How to Use Coin Lockers and Luggage Storage in Japan

You do not need to drag a suitcase through every station, temple, and shopping street in Japan. For a few hours, use a coin locker or staffed baggage counter. For travel between cities, a luggage-delivery service can send your suitcase to your next hotel or the airport while you travel with a small overnight bag.

1. Which option should you use?

2. Finding coin lockers at a station

Major stations often have several separate locker areas. Look for a suitcase or key symbol on station maps and signs, or ask at an information counter. In Japanese, coin locker is written コインロッカー.

Check whether a locker is inside or outside the ticket gates. A locker inside the paid area may require a valid ticket or fare adjustment when you return. At a large station, similar-looking locker banks can be hundreds of meters apart.

• Photograph the locker bank, nearby exit number, and floor.
• Save the station name and whether it is inside or outside the gates.
• Check that the station will still be open when you return.
• Use the smallest locker that fits without forcing the door.
• Keep any receipt, PIN, key, or payment card with you.

3. How to use a station coin locker

Some lockers use a physical key; others use a central touchscreen, a transport IC card, a QR code, or a printed PIN. Read the instructions on the exact unit rather than assuming every locker works the same way.

Key-operated locker

1. 1
   Check the price and available period

   Confirm when another charge begins and the maximum storage period.

2. 2
   Put your bag inside

   Close the door gently. Move to a larger locker if it does not close.

3. 3
   Insert the required coins

   Many traditional lockers accept ¥100 coins, but payment methods vary.

4. 4
   Turn and remove the key

   Check that the door is locked and keep the numbered key secure.

5. 5
   Return to the same locker

   Pay any additional fee, unlock the door, and check the compartment before leaving.

Touchscreen or IC-card locker

1. 1
   Place the bag in an available locker

   Close the door and use the central screen for that bank.

2. 2
   Select the locker and pay

   If you use an accepted IC card, that same card may become the key. Cash payment may produce a receipt with a PIN or QR code.

3. 3
   Save the receipt

   Keep the paper and photograph it privately so no one else can read the code.

4. 4
   Select retrieval when you return

   Tap the same IC card or enter the requested code, then pay any extra fee.

4. Fees, time limits, and restricted items

Prices depend on location and size. More importantly, each machine defines its charging period differently. Some airport lockers charge until midnight; others use a set number of hours. A new fee can therefore begin sooner than expected. Read the price panel before paying.

Maximum storage periods also vary. Once the limit passes, the operator may remove the bag to another location and add handling or storage fees. A coin locker is not long-term storage.

As a current example, Narita's official page lists standard daily lockers at ¥400, ¥600, and ¥800 by size, while some locations use hourly pricing. Haneda publishes a different schedule. These are airport examples—not nationwide prices—and can change.

5. When staffed baggage storage is better

Choose a staffed counter when your suitcase does not fit, large lockers are full, or you need help. Stations, airports, bus terminals, department stores, and tourist-information centers may offer temporary storage.

• Confirm the final collection time, not just the building's closing time.
• Ask whether the fee is per item, calendar day, or 24-hour period.
• Check maximum dimensions, weight, and storage period.
• Ask whether you may reopen the bag during storage.
• Find out what happens if you miss the collection deadline.

Keep the claim ticket and photograph it. Allow extra time at pickup because queues form before last trains and around airport departure peaks.

6. Coin lockers and storage counters at airports

Airports usually offer both lockers and staffed storage, but facilities differ by terminal and may be before security. Confirm your airline's terminal first; returning to another terminal can take longer than expected.

Narita publishes separate live pages for lockers, storage, and delivery in Terminals 1–3. Haneda lists facilities by terminal; its current official information says all coin lockers are outside the gate. Use official maps instead of relying on an old blog screenshot.

7. Luggage delivery between hotels and airports

Luggage forwarding is often called takkyubin or takuhaibin. Yamato Transport and Sagawa operate services for travelers. Depending on the location and service, luggage may be sent to a hotel, airport counter, carrier office, or other supported destination.

1. 1
   Ask the receiving location first

   Confirm that your next hotel has a staffed front desk and accepts luggage before check-in. Unstaffed vacation rentals may not qualify.

2. 2
   Confirm the delivery date

   Show the full address and reservation name. Ask how many days are needed instead of assuming next-day delivery.

3. 3
   Pack an overnight bag

   Keep clothes, medicine, chargers, travel documents, and anything needed before delivery.

4. 4
   Complete the waybill carefully

   Use the hotel reservation name and provide a reachable phone number when requested.

5. 5
   Keep the receipt and tracking number

   Photograph both before leaving the counter.

Hotel policies vary. Yamato's official guidance says its usual hotel workflow cannot deliver to Airbnb-style accommodation without reception staff. Sagawa likewise notes that same-day hotel delivery is limited to eligible areas and cannot serve unmanned accommodation.

8. Three useful luggage plans

After checkout, explore the same city

First ask whether your hotel will hold luggage. If not, use a locker near the station where you will depart—not simply the station closest to the hotel.

Tokyo → one night in Hakone → Kyoto

Send the large suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto, then take a small overnight bag to Hakone. Confirm the delivery date and make sure the Kyoto hotel will accept it.

Last hotel → airport

Confirm how early to send the bag, which terminal counter will hold it, and what is required at pickup. Keep your passport, medication, flight documents, and a change of clothes.

9. Useful Japanese phrases

10. Quick FAQ