Hopping on a train can be one of the best ways to explore Japan. Thanks to the great infrastructure and the amazing railway network of the country, traveling by train is both efficient and fast. However, most Japan trains don’t provide much space for luggage. Though the accessibility situation has improved recently, bulky suitcases are still not recommended if you’re planning to travel by train around Japan. Urban and long-distance trains (except the airport ones) have little to no space for luggage, and shinkansen trains offer only small overhead shelves.
The good news is that Japan offers a wide range of options when it comes to transporting your bags, which means you don’t have to worry about crowded trains or try to fit all of your essentials into a single suitcase. Express delivery services, known as Takuhaibin, are an extremely convenient ways to send your luggage, as well as various parcels or goods, nationwide. Delivery is usually within 24-hour (for shorter distances, you can even expect your bags to be delivered on the same day) and the costs are absolutely affordable. Takuhaibin services have proven invaluable to tourists with lots of luggage, as it enables them to send their bags from the airport to the hotel or even between hotels and avoid having to haul their bulky suitcases in the crowded Japanese trains.
The price for same-day delivery of your luggage from the Kyoto Station counter to your hotel (and various hotels across the region) can be less than ¥1,000 yen per piece, and the same service costs only as much as ¥1,500 in Tokyo. You can even specify the date and time you want your luggage to be delivered, if the next-day or same-day delivery options don’t work or you.
Additionally, if you just just want to leave your suitcase temporarily, you can store your luggage in one of the storage counters, found at the airport for around ¥500-1,000 per day, depending on the size of your bags.