Leaving That Baggage Behind: Luggage Storage in Tokyo

Wondering what to do with all your essentials, not-so-essentials, and the suitcases that come with them while you explore Japan? Here are a few hacks for luggage storage in Tokyo.

Traveling is carefree, fun and exciting! You’re exploring, adventuring, without a care in the world! Er … apart from that 24 kg suitcase full of stuff slowing your roll. Plus, there are also the Shinkansen baggage restrictions to consider. So you want to drop that dead-weight asap and get on with your exciting day — but how?

Where can I leave luggage in Japan?

If you’re staying in a hotel or hostel you can usually drop it off at the desk long before check-in. But things aren’t always that easy: vacation rentals don’t have this luxury, nor do some hostels. And what if you’re not even staying here? Luckily we have all the best options for luggage storage in Tokyo, from stations to apps to the trusty locker.

Pro tip: One of our favorite luggage storage options is Radical Storage. You can easily book their services online, in English, and they have locations all over Japan. Tokyo Cheapo readers get a 5% discount.

Storing luggage at the airport

If you’re only in Tokyo for a day or two and don’t need all your stuff, you can leave it at the airport. Alternatively, you can have it shipped ahead to your hotel in Tokyo, or elsewhere in Japan.

Pro tip: Book Klook & Luggagent to port your luggage from the airport to your accommodation in Tokyo; more options below.

Narita Airport

Narita Airport is Tokyo’s main international airport — despite the fact that is actually quite far from central Tokyo. That’s reason enough to look into luggage storage if you plan to use your layover at Narita to explore Tokyo.

Find out the cheapest ways of getting to and from Narita Airport.

Staffed luggage storage counters

There are a number of luggage storage counters throughout terminal 1 and 2 of Narita Airport. Most of them are operated by JAL, but there is also one operated by Narita International Airport Promotion Foundation. The prices are similar, starting at ¥500 and going up to ¥1,050 depending on the size of the luggage. However, how the two different operators calculate size is different. For example JAL considers an A4 envelope ‘small’, suitcases ‘medium’ and snowboards ‘large’. Meanwhile, Narita International Airport Promotion Foundation (link in Japanese), uses the dimensions and weight of your suitcases to work out the size. We suggest checking ahead of time which counter offers the best service for you.

Lockers

There are also coin lockers located throughout Narita Airport. The charges differ slightly between them, so check carefully ahead of time. Ski trippers stopping in Tokyo on their way to Niseko will be happy to know there are special over-sized coin lockers specifically for skis and snowboards.

Haneda Airport

Haneda Airport, Tokyo Cheapo readers’ favorite airport, is much closer to Tokyo than Narita Airport. It’s smaller, but there’s still a range of luggage storage options available, so you can explore Tokyo suitcase-free. Storing your luggage also makes layovers at Haneda Airport easier.

Find out the cheapest ways of getting to and from Haneda Airport.

Staffed luggage counters

Haneda Airport has luggage storage counters available in all three terminals. Most of them are run by the same operator, and have the same pricing and time limits. JAL is an exception because they will store your luggage for up to 30 days.

Lockers

Haneda also has baggage lockers, with the ones in T1 and T2 offering 3-days of use (counted as one day at midnight), while those in T3 can be used for 7-days (counted as one day 24 hours from the start of use).

All coin lockers in Haneda Airport are located outside of the arrival and departure gates.

Alternative to luggage storage: Shipping your bags onward

Luggage delivery services can be a good alternative to lugagge storage. If you only plan to stay in Tokyo for a day, you can arrange to have your luggage shipped ahead to your next destination. This way you can explore Tokyo suitcase free and don’t have to worry about finding your way back to wherever you stored it at the end of the day. Plus, some Shinkansen lines now have luggage rules that require advance reservation for suitcases with overall dimensions between 161-250cm. Shipping your luggage ahead separately will save you from having to break out the measuring tape.

Train stations

If you’ve made it this far with that giant suitcase and want to explore the city straight away, train stations have a few options to help you out.

Lockers

Despite being banned for security reasons in many countries, Japan is in love with station coin lockers, and they are generally safe and easy to use. There will be some at pretty much every station you visit, even in the countryside. Stations in Tokyo often have great walls of them with multiple locations (both inside and outside the ticket gates), so you can usually find an empty one.

They come in three sizes, small, medium and large and usually cost ¥300, ¥500 and ¥800 per day respectively (give or take ¥100). Train station lockers are often bigger than you think — you can normally fit a backpack in a small sized locker with space to spare. If your suitcase is larger than a carry-on size, you’ll need to go for a medium, or sometimes a large. It’s also not unusual for those traveling in groups to cram all of their stuff together into one medium or large locker to save a few yen.

