Store or forward your luggage

For sightseeing before check-in, ask your booked hotel about storage or compare a station locker and staffed counter. For a city change, delivery may save you from carrying a large suitcase through transfers. Make the choice from when you need the bag, not just its weight.

Storage keeps the bag at one place; delivery moves it but takes time. Neither availability nor hotel acceptance is automatic. A small overnight bag can make a one-night detour easier if the courier schedule and receiving hotel allow it.

Find a locker that fits without forcing the door. Check the posted fee, charging cycle, maximum storage period and hours when the area is accessible. A locker inside ticket gates can be awkward if you return without a valid ticket. If large lockers are full, use a staffed counter or ask your hotel.

Do not assume every locker is open around the clock or accepts the same payment method. Photograph the location and locker number for yourself, and keep the receipt or key. Never leave an unattended bag beside a full locker bank.

Before sending to the next hotel, ask whether it accepts courier luggage for your booking and on which dates. Give the name used on the reservation, arrival date and bag count. For an unstaffed apartment, do not assume a courier can leave the bag; arrange an eligible staffed collection point with the carrier instead.

A confirmed recipient prevents a bag arriving where nobody can accept it. Domestic residents sending to home should likewise choose an arrival date when it can be received. A convenience store that accepts outgoing parcels is not automatically a luggage pickup point.

Measure and weigh the bag, then ask the counter to confirm the service, fee and expected arrival. Fill out the waybill or supported online form with the receiving address and contact details; describe the contents accurately. Keep the tracking number and sender’s receipt until collection.

Keep your passport, cash, valuables, essential medication, chargers and enough clothes with you. A closed suitcase is not a promise that every item inside is acceptable; check the carrier’s exclusions, packing rules and compensation limits.

Hotel delivery is not automatically same-day; availability and transit time depend on origin, destination, cutoff and service. For Yamato’s standard Airport TA-Q-BIN, the published sending deadline is generally at least two days before departure, or three in some areas. Confirm the actual counter’s deadline and eligible airport.

Airport delivery has a separate collection process. Sending it “to the airport” is not enough: check the terminal, counter, opening hours and flight details. Keep what you need until departure, and allow time to collect before airline check-in.

Check the operator’s rules for the actual train. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags whose three dimensions total more than 160 cm and up to 250 cm require the appropriate oversized-baggage seat reservation. A large suitcase being airline-compliant does not settle its train requirements.

Keep doors and aisles clear and secure wheels. Do not use the space behind another seat without the required reservation. If suitable space is unavailable, ask about another train or delivery; do not rely on paying a fee to guarantee boarding.