You may think that using luggage delivery services in Tokyo is a little … #extra. However, lugging heavy suitcases around can be stressful. You’ll need to find escalators and elevators to help you get around, and there simply might not be room for you and your suitcase on a rush hour train. Luggage couriers are a practical solution to crowded public transport. Another upside: your fellow train passengers will appreciate it.
Stepping off a flight and onto the streets of a new city is exciting, but a heavy bag with a dodgy wheel can quickly kill the mood. If you’re a light-packing genius who can stroll straight past the baggage claim section — power to you. But not all of us are strong enough to deny that extra pair of jeans. And while some trains like the N’EX from Narita have luggage space, many don’t. So let’s talk about luggage delivery services between Narita Airport or Haneda Airport and your acommodation in Tokyo.
Pro tip: If you’re looking for places to just store your luggage in Tokyo, we recommend Radical Storage. They offer a fixed daily price of ¥850 and have locations across Tokyo and Japan. Tokyo Cheapo readers get a 5% discount.
Luggage delivery services in Tokyo: What you need to know
Convinced that lugagge delivery services are worth it? Awesome. Let’s get you set up. But before you go booking anything, you’ll need to run through a few questions first:
- Who will receive your luggage? Check that your hotel or hostel is okay to take bags from delivery services. If it’s a vacation rental, find out whether the service allows for other people to receive your luggage on your behalf. And of course check that the host is okay with this! If it’s you that’s going to be receiving the bags at a vacation rental, note that you will likely need to provide the delivery service with a local phone number.
- What phone number will you give? All of the services require a working phone number, and to avoid confusion or miscommunication it’s better to use a Japanese phone number. A travel SIM card with voice calling is good for this. For delivery to hotels, you should be able to use the hotel phone number.
- When do you want it delivered? You can often choose a specific time slot (generally from the next day onwards). Make sure to be around if you’re scheduled to receive your luggage in person. Rearranging deliveries is the exact kind of hassle you are trying to avoid! If you’re not getting same-day delivery, make sure to pack overnight essentials into a day pack.
- How big is your bag? This is a big one (ha ha). The size of your suitcase is often used to help determine pricing. When measuring luggage, remember the sizes listed are a combination of height, width, and depth.
Comparing luggage delivery services in Tokyo
| Average cost per bag | Size limit | English support? | Same day delivery? | City to city? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LuggAgent (via Klook) | ¥5,887 | 180 cm / 32 kg | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| JAL/ABC: | approx ¥2,410 | 240 cm / 50 kg | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Yamato | approx ¥2,500 | 160 cm / 30 kg | Yes | Limited | Yes |
LuggAgent: The most personal service
LuggAgent is an international company that offers luggage delivery services in various cities worldwide, including three in Japan — Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. They offer same-day delivery services that can be fully booked in English (and a few other languages), via Klook.
How it works
The whole booking process can be completed quickly and easily online in English. You will need to provide your flight/hotel information, email address, telephone number, and instant messaging details (Line, WhatsApp, Skype, Kakao, Wiber, or WeChat).
Airport services
For arrivals, a LuggAgent driver will be ready to collect your luggage one hour after your estimated arrival time. The pickup service is available until 3 p.m., for same-day delivery. Once you’ve handed off your bag it will be delivered to your hotel by 9 p.m. that same day. You can also opt for your luggage to be delivered to a vacation rental for an extra $10 USD, in which case it will be handed off to the host.
If you’re flying out, leave your baggage with the hotel concierge before 11 a.m. and the driver will pick it up from there. Then they’ll hand it off to you at the airport at least two hours before your departure time.
In both cases, you’ll be sent detailed instructions along with your confirmation email. But make sure you keep to the pick up/drop off times — if you’re more than 30 minutes late, you’ll be charged $5 USD for every 15 minutes.
Prices
You’ll be paying ¥5,887 per suitcase from Narita or Haneda Airport.
Restrictions and insurance
- All bookings must be completed 72 hours in advance of collection.
- Bags cannot exceed 32 kg and must be smaller than 180 cm (combined height, width, and depth).
