Guide · 2 min read ·
Sending Luggage in Japan: Takkyubin, Hotel to Hotel
In Japan your suitcase can travel on its own. Hand it in at the hotel desk in the evening, and it’s waiting at the next hotel, often the next day, while you ride the train with a day bag.
In short
- Hand the suitcase in at the hotel desk or a Yamato office; no booking needed.
- It arrives as early as the next day, so pack one night’s things in a small bag.
- A size-160 case from Tokyo Station to a Kyoto hotel costs from ¥3,160.
- To the airport: send it two days before the flight and collect it at the counter.
Why send your suitcase ahead
Trains are busy, stations have long stairs, and on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen a bag over 160 cm needs a seat booked with luggage space. Sending it ahead makes a moving day light.
How locals do it: Japanese travellers send skis, golf bags and suitcases this way, from hotel to hotel.
How to send it
Ask at the hotel desk, ideally the evening before, or take it to a Yamato office or station counter.
Fill in the slip: the next hotel’s address and phone, the name on your booking, and the date you arrive.
Hand it over and pay. Keep the receipt: it carries the tracking number.
Travel with a day bag. It arrives as early as the next day.
Ask the hotel first whether it can accept a bag for you, and on which day. What you hand in at an office by about 6 pm is delivered the next day.
Sizes and prices
¥3,160 — A size-160 case, Tokyo Station to a Kyoto hotel, next day: Yamato’s price before discounts
- Size is length, width and height added up: up to 160 cm and 25 kg is size 160.
- Anything over size 200 or 30 kg, a surfboard for example, isn’t taken. Skis and mountain gear are.
- The price grows with size and distance.
To the airport, two days ahead
Airport takkyubin carries your bag to the airport for the flight home. Send it two days before you fly, three from some areas, and collect it at the airport counter on the day.
- Yamato suggests collecting it between three hours and one hour before boarding.
- The counter closes at night: outside its hours you can’t collect.
- Delivery to the airport has no time slots and no pay-on-arrival.
Common mistake: Sending off the suitcase with your passport or tomorrow’s clothes still inside. Pack the day bag first.
Sources
- Hands-free travel with TA-Q-BIN — Yamato Transport
- Airport TA-Q-BIN — Yamato Transport
- When to collect a bag sent to the airport — Yamato Transport
- Hands-free travel FAQ — Yamato Transport
- Oversized baggage on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen — JR Central
Read next
- Trains and Shinkansen: Manners and Luggage
- JR Pass or Single Tickets? Doing the Sums
- Tax-Free Shopping in Japan Under the 2026 Refund System
Plan your days
The planner shows these tips at each stop of your trip, offline too.
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