Luggage Forwarding in Japan
Hotel to Hotel, and to the Airport

Luggage forwarding in Japan means handing a suitcase to a courier at one hotel and finding it at the next, usually the following day. With Yamato Transport's TA-Q-BIN, a 160-size suitcase (up to 160 cm in total dimensions and 25 kg) sent from central Tokyo to Kyoto cost ¥3,160 in cash or ¥3,157 cashless on Yamato's official fare search on October 28, 2026, and a bag sent on November 10 was due on November 11 from the morning slot. To send bags to the airport for a flight home, Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN asks you to send them two days before departure, three in some areas, and adds a ¥660 airport fee per bag.

This guide covers how the service works, what it costs, how many days to allow, the size limits, the airport counters at Narita, Haneda and Kansai, and the rule for large bags on the shinkansen. We read every rule and price on the official pages on October 28, 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. For the trains, cars and transfers around the bags, how luxury travellers move around Japan covers the rest of the journey.

LET US PLAN YOUR TRAVEL DAYS →

---

HOW LUGGAGE FORWARDING WORKS

Takkyubin is Japan's door-to-door parcel network. Yamato Transport sells it as TA-Q-BIN; Sagawa Express and Japan Post (Yu-Pack) run similar services. The suitcases go by road from one hotel to the next while you take the train with a day bag.

Where you hand the bag over

At the hotel. The usual way. The front desk fills in the waybill with the next hotel's address and your arrival date, and the courier collects from the hotel. How you pay depends on the hotel, so we confirm it beforehand.

At a Yamato office or a convenience store. Yamato takes ¥100 off per parcel for dropping it off yourself, though some convenience stores cannot accept parcels of 180 size or larger.

At the airport. Counters at Narita, Haneda and Kansai send bags on to your hotel when you land, and hand back bags you sent ahead when you leave. Both are covered below.

What the waybill needs

The receiving hotel's name, address and telephone number, the guest name as on the reservation, and your check-in date. Yamato asks for the contents to be written specifically, since words such as "sundries" can delay a parcel. Each parcel is covered up to ¥300,000, so keep jewellery and anything irreplaceable with you.

WHAT IT COSTS

Yamato charges by size band and by the regions you send from and to. The band is set by the total of length, width and height or by the weight, whichever is larger. Fares are per parcel, one way, tax included, with a cash fare and a slightly lower cashless fare.

The fares are the same in the other direction. Within Kanto covers Tokyo, Hakone and Narita. Tokyo to Hiroshima or Fukuoka cost more: ¥3,320 and ¥3,630 for a 160-size bag in cash.

Yamato's ¥100 multi-parcel discount does not apply to suitcases of 160 size or larger, so two large cases cost two full fares. A case over 25 kg moves into the 180 band whatever its size, and the dimensions include wheels and handle.

NEXT DAY OR TWO DAYS

Yamato publishes the expected delivery date for any pair of postcodes. On October 28, 2026, we checked a bag sent on Tuesday, November 10, from Marunouchi in Tokyo to Gion in Kyoto: due Wednesday, November 11, with delivery from the morning slot. The same date applied from Gion to Narita Airport's postcode. Yamato's delivery slots are morning, 14:00 to 16:00, 16:00 to 18:00, 18:00 to 20:00 and 19:00 to 21:00.

Yamato notes that the dispatch cut-off differs by counter, so a bag handed over late in the afternoon may leave the next day, and that bad weather can delay delivery.

Our rule. We plan the hand-over the morning before the travel day. If you leave Tokyo for Kyoto on Thursday, the bag goes on Wednesday morning and you keep one night's things in a small bag. With ryokan, we confirm beforehand the date the inn can receive the bag.

SIZE AND WEIGHT LIMITS

Size and weight limits on the carriers' official pages, October 28, 2026

Service	Limit
Yamato TA-Q-BIN	Total of three sides up to 200 cm and up to 30 kg; no side over 170 cm
Yamato Airport TA-Q-BIN	The same bands; parcels over 30 kg are not accepted
Japan Post Yu-Pack	Total of three sides up to 170 cm and up to 25 kg

A bag over 30 kg cannot go by TA-Q-BIN, so repack it into two.

SENDING BAGS TO THE AIRPORT

Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN takes bags to the departure airport and holds them at a counter there. Its rules:

• When. Send by two days before departure, three days in some areas, before the sending deadline of the counter you use. The bag reaches the airport the day before departure.
• Fee. The fare plus ¥660 per bag. From Kyoto to Narita, a 160-size bag works out at ¥3,820 in cash: the ¥3,160 fare and the ¥660 fee.
• Restrictions. No time-slot delivery and no cash on delivery when sending to an airport.
• Collection. On the day, take the sender's copy of the waybill to the counter; the bag is handed over in exchange for it.

For a bag sent from Kyoto on November 10, Yamato's search showed November 12 as the first flight date. Where to collect:

• Narita. Collect on 4F in Terminal 1 (North and South Wings), 3F in Terminal 2, and 1F in Terminal 3.
• Haneda. Collect in Terminal 3 on 2F at Yamato (6:00 to 23:00) or on 3F at JAL ABC (24 hours), per the airport's page.
• Kansai. Collect on 4F of Terminal 1, at Yamato in the North (6:30 to 22:30) or JAL ABC in the South (6:30 to 23:00, last reception 22:30). Kansai Airport says JAL ABC needs a phone reservation three or four days before departure for its carrier service. Terminal 2 has no counter, so Terminal 2 passengers collect in Terminal 1.