- Each bag is insured for up to $500 USD, which covers delay, loss, and damage. Additional insurance is also available.
- Your bag must meet all the legal requirements for your trip.
JAL/ABC: The cheapest service
JAL (the airline) offers luggage delivery to and from the airport for all visitors (not just JAL customers). They have an English website and a straight-forward booking process. However, same-day services are only available between Haneda Airport and select hotels in the Tokyo Bay area (Odaiba, Ariake, Shin-Urayasu, and Maihama) if you drop your luggage off before 2 p.m. For all other destinations in Tokyo (and Japan) plan on next day shipping, or you can select a date in the near future.
How it works
All you need is your delivery address and phone number (a Japanese mobile number or the phone number for your accommodation), accommodation check-in date, and name of the person collecting the luggage (presumably yourself, but it doesn’t have to be). If you’re flying out you’ll need to provide your flight details (including departure terminal), phone number, and the type of bag or bags.
Airport services
You can head straight to any of the JAL desks in the airports to send your luggage off to your hotel (or home). They will help you fill out the paperwork and even find your hotel’s address if you don’t have it handy.
Shipping counters are located at:
- Narita Terminal 1 (Arrivals North & South Wings, 1F / Departures South Wing, 4F)
- Narita Terminal 2 (Arrivals, 1F / Departures, 3F)
- Haneda Terminal 3 (Arrivals, 2F / Departures 3F)
Note: The following counters are temporarily closed: Narita Terminal 1 (Departures North Wing, 4F) and Haneda Terminal 2 (Arrivals, 2F / Departures, 3F).
To send bags to the airport, you can book online or over the phone. A pick-up date will be suggested — it’s generally a couple of days before your flight (depending on your departure time). On your agreed upon date, a driver will arrive to pick up your bags and hand you the receipt you’ll need for collection.
City to city services
There is city to city shipping, but information about this service and the booking form are only available on the company’s Japanese website. Online reservations are due by 5 p.m. at latest on the day before your desired pick up date. Then your lugagge will be picked up at your accommodation (or home) and delivered to your destination usually within two or three days.
Prices
With some nice flat rates depending on your destination (Kantō or Kansai, for example) and luggage size (140 cm up to 240 cm of combined height, length, and depth), you can figure out your costs easily. From Narita or Haneda to any address in the Kantō area (which includes Tokyo), an average 160 cm piece will cost ¥2,410. From Narita Airport to destinations in Kansai, it’s ¥2,520 per 160 cm bag — well worth considering if you’re catching the train to Osaka or Kyoto after a few days in Tokyo.
Note that prices do go up rather steeply if your bag is larger than 160 cm. From Narita or Haneda airport to Kantō, a 180 cm bag costs ¥3,850 while a 200 cm bag costs ¥4,640
To send baggage to Narita or Haneda Airports from the Tokyo area it costs ¥2,730 for a 160 cm piece.
The price of shipping city to city varies a lot, but to ship a 160 cm piece of luggage from Tokyo to the Kansai region will cost around ¥2,169. If you’re shipping that same piece of baggage from Hokkaidō to Okinawa you’re looking at ¥5,367.
Payments can be made in cash (JPY), credit card, or electronic payment at the airport counter. If you make an online booking you have to pay via credit card.
Restrictions and insurance
- You must remove all fragile items, fresh produce, explosive materials, flammable materials, magnets, gas cannisters, liquids (including alcohol), computers, musical instruments, and works of art (maybe take out your valuables, too).
- Bags cannot exceed 50 kg and must be smaller than 240 cm (combined height, width, and depth). Note that there are additional size limits for items sent between cities.
- You can request insurance when making the booking.
Yamato Airport TA-Q-BIN: The most flexible service
Yamato is one of Japan’s major courier services and is easy to spot with its black-cat logo. They have English language support that is very responsive to online inquiries. There’s also an online booking system; however, that doesn’t seem to be working at the moment.
This service can be used to send items to and from airports all over Japan, with delivery and collection options for hotels, homes, and even convenience stores. You may be able to arrange same-day delivery from the airport to your hotel, but that depends on where your hotel is and what time you drop your luggage off. For morning arrivals shipping to central Tokyo accommodations, same-day shipping is likely. Otherwise, plan on next-day shipping.
