Japan Luggage Forwarding: How Takkyubin Works, Cost and Timing

Japan luggage forwarding (takkyubin, also called takuhaibin) lets you send a suitcase from one hotel, airport or address to the next. Most routes on Honshu arrive the next day, a Tokyo to Kyoto suitcase costs around ¥3,200 (about US$20) as of 2026, and you travel in the meantime with a small bag.

This guide covers how to book it, what it costs, how long it takes, the size limits and what to keep out of the case. It also explains when a coin locker is the better choice, with a sample route through Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka.

What is luggage forwarding in Japan?

Takkyubin is a door-to-door parcel service, and suitcases are among the things it carries. Yamato Transport's TA-Q-BIN, easily recognised by its black cat (kuroneko), is the best-known brand. Takuhaibin is the generic Japanese word for the same kind of delivery, so you will see both on signs and forms.

In practice it means you can spend a few days on trains with a daypack, and your main case waits for you at the next hotel.

How to forward your luggage between hotels

Step by step

1. Ask at hotel reception whether they can arrange a shipment.
2. Hand over the suitcase.
3. Fill in the waybill (denpyo) with the delivery details: hotel name, full address, phone number and your arrival date.
4. Pay the amount requested.

Do it the evening before you leave, or early on the morning of departure, so the case has the whole day to travel.

Check your next hotel first

Write to the next accommodation before you send anything and confirm it accepts luggage ahead of your arrival. Most hotels hold bags on the arrival day, but not all of them do. Small staffless apartments, capsule hotels and little hostels often refuse because they have no space.

If the answer is no, have the case delivered to a Yamato service counter near where you are staying, or to a partner convenience store (konbini), and collect it yourself when it suits you. Yamato publishes a list of counters.

How to pay

Big hotels and airports usually accept Visa and Mastercard. At a small neighbourhood konbini, bring cash or a transport card instead.

Keep the name and full address of the next hotel written out, in Japanese if you can. A missing room number or a half-spelled street name is the usual reason a parcel is late.

How long does Japan luggage forwarding take, and what does it cost?

Most routes on Honshu arrive the next day. Tokyo to Kyoto takes about 25 hours, so plan to spend one night without your suitcase and carry an overnight bag.

Rates are not fixed. They rise with the size of the case and the distance, and carriers change them, so check the carrier page or ask at the counter before you go. Dollar amounts here use about ¥160 per US$ (October 2026).

Some services let you choose a delivery date up to seven days after drop-off, which helps when you plan to explore one region for a week without your big case. Not every service offers it, so ask when you book. Then count the days back from your hotel check-in, not forward from the drop-off.

Size and weight limits

Yamato's largest size class takes up to 200 cm total (length + width + height) and 30 kg, with no single side over 170 cm, as of August 2026. Cheaper size classes and some services stop at 160 cm and 25 to 30 kg, so measure and weigh the case before you go to the counter.

A typical large check-in suitcase sits near the top of the range, which is why the weigh-in matters. Being turned away at the counter wastes a morning you wanted for sightseeing.

Compensation for loss or damage goes up to ¥300,000 (about US$1,900) per parcel. You need to claim within 14 days and keep the receipt stub, so don't throw it out on the platform.

Forwarding luggage from the airport

Some major airports have takkyubin counters where you can send luggage to a hotel. It is handy when your room is only ready late in the afternoon: you leave the case at the airport, head into town with a small bag and start sightseeing at once.

Options and delivery times differ by airport, counter and destination. Same-day delivery exists on some routes, with conditions, and each counter has its own drop-off cut-off, so check the time before you land. If you miss it, go straight to the hotel and ask them to hold the case. Yamato's Hands-Free Travel page lists the counters aimed at visitors.

Sample route: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka

Take a classic first-time itinerary. You send the large case from Tokyo straight to your Kyoto hotel, then ride out to Hakone with a lighter bag. You enjoy the onsen town without hauling anything up its hills, collect the suitcase in Kyoto, and carry on to Osaka.

This works best when you use trains often or change base several times. Leave a margin, though. Avoid making an important stage depend on a delivery that must land on the exact day you leave, because a delay then has nowhere to go.

Planning several cities? Our local experts for Japan can build the luggage and train legs into your trip to Japan. If this is your first visit, the first trip to Japan itinerary shows how the stages fit together.

Coin lockers and luggage storage

Forwarding and storage solve different problems.

A coin locker costs roughly ¥400 to ¥700 per day (about US$2.50 to US$4.50) depending on size, as of December 2025: around ¥400 for small, ¥500 for medium and up to ¥700 for large. See japan-guide's coin locker prices for the detail. The price repeats for every day you leave the bag. A fee shown on the door is one day of use, not unlimited rental.

Modern lockers work with IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, Icoca), and your card becomes the key. Older ones take 100-yen coins only, and foreign bank cards almost never work. Large suitcases may not fit at all, and big lockers in busy stations go fast. For those, look for staffed storage, such as the services listed under Hands-Free Travel.

Two warnings. After three or four days the station staff empty the locker and move the case to the railway's lost property warehouse. And if you lose the key or ticket, go to the locker management office with your passport, describe the contents exactly, and expect a penalty of ¥1,500 to ¥3,000 (about US$9 to US$19) on top of the fee.

In big stations, note which locker area you used the moment you drop the bag. Some stations have several, and they all look alike when you come back tired. More planning help sits in our Japan travel guides.

What not to put in a forwarded suitcase

Keep these with you: passport, money, bank cards, medication, important electronics and valuables. Pack one night's essentials too (toiletries, a change of clothes, chargers), because the case may arrive later than planned.

Restricted items include fragile goods, certain liquids, fresh food and dangerous goods. Conditions depend on the carrier and the service, so ask at the counter if you are unsure.

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