Large Luggage on Japan’s Trains: Carry, Forward or Store?
Reviewed by Max
Enjoy the journey without moving every bag
You do not have to take the biggest suitcase through every Japan station, transfer and taxi ride. Send the things you will not need to Silk Crane, travel with a smaller bag, and arrange delivery for a later stop.
If you need the suitcase at the very next hotel, forwarding may be enough. Storage is useful when it should skip several stops or wait until later in the trip.
Send the spare suitcase from your hotel front desk or a convenience store using your Silk Crane instructions. Monthly and annual storage plans are available; shipping is charged separately.
Tokyo shopping, then a lighter journey through Izu
Picture a trip that begins with shopping in Tokyo, then slows down for a week of coastal trains, small inns and seaside walks around Izu. The suitcase with your purchases and extra clothes can sit out this part of the journey.
Send it from your Tokyo hotel to storage and take a compact bag for the coast. You can change trains and settle into a small inn with less to manage. Arrange delivery ahead of your final Tokyo hotel stay, ready for packing before the flight home.
Sign up and follow the supplied sending instructions before the coast trip. If the shopping day ends with you still pulling the case, a convenience store is another sending point. Keep the clothes and essentials needed for Izu and shipping with you.
Carry it, forward it, or let it skip a few stops
Carry it when you need its contents along the way and can manage the bag on your route. Check the train’s luggage arrangements before booking.
Forward it when the next hotel can receive it and the shipping schedule fits. Store it when you want it later, after several stops, or on another Japan visit.
Our forwarding versus storage guide explains the difference. See the multi-stop travel guide for more itinerary ideas.
Leave room for people in the taxi
Count passengers and bags together before planning a taxi journey. Several full-size suitcases can make even a short transfer awkward, and luggage capacity varies by vehicle.
Send the bags you do not need during that part of the trip separately, or arrange a vehicle with enough space. Our family and group luggage guide helps when everyone has brought something extra.
Check the rule for the train you are taking
On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, suitcases over 160 cm and up to 250 cm in combined height, width and depth need an oversized-baggage space reservation. Check JR Central’s baggage guide for the current arrangements and exceptions.
JR East’s Tohoku, Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen do not use the same luggage-space reservation system. Read JR East’s luggage guide for your route. Rail allowances and parcel-shipping limits are different.
Send from the hotel; collect at a later part of the trip
Choose your storage plan, pack the bag using your account instructions, and send it from your hotel front desk or a convenience store. Keep medication, travel documents, valuables and the essentials for your smaller bag with you.
Arrange the return before you need it, with time for shipping. The hotel and airport delivery guide covers the options. Shipping is charged separately from monthly or annual storage; use the shipping estimates to plan.
Large luggage on Japan transport: common questions
Is forwarding or storage better for a train trip?
Forward when the next hotel can receive the bag and the timing fits. Store it when you want it to skip several stops or wait for a later date.
What if our bags will not fit in one taxi?
Arrange a suitable vehicle or move the bags you do not need separately. Storage can help with the latter when you plan time for shipping.
Do all Shinkansen trains have the same luggage rules?
No. Check the operator for your specific route, including bag size, space and any reservation requirement. The official guides above explain the differences.
Spend more of the journey looking out the window
Let the suitcase skip the stops where you do not need it. Choose your luggage storage plan
Find more ideas in our Japan luggage and sports gear guides.