Field guide

Sending Your Luggage Ahead in Japan: A Guide to Takkyubin and Hands-Free Travel

Published October 14, 2026 · by Small Things, Japan

Picture this: you land in Japan after a long flight, and instead of dragging a big suitcase through crowded stations, up stairs and onto a packed train, you hand it over at a counter and walk away with just a small bag. That evening, your suitcase is waiting for you at the hotel.

That is not a luxury service. It is something people in Japan do all the time. Sending bags by courier, called takkyubin (home delivery), is a normal part of life here, from golf clubs and skis to suitcases. For visitors, it is one of the simplest ways to make a trip calmer. This guide explains how it works, where to send from, how to check the price, and the few rules worth knowing before you hand your bag over.

Momiji's tip: Pack a small "day bag" before you send your suitcase: passport, medicine, chargers, a change of clothes and anything valuable. Those things stay with you.

The 30-second version

If you only remember five things, make it these:

• You can send a suitcase from airports, hotels, convenience stores and courier offices to almost anywhere in Japan.
• It usually takes a day or more. Same-day delivery exists, but only from certain counters and areas.
• The price depends on the size of the bag and the distance. Check the courier's rate table, not a blog post.
• To send a bag to the airport for your flight home, drop it off about two days before you leave.
• Never send your passport, cash, valuables or batteries in your suitcase.

What "hands-free travel" means

You may see a small logo at counters saying Hands-Free Travel. This is a program by the Japan Tourism Agency for counters that offer luggage delivery and temporary luggage storage for travelers (source: Yamato Transport). The idea is simple: Japan runs on trains, stations are busy, and moving through them is much easier with your hands free.

The best-known company is Yamato Transport, whose black cat logo you will see everywhere. Its home delivery service is called TA-Q-BIN. Other couriers offer similar services, but in this guide we use Yamato as the example because its English information is the most complete.

There are two main services for travelers:

• Luggage delivery: your bag goes from A to B while you travel separately.
• Luggage storage: you leave your bag at a counter for the day and pick it up later, for example on your last day before heading to the airport (source: Yamato Transport).

How big can the bag be?

Yamato's standard service takes parcels up to Size 200: up to 200 cm when you add together the length, width and height, and up to 30 kg (source: Yamato Transport). A normal large suitcase fits easily.

The size category (and the price) is set by whichever is bigger, the measurements or the weight (source: Yamato Transport):

• Size 120: up to 120 cm and 15 kg
• Size 140: up to 140 cm and 20 kg
• Size 160: up to 160 cm and 25 kg
• Size 180: up to 180 cm and 30 kg
• Size 200: up to 200 cm and 30 kg

Measure your suitcase at home: height plus width plus depth, wheels and handles included. Most medium and large suitcases land in Size 140 to 160.

How to check the price

Prices depend on three things: the size, where it goes from and to, and how you pay. Yamato's rate table shows separate prices for cashless and cash payment, and small discounts for things like dropping off at an office or sending two bags to the same place (source: Yamato Transport).

The easiest way to get a real number is to open the rate table on Yamato's English site, choose the prefecture you send from and the prefecture you send to, and read across to your size. Prices change, so check close to your trip.

For same-day delivery from certain counters, Yamato gives these examples as of October 2026 (source: Yamato Transport):

• Haneda Airport to a hotel in Tokyo's 23 wards: ¥5,780 for a Size 160 bag
• Kyoto Station counter to a hotel in Kyoto city: ¥3,470 for a Size 160 bag

Same-day service can add extra charges on top of the standard rate, depending on the area, so if you can manage one evening without your suitcase, compare both.

Where to send from

From the airport on arrival

Most major airports have courier counters in the arrivals area. Fill in a form (the staff can help), pay, and you are free. Yamato's sample plan is exactly this: land at Haneda, send your bag from the airport counter to your first hotel, go sightseeing straight away, and find the bag waiting when you check in (source: Yamato Transport).

A few things to know:

• Same-day delivery depends on the counter, the destination and the time you drop off. Each counter has its own cut-off time (source: Yamato Transport). If you land in the evening, expect next-day delivery.
• Keep a night's things with you in case the bag arrives the next day.