City to city shipping is also available, and in some cases same-day delivery can be arranged for this service.
How it works
When you’re filling out the paperwork, you need to provide a working phone number and your hotel information or flight details — depending on which way you’re sending things.
Airport services
Arriving in Japan, the process is quite simple. After baggage claim head to a shipping counter, fill out the paperwork, and pay. Shipping counters can be found in both Narita and Haneda airports (as well as a number of other airports around the country). The baggage will be sent on to your hotel and you’re free to head on your merry way.
Yamato Ta-Q-Bin shipping counters can be found under the name GPA Shipping Delivery Service at Narita Airport, at the following locations:
- Narita Terminal 1 (Arrivals North & South Wings, 1F / Departures North & South Wing, 4F)
- Narita Terminal 2 (Arrivals, 1F / Departures, 3F)
- Narita Terminal 3 (Arrivals, 1F)
At Haneda Airport, Yamato uses the Baggage Delivery Service Counters, which can be found at:
- Haneda Terminal 1 (Arrivals, 1F)
- Haneda Terminal 2 (Arrivals, 1F)
- Haneda Terminal 3 (Arrivals, 2F / Departures, 3F)
Note: The following counters are temporarily closed: Haneda Terminal 2 (Arrivals, 2F / Departures, 3F).
In general you can only send luggage from counters located in Arrivals halls and pick up luggage from counter located in Departures; however, you can use the counters in Narita Terminal 3, Haneda Terminal 1 and Haneda Terminal 2 to do both.
If you’re sending luggage to the airport, the first thing you’ll need to work out is whether or not your hotel is registered with Yamato Transport. Yes? Then they’ll take care of you, providing the paperwork and all the info you’ll need.
If not, then you’ll need to find a nearby Yamato Transport sales office or convenience store that offers the service. Most of the major convenience store chains (except for Lawson) do offer Yamato Transport services; however it seems to be up to each individual store whether they do Airport Ta-Q-Bin, so make sure to check ahead of time. Also keep in mind that you may encounter a language barrier, especially if you’re using a convenience store.
Another option is to head to Yamato’s Baggage Service Counter at Tokyo Station (by the Marunouchi North exit). The deadline depends on where you’re dropping your luggage off, and what time you need to pick it up. It could be as early as two days prior to departure — so make sure not to leave it to the last minute.
City to city services
For city to city shipping, you should once again check whether the hotels you’ll be staying at are registered with Yamato Transport. If they are, then all arrangements can be made at your hotel. However if the hotel is not registered, you could try making arrangements as above.
Prices
If you’re shipping from Narita or Haneda airport to one of Tokyo’s 23 Wards, allow about ¥2,500 to ¥3,000 per bag. Prices depend on the size of your luggage and the final destination.
Heading the other way, you can take advantage of preset rates. Large suitcases cost ¥2,730 to send from the Kantō area (broadly Tokyo and surrounds) to either Narita or Haneda airport, while smaller ones cost ¥2,510.
City to city services vary in price, but as an example sending a 160 cm suitcase from Tokyo to Kansai costs ¥2,180. Sending that same suitcase from Hokkaidō to Okinawa would cost ¥4,280.
Various discounts are available, for example Yamato Transport ‘Kuro-neko’ members get up to 15% off. There are also discounts of ¥60 to ¥200 depending on where you drop your suitcase off or if you choose a round-trip service.
Restrictions and insurance
- All deliveries to the airport must be sent two days (sometimes three) before your flight.
- You must remove all passports, cash, credit cards, valuables, cremated remains, weapons, fragile items, batteries, animals, and flammable items from the bags before collection.
- Bags annot exceed 30 kg and must be smaller than 200 cm (combined height, width, and depth).
- Each bag is insured for up to ¥300,000.
Pro tip: Find out the easiest and cheapest ways of getting your good self from Narita to Tokyo, and from Haneda to Tokyo.
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. Last updated in November 2022 by Maria Danuco.
