then carry an overnight bag and travel light.
Here is the checklist.
Who can send luggage for you?
Most major hotels can arrange luggage delivery between hotels, and guests of other places can drop bags at a designated convenience store for onward delivery 1. Ask the front desk how to send bags to your next destination.
Our takkyubin glossary entry explains the service, a luggage delivery service between hotels or airports.
What are the size, weight and content rules?
Items must not exceed 160 linear cm and must weigh within 25 to 30 kg, and contents must be worth less than 300,000 yen 2. Valuables, fragile items, fresh products, liquids and dangerous or hazardous materials are not accepted 3.
Weigh your bags at home. Keep medicine, electronics and valuables with you.
What about timing and delivery windows?
Delivery can be same-day or at a designated date and time 2. Yamato Transport advises that luggage should arrive at least one day before your stay, and the receiving hotel must work with Yamato and accept luggage at the front desk 4.
So confirm with both hotels, then send a day ahead. The hotel can tell you its own cut-off time, since we have no verified national cut-off.
How do you pack an overnight bag?
Pack one small bag per person for the night after a move. Include these items.
- Passport, phone, charger and medicine.
- One change of clothes and sleepwear.
- Toiletries for one night.
- A warm layer, in cold months.
- Snacks or comfort items for children and elders.
For more on light packing, read packing light for multi-city Japan.
When are coin lockers better?
Coin lockers suit a day when you leave the hotel and return to the same city. They cost between 300 and 600 yen depending on size 5. See coin lockers versus station storage.
For the airport, read luggage forwarding to the airport before your flight and airport luggage forwarding to the hotel.
How does this fit a multi-city itinerary?
Plan sends on the days you change cities. With grandparents, send bags on every move. Our luggage transfer complexity scale and grandparents guide help you count.
Send us your hotel order and we mark each send day for you.
Send us your hotel order and dates. We mark where luggage delivery helps, the day to send, and what to keep in the overnight bag, then write it into your itinerary.
Keep planning
Coin lockers or staffed luggage storage
You have a big suitcase, a few free hours before check-in and no idea where to leave it.
Packing light for a multi-city Japan trip
You are moving between cities, and every extra kilo has to be carried up a station staircase.
Sending luggage from the airport to your hotel
You land with heavy cases and tired children, and you would rather arrive with a day bag.
Japan with grandparents, fewer bag transfers
You keep picturing a parent on a station staircase, suitcase in hand.
Takkyubin, Japan's luggage forwarding
You dread dragging suitcases through stations, and wonder if someone can carry them ahead.
Questions travellers ask
How do I send luggage from one hotel to the next in Japan?
Ask your hotel front desk. JNTO says most major hotels can arrange delivery between hotels. Confirm that the next hotel accepts the bag, give the arrival date and keep the tracking slip. If you stay in a smaller place, a convenience store can also take the bag for onward delivery.
How much time should I allow for delivery?
Yamato advises that luggage should arrive at least one day before your stay, so send it a day ahead. JNTO notes delivery can be same-day or at a set date and time. Ask the hotel for its cut-off time, because we have no verified national cut-off.
What are the size and weight limits?
JNTO lists items up to 160 linear cm, within 25 to 30 kg, and worth under 300,000 yen. Valuables, fragile items, fresh products, liquids and hazardous materials are not accepted. Weigh each bag at home and keep valuables with you.
What do I carry myself?
Pack an overnight bag with medicine, passport, phone charger, one change of clothes, and anything you need on the travel day. Send the rest. With grandparents or children, keep their comfort items in the bag you carry.
Sources
Figures are checked against these sources and dated so you can see how current they are.
- Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Luggage and Storageaccessed 2026-10-20
- JNTO, Luggage and Storageaccessed 2026-10-20
- JNTO, Luggage and Storageaccessed 2026-10-20
- Yamato Transport FAQaccessed 2026-10-20
- JNTO, Luggage and Storageaccessed 2026-10-20
Ready to shape your Japan trip?
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and what you hope to see. We will reply with ideas and a tailored quote.