See what it’s like taking suitcases on the train in Japan and going through busy stations with luggage – with lots of tips.
Join me on a train journey from Tokyo, starting at Shibuya Station, taking the Yamanote Line to Shinagawa, then the bullet train to Nagoya, with heavy suitcases! The video includes tips and advice for travelling with luggage in Japan, including how to find elevators, what to do if it’s busy, how to avoid crowds and the best ways to travel stress-free. At the end are some alternatives, including how to use Takkyubin (Ta-Q-bin) from Yamato Transport to send your suitcases to your hotel or the airport, and also using a coach or limousine bus. The video also includes the new luggage rules on the shinkansen, including how to tell if your baggage is oversized, and how to reserve seats with extra space for suitcases.
23 Comments
To avoid the stigma of taking wheeled luggage on local trains, put a jacket and wig on your suitcase and pretend it's your child.
We used luggage forwarding several times with our last trip, and I would highly recommend the service. Our hotel was usually able to arrange it for us as long as we had the address of the next hotel, and matched the name with the name on the reservation so they could easily connect the two. For our itinerary, we would leap frog certain cities (like going from Tokyo to Hiroshima, we brought just a smaller carry on and forwarded bigger bags to our next hotel in Kyoto). We also were able to forward on our large bag directly to the airport once we had it filled with souvenirs and goodies ๐
It does require making sure you pack what you need for that portion of the trip (for us, usually only a few days), but definitely worth it (especially since we had our then 3 year old in tow). The price was about $15-30 per bag, depending on the distance, size, and weight. We did not need the faster/same day service so I'm not sure if there's an upcharge for that. We had no problems overall with the bags not arriving in time (most times the bags were actually already in our room when we checked in!).
One last note, at least at the hotels, it was cash only for payment. Not sure if you can pay by card at a convenience store or the Yamato stores.
I live in Japan and Iโll also mention that on crowded local trains, people turn their backpacks around so the load is in the front and not bothering people behind. I rarely see tourists notice this and their backpacks are very disruptive.
As a disabled solo traveller afraid of travelling with big luggage this video is more helpful than you can imagine, thank you!
I miss hearing those chimes at the Japanese train stations.
Fantastic and informative video! Loved the sounds of the stations!! Another quick tip for using the trains — watch out for the women's car during rush hours. My dad and I accidently got on the women's train (the lettering was on the doors and we didn't see it ). It was funny and embarrassing, the ladies in the car found it amusing, too. My dad is in his 70's and didn't worry any of the women in the car LOL
What useful information for tourists with a lot of luggage. ๐๐
Shibuya Station is under construction, so it was hard to walk. ๐
However, when the construction is completed in 2027, it will be easier to understand and walk. ๐ค
when would be the afternoon/Evening rush hour in Tokyo?
Very useful video Amy, so helpful. Another good tip is to use the coin lockers, I had 2 suitcases to come home with, so I stored my big one overnight at the station so it was an easier walk early in the morning. Limousine buses are great too, very convenient and cheap. I always use them on the way back.
Got back from my month long trip yesterday, 26 hours door to door…still recovering…and feeling sad it's all over๐ข๐ข
Great advise Amy! Thanks Much! I'm planning stop over in late march. I wanna hit the Ashikaga Flower Park. Also, planning on wondering around the town of Narita. I have heard really nice things about it. Could you recommend any place off the beaten path for day or evening times. Thanks again!
Previous to my last trip to japan, Iโve always taken my luggage with meโฆbut this time round we used a luggage forwarding service and I donโt know why i didnt do it before! Going through tokyo, osaka and Kyoto stations without a suitcase was absolute bliss. Highly highly recommend it. Our hotels arranged it for us and they were there either same day of the next day.
Been to Japan numerous times-my tip is to travel with the smallest suitcases you can there are always an elevator at Shinkansen tracks but many metro stations do not have elevator and you may have to use stairs. The reservation system has changed for bringing larger suitcases on Shinkansen. You need to make a reservation on an end of row seat so you can store the suitcase in the space behind your seat. You used to be able to place your suitcase there if it was available but now you need a reservation to use the space. I once saw a tourist get on the Shinkansen and park his very large like 28 inch suitcase next to the aisle seat which blocked part of the aisle. Couldnโt believe how ignorant he was. Smaller oneโs can go up on the overhead along with backpacks etc. I highly recommend using the black cat transport delivery system if you are going a longer distance itโs worth the $20- or so to have it delivered to your next hotel destination instead of hauling your bags through the train stations.
When i went last year, I made the journey from Kyoto to Hiroshima with my lugguage… i had no problems navigating the shinkansen… the issues came when i got to Hiroshima which had shut down due to a typhoon, I was very wet…. I also used lugguage forwarding, which the hotel lobbys were able to organise.. where i stayed in several places for a single night, i would have my cases jump to the hotel a couple of days ahead… was also suprisingly nostalgic seeing those construction areas in Shibuya Station… i got lost there too
I really donโt get the obsession with luggage services that swamp Japan Facebook groups.
Weโve completed 2 successful trips to Japan and about to embark on our third without the use of luggage services.
Simply take your suitcases with you, itโs not that difficult?
Thank you for the tips Amy. Wow, you do need to do a lot of walking ๐ ๐ซถ
Thank you for this video! lol with all due respect..
I needed this video yesterday ๐
I was literally just wondering how I havenโt come across a video that teaches you these things! So thank you ๐๐พ
Hey! Absolutely love your videos! Would love to see a video on the whole Suica thing are they disapearing? Like being cancelled? I'm someone whos gonna travel next year in July and i'm not seeing much info about the whole Suica card thing is it true or can one still get a IC card? ๐ฎ Love from Sweden โฅ
You mentioned 'trying not to film other people too much'. I have noticed faces being hazy in several videos in Japan. Should I be careful while casual filming in Japan? Thanks
Thanks, I last took the Shinkansen >10 years ago and apparently the rules have changed quite a bit so this video was really helpful.
This year we tried taking the coach from Kansai International to Namba in Osaka. It's very affordable at 1900 yen for a round-trip; they manage your luggage for you. One caveat: if the coach is crowded and you decide not to wait half an hour for the next one, you may be asked to use one of the fold-out aisle seats which are not as comfortable as the "proper" seats.
Hi,
May i know what size are your luggages? Are they 24inch luggages?
Best tip Amey gave me was to get a jotel very central and travel out to other places. Saved a ton of time checking in and out thank you Amey โค
Do you know what. Stop travelling with ridiculous amounts of luggage. All Japanese business hotels have laundry, some of them even FoC. Really this is nonsense.
So much useful info here thank you.