Shop More in Kyoto: Send Your Purchases to Storage as You Go
PublishedReviewed by Max
Buy the Kyoto pieces you love, even when the suitcase is full. Kyoto is full of things that are hard to find outside Japan: hand-thrown pottery, folding fans, cotton tenugui, furoshiki and kitchen tools made to last. With Silk Crane, send your suitcase from your hotel front desk or a convenience store, shop with free hands, and send purchases into storage as the days go on. Everything is delivered to you later, together. Plans are monthly or annual, and shipping is charged separately.
A shopping day or two fits easily into a Kyoto stay. The narrow lanes and covered arcades are a pleasure with a tote bag and hard work with a suitcase. And the second shopping day goes better when the first day's finds have already left.
What can I buy in Kyoto that I can't get at home?
- Kiyomizu-zaka and Gojozaka: the slopes below Kiyomizu-dera are lined with shops selling Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, from single cups to full tea sets. The Gojozaka Pottery Festival fills the street each August. Our Kiyomizu-dera and Sannenzaka guide covers the walk.
- Teramachi and Shinkyogoku: two covered arcades with folding fans, washi paper, stationery, tenugui and souvenir shops. See the Teramachi and Shinkyogoku shopping guide.
- Nishiki Market and Kawaramachi: between the food stalls are tableware and kitchen-tool shops, and the department stores of Shijo-Kawaramachi are a short walk away. The Kawaramachi and Nishiki guide has the details.
- Gion: textile shops selling furoshiki wrapping cloths and tenugui in seasonal and playful designs. Our Gion and Higashiyama guide maps the area.
- Kyoto Station: Kyoto Porta underground and JR Kyoto Isetan in the station building make a good last stop before the train.
Two Kyoto shopping days and an evening train
Imagine two days set aside for shopping in Kyoto. You signed up with Silk Crane before the trip, so you already have the sending instructions. On the first afternoon you find a set of Kiyomizu-yaki cups on Gojozaka and a stack of tenugui in Gion. That evening, you pack them in the shop's boxes and send them from the convenience store next to your hotel.
The next morning is checkout, and your train leaves in the evening. You leave the suitcase with the hotel front desk. Then you spend the whole day in Teramachi, Nishiki and Kyoto Station with only a tote. Before boarding, you send the day's finds from a convenience store. Your suitcase and both days of shopping wait in storage until you choose a delivery date.
How do I shop in Kyoto without carrying everything?
Send the suitcase before the shopping starts. Once you sign up, Silk Crane sends you the address and instructions. Leave the suitcase with your hotel front desk or send it from a convenience store. It waits in secure indoor storage with 24/7 SECOM monitoring, kept dry by humidity control.
Without a suitcase to manage, you can walk the Kiyomizu-zaka slope or the arcades at your own pace and take a bus or taxi without worrying about space. You also skip a locker search and a trip back to collect the bag before your train.
Can I send my purchases to storage partway through the trip?
Yes. Send them as parcels using the same instructions, from a convenience store or your hotel front desk. Each parcel joins your stored belongings, and each shipment has its own shipping charge.
Sending at the end of each shopping day keeps your bag light and your room tidy. It also means you are never carrying the most fragile purchase through a crowded station.
Can I ship fragile pottery into storage?
Yes, at your discretion. Remember that the pottery will travel again later, and probably on a plane home. Pack anything fragile extra carefully, ideally double-boxed: the shop's box inside a sturdy outer carton with padding all round. Valuables such as jewelry cannot be stored.
How do I get my Kyoto shopping home?
When your trip is nearly over, arrange delivery to your last hotel or your departure airport, with time for shipping. Want one suitcase instead of five boxes? Ask Silk Crane to pack the purchases into your stored suitcase or combine the parcels. Silk Crane looks at what can go together safely and tells you the handling and shipping charges before doing it.
If you are aiming for an airline baggage limit, say so. Silk Crane can remove retail packaging and pack toward a size or weight target, though the exact final measurement and the airline's decision cannot be guaranteed. Our guide to sending Japan shopping to storage covers shopping in other cities too.
More questions about Kyoto shopping and storage
Can I have online orders delivered to Silk Crane?
Yes. Package receiving is part of the storage service, so orders from Japanese shops can be sent straight to storage and delivered with your other belongings.
Can I store an empty suitcase for shopping later in the trip?
Yes. Store a spare suitcase while you travel, then have it delivered to your Kyoto hotel before the shopping days start.
I'm traveling on after Kyoto. Does the suitcase have to stay with my purchases?
No. You can send the purchases into storage and keep the suitcase, or store both. If you are traveling on after Kyoto, our guide to Kyoto luggage storage for a week or longer covers that route.
Book storage for your suitcase and Kyoto purchases
Send the suitcase first, then send your purchases as you go, and choose when everything comes back. Plans are monthly or annual, and shipping is charged separately.
Shop details describe the general character of each area. Stock and opening hours change; check with individual shops.