From your hotel

Many travelers send bags from one hotel to the next. Ask the front desk the day before you leave. If the hotel does not handle shipping itself, staff can usually point you to the nearest convenience store or courier office.

From a convenience store

Many convenience stores accept parcels for couriers, and Yamato lists convenience stores as one of its drop-off options (source: Yamato Transport). Note that some stores cannot take parcels larger than Size 180. Staff may speak little English, so have the address ready on your phone, written in Japanese if you can.

From a courier office

Yamato's own sales offices accept drop-offs, help with the waybill (the shipping form), and give a small discount for bringing the parcel in yourself (source: Yamato Transport).

Sending your bag to the airport for your flight home

This is one of the most useful services of all. Yamato calls it Airport TA-Q-BIN (source: Yamato Transport):

1. Drop off your bag by two days before your departure date (three days in some areas). Each counter has its own deadline.
2. The bag is delivered to the airport by the day before you leave. Yamato delivers to all major Japanese airports.
3. Pick it up at the airport counter on your departure day, then check in as usual.

The prices for this service include an airport fee (¥660 as of October 2026). If you sent a bag from the airport on arrival, ask about the Round Trip option, which can make the return journey simpler and a little cheaper.

Momiji's tip: Write down your flight number and departure time before you go to the counter. It is the first thing the staff will ask.

Things you must not send

Some items cannot go in a parcel at all. Yamato's list includes (source: Yamato Transport):

• Cash, credit and bank cards, and passports
• Dangerous goods: fireworks, gas cylinders, lighter fluid and other flammable items
• Products containing dangerous substances, such as batteries
• Items worth more than ¥300,000 in total in one parcel
• Parcels over Size 200

Batteries are the one that surprises people. Keep power banks, spare batteries, laptops and cameras in your day bag, not in the suitcase you send. Some parcels between distant regions travel by air, and items that cannot fly, such as perfume, hair spray and some battery-powered devices, can delay delivery or be refused.

Sending to a hotel: avoid the common mix-ups

Most problems come from the hotel side, not the courier. A little preparation helps:

• Tell the hotel in advance that a bag is coming, especially if it will arrive before your check-in day. Some small inns and holiday rentals cannot receive parcels.
• Write your name exactly as on your booking, plus your check-in date, in the recipient section of the form.
• Use the hotel's full address and phone number. Copy them from the booking confirmation.
• Keep the receipt. It has a tracking number you can check on Yamato's English tracking page.

Luggage on the shinkansen

Even if you send your big bag ahead, it helps to know the train rules. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen, bags between 160 cm and 250 cm in total size need a reserved seat with an oversized luggage area or compartment. There is no extra charge for that seat if you book it, but bringing a bag that size without one costs ¥1,000. Bags over 250 cm are not allowed (source: JR West). Other lines have their own rules.

In crowded city trains, even a medium suitcase is hard work, which is why so many visitors who try forwarding once keep doing it. Our train etiquette guide has more on riding with bags, including why locals wear backpacks on their front in a crowded car.

Quick questions

Do I need to speak Japanese? No. Airport counters are used to visitors. At convenience stores, showing the address on your phone helps. Yamato also has an English customer service line (source: Yamato Transport).

Is it really safe? Sending parcels this way is part of everyday life in Japan, and each parcel is insured up to ¥300,000 (source: Yamato Transport). Keep your receipt until the bag arrives.

What if I am staying only one night somewhere? Send your big bag straight to the following hotel, and travel with a small bag in between. It is a favorite trick for ryokan stays in the countryside.

When things vary by place

• Same-day delivery is only offered from certain counters and to certain areas.
• Cut-off times and opening hours differ by counter. Check before you go, especially at small stations.
• Hotels and inns differ in whether they receive and send parcels.
• Prices change, and differ for cash and cashless payment. The examples here are as of October 2026.

Before you go

Traveling light makes the rest of Japan easier, too. Our guide to train tickets and IC cards explains Suica, PASMO and the JR Pass. If your next stop is a traditional inn, your first ryokan stay walks you through check-in, dinner and the baths. And our guide for first-time visitors covers the small manners that matter most.

Happy travels from Momiji. Light hands, light steps.