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Transit & logisticsLuggage forwarding in Japan means handing your suitcase to your hotel's front desk or a convenience store and having a courier deliver it to your next hotel, usually the next day, for roughly ¥2,500–2,700 for a standard large suitcase between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka as of 2026. The service is called takkyubin (Yamato Transport brands it TA-Q-BIN, with a black cat logo), and it lets you ride the Shinkansen with just a day bag.
Published September 20, 2026
Ask the front desk the evening before you check out. Almost every hotel in Japan handles takkyubin and keeps the waybill forms; staff will usually help fill them in. You'll need the full address and phone number of the next hotel, the name the booking is under, and your check-in date, which you write in the delivery-date field so the bag isn't sent before the hotel is expecting you.
You can also drop bags at a Yamato sales office or at many convenience stores. Payment is usually cash or card at the counter; at hotels, it's sometimes added to your room bill or paid in cash on the spot.
Price depends on size (the sum of length, width and height), weight and distance. Yamato's size bands run from 60 to 200; a typical checked suitcase falls in the 160 size: up to 160 cm total and 25 kg. If either size or weight goes over, the bag moves to the larger band.
As of 2026, travel guides quoting Yamato's rate table put a 160-size suitcase from the Tokyo area to Kyoto or Osaka at around ¥2,500–2,700, with smaller carry-on-size bags cheaper. Yamato offers ¥100 off when you drop the parcel at a convenience store, agency or sales office, and ¥100 off each extra parcel to the same address. Rates change, so check Yamato's calculator before you go. Each parcel is insured up to ¥300,000.
Between Japan's main cities, a bag sent in the morning usually arrives the next day. Longer hops, such as to Hokkaido or Okinawa, can take two days. Delivery is not guaranteed next-day for every address, so the safe pattern is to pack a small overnight bag and plan to be without your suitcase for one night.
Hotel front desks set their own pickup cut-offs, often the morning or early afternoon. Since November 10, 2025, Yamato has also offered a paid same-day option for parcels dropped at a sales office by 12:00, at the standard fare plus ¥550, but it covers limited areas and excludes Airport TA-Q-BIN, so it's not the standard choice for travelers.
Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports all have courier counters in the arrivals area, so you can send bags from the airport straight to your hotel and ride the train into the city light. Airport deliveries usually carry a small extra handling fee on top of the normal rate.
For your flight home, send bags to the airport counter at least two days before departure where possible, then collect them there and check in as normal. Leaving it to the day before is risky outside major cities.
Ryokan and small guesthouses usually accept forwarded luggage, but confirm when booking, especially at remote onsen towns where staff may not be at reception all day. Put the guest name in the booking exactly as reserved and write your arrival date on the slip.
Keep anything you can't be without out of the bag: passport, cash, cards, medication, jewelry and electronics. Couriers restrict dangerous goods such as fuels, gas canisters and some aerosols, and power banks need to travel in your carry-on for flights anyway. Pack an overnight kit for the night your suitcase is in transit.
Forwarding is the easiest way around the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen rule that bags over 160 cm total need a seat with an oversized baggage area booked in advance; see our Shinkansen luggage rules guide for how to reserve one if you'd rather keep your bag with you.
If you only need to drop a bag for a few hours, a coin locker is cheaper than forwarding: our guide to Tokyo and Kyoto station luggage storage covers sizes and locations. For the route itself, see our Shinkansen tickets and JR Pass guide and the 14-day Japan itinerary.
As of 2026, a standard 160-size suitcase (up to 160 cm total and 25 kg) costs around ¥2,500–2,700 with Yamato, with smaller bags cheaper. Check Yamato's rate calculator for the current price.
Between main cities, bags sent in the morning usually arrive the next day; longer routes such as to Hokkaido or Okinawa can take two days. Pack an overnight bag in case it doesn't arrive the same day you do.
Yes. Narita, Haneda and Kansai have courier counters where you collect the bag before check-in. Send it at least two days before your flight where possible.
Almost every hotel handles takkyubin at the front desk and has the forms. You need the next hotel's address and phone number, the booking name and your check-in date.
Keep your passport, cash, cards, medication, jewelry and electronics with you. Couriers restrict dangerous goods such as fuels and gas canisters, and power banks belong in your carry-on for flights.
Entry rules change, and they depend on your nationality — always confirm the current requirements on the official government site before you book or apply. Only use official government (.gov) portals; ignore look-alike agency sites.
Get the best deals on your Kyoto stay with Booking.com.