FROM THE AIRPORT TO YOUR HOTEL

The delivery counters sit on the arrivals floor. Bags sent from there arrive the next day as standard, and some counters offer same-day delivery to hotels.

Narita

Narita lists Yamato, JAL ABC and Sagawa Express on 1F of Terminals 1 and 2, opening at 6:30. Same-day delivery:

• Yamato. Same-day service from 06:30 to 10:30 in Terminals 1 and 2, and 06:30 to 09:50 in Terminal 3; delivery areas are limited.
• JAL ABC. Same-day hotel delivery accepted from 06:30 to 14:00 at the 1F counters in Terminal 1 South Wing and Terminal 2.
• Sagawa Express. Same-day orders from 06:30 to 14:00, for ten wards of Tokyo and selected hotels in Urayasu.

Haneda

In Terminal 3, the international terminal, Haneda lists JAL ABC on the 2F arrival lobby from 4:00 to 25:00 and Yamato on the same floor from 5:00 to 23:00.

Kansai

Kansai Airport listed a JAL ABC temporary shop on 1F of Terminal 1 (6:30 to 22:30) and Yamato on 4F North (6:30 to 22:30), and noted that Kansai Airport Baggage Service on 1F closes on October 31, 2026. Same-day delivery to accommodation is offered on each company's conditions.

A flight landing after 14:00 misses these same-day windows, so we plan the first night around what you carry, or a car large enough for everything.

LARGE BAGS ON THE SHINKANSEN

JR Central's rule applies on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, between Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka:

• Up to 160 cm in total dimensions. No reservation needed.
• 161 to 250 cm. Reserve a seat with an oversized baggage area when you buy the ticket. Without one, a fee of ¥1,000 including tax applies, and the conductor may tell you where to put the bag.
• Over 250 cm. Not allowed on board.
• How much. Two pieces per person, each up to 30 kg, 250 cm in total and 200 cm on the longest side.

A case of 75 by 50 by 30 cm totals 155 cm and needs no reservation; one of 80 by 55 by 32 cm totals 167 cm and does. JR Central says the reservation is required only on these four lines. Sending the large cases by courier avoids the question.

HOW WE PLAN THE BAGS ON A TRIP

We build the luggage into the itinerary from the start.

• The schedule. For each hotel change, we set the day the cases leave and arrive, and tell you which night you live out of a small bag.
• The hotels. We write to both hotels in Japanese with your names, the number of bags and the dates, so both desks are ready.
• The airport. On arrival, we plan whether the cases go same-day, next-day or in the car. On departure, we time the Airport TA-Q-BIN hand-over for two or three days before the flight.
• Walks and small towns. On the Nakasendo, the cases go to the next large city while a local service carries an overnight bag between towns; our Magome to Tsumago guide has the details.

We do not buy train tickets; we tell you which seats to reserve when a bag is over 160 cm, and the hotel or courier is paid directly by you.

SOURCES AND HOW WE CHECKED

We read each rule, fare and counter listing on the official websites below on October 28, 2026. We did not contact the carriers or the airports. Fares and counter hours change, and airport counters move; we confirm the current rules when we plan the trip. Prices are as published, tax included.

• Yamato Transport, TA-Q-BIN and English page: size bands, limits, delivery slots, discounts, liability
• Yamato Transport, fare and delivery date search: fares by size and region, delivery dates for Tokyo to Kyoto and Kyoto to Narita
• Yamato Transport, Airport TA-Q-BIN and Japanese page: two or three days, ¥660 fee, restrictions, collection
• Yamato Transport, airport counter list: floors at Narita, Haneda and Kansai
• Japan Post, Yu-Pack: 170 cm and 25 kg limits
• Narita Airport, baggage delivery: counters, hours and same-day services of Yamato, JAL ABC and Sagawa Express
• Haneda Airport, delivery services: counters and hours by terminal
• Kansai Airport, carriers: counters, hours, the JAL ABC reservation and the Kansai Airport Baggage Service closure
• JR Central, oversized baggage: the 160 cm and 250 cm thresholds, the ¥1,000 fee, the lines covered

QUESTIONS GUESTS ASK

How much does it cost to send a suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto?

On Yamato's official fare search on October 28, 2026, a 160-size suitcase (up to 160 cm in total dimensions and 25 kg) cost ¥3,160 in cash or ¥3,157 cashless, tax included. A 120-size bag cost ¥2,170 in cash and a 200-size bag ¥5,410.

How long does luggage forwarding take in Japan?

Between Tokyo and Kyoto it is next-day: a bag sent on November 10, 2026 was due on November 11 from the morning slot. We plan the hand-over the morning before you travel.

How many days before my flight should I send bags to the airport?

Yamato asks for two days before departure, three in some areas, and the bag reaches the airport the day before your flight. It adds a ¥660 airport fee per bag, and you collect the bag on the departures floor with the sender's copy of the waybill.

Can I take a large suitcase on the shinkansen?

Yes, within limits. On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, a bag of 161 to 250 cm in total dimensions needs a seat with an oversized baggage area reserved in advance, or a ¥1,000 fee applies. Bags over 250 cm are not allowed.

Can I send my bags from the airport to my hotel on the day I land?

At Narita, JAL ABC and Sagawa Express accept same-day hotel delivery orders from 06:30 to 14:00, and Yamato runs a same-day service in the early morning for limited areas. Otherwise the bags arrive the next day, so keep the first night's things with you.