Most stations in central Tokyo use electronic lockers that allow you to pay with IC cards like Suica and Pasmo, which is handy. Electronic lockers have English guidance, too. Smaller stations and stations in rural areas may still use classic key-style lockers.

If you leave your items for longer than three days, the station staff will clear them. Not to worry though, you can usually retrieve your items and pay overdue charges at the station office.

Bonus locker tips

• At larger stations, take a photo of where your locker is, and note the nearest exit or shop, so you can easily find it — some stations are like a maze. You can ask a staff member if you can’t find your locker, and they may be able to use your key or receipt to identify the locker location (definitely haven’t had to do that before).
• If you find a bank of lockers but they’re all full, have a look for the poster showing locations of other locker banks — you might have better luck elsewhere.
• You can also check coin locker availability in real time for stations on the Keio-Inokashira Line and Tokyo Metro..
• If you open a locker and find someone else’s stuff inside — don’t panic, not a bomb, this happens weirdly often! — just pop it over to the nearest desk or Lost and Found with the number of the locker it was in. Also, if you realize on a bus somewhere that you never quite locked your locker, don’t panic, chances are your stuff has been handed in safe and sound; you’ll just have to prove it’s yours with ID or a description of contents (definitely haven’t done that before either).

In-station service desks

If you can’t find a free locker or can’t fit your bags in it if you do, some larger stations have service desks that will store your luggage for you, in Tokyo and beyond.

JR East Travel Service Center

Inside Tokyo Station near the Marunouchi North exit.

The JR East Travel Service Center at Tokyo Station can store hand luggage for ¥600 per item; however, it must be collected on the same day. They also offer a porter service around Tokyo Station and delivery services through Yamato for shipping items around Japan. You can also use the Sagawa Service Center near the Nihonbashi exit (more below), on the other side of the station.

Yamato

Yamato is one of Tokyo’s largest courier companies (Sagawa is the other). It is instantly recognizable by it’s “black cat” logo and operates luggage storage counters at several train stations.

Useful locations include:

• Tokyo Station: Located at the Marunouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station. This office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Storage costs ¥600 per piece.
• JR Yokohama Station: Located at the east exit; open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Odawara Station: At the Tourist Information Center in Odawara Station, this office will take luggage from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and has English, Chinese, and Korean language services.
• Tobu-Nikkō Station: Inside the Tobu-Nikkō Tourist Information Center, which is connected to the station; open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for luggage storage. They also support English, Chinese, and Korean language services.

Sagawa

Inside Tokyo Station near the Nihonbashi Exit.

Sagawa, Japan’s other major courier service, has a Tokyo Service Center at Tokyo Station. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Items cost ¥800 per day, or ¥1,000 if over 161 cm.

City-wide service desks

If you don’t have a hotel to keep an eye on it or it’s too big for lockers, there are other services to keep your luggage safe across Tokyo.

Radical Storage

Various locations across Tokyo (and Japan)
¥850 per day, fixed price
Book here

Radical Storage offers a convenient, easy-to-book luggage storage service. They offer a fixed daily price of ¥850 (with no size or weight restrictions), 24/7 customer support, and online payment. There are storage locations all over Tokyo and Japan. Because they partner with local companies, the opening and closing times vary — but that also means that some storage locations are available 24/7. Tokyo Cheapo readers get a 5% discount.

Harajuku Tourist Information Center

Harajuku
¥500 per piece, up to 8 hours

The Harajuku Tourist Information Center has a handy and affordable luggage storage service. It’s ¥500 to store one piece of luggage. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is conveniently located close to Harajuku Station.

Yamato

On the second floor of the Pacifico Yokohama convention center.

Yamato has one Kantō area location not connected to a train station. It’s called Pacifico Logistics Center, and is in Yokohama. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and also has a tourist information center.

Sagawa

Sagawa charges between ¥500 and ¥1,000 per item per day, depending on the location. You can find the complete list on their website.

Here’s a few key locations:

• Shinjuku Service Center: Inside the tourist information center on the 3rd floor of the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal; open from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Prices start at ¥800 per day.
• Asakusa Service Center: Near the Kaminarimon entrance to Asakusa’s famous temple, Sensō-ji; open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (6 p.m. on weekends and holidays), with final items accepted at 6 p.m. It costs a flat ¥800 per item per day.
• Skytree Service Center: On the ground floor of Solamachi, the mall at the base of Tokyo Sky Tree; open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with final items accepted at 8 p.m. Prices start at ¥500 per day.

There are some limits on weight and size: bags cannot be over 200 cm total dimension or 30 kg in weight. You are allowed to access your baggage while it is being stored.

Luggage forwarding

They also offer luggage forwarding to Narita and Haneda airports, or to your accommodation. You can drop off before 11 a.m. and pick up after 4 p.m. for Haneda, or drop off by 6 p.m. and collect after noon the following day for Narita. For more on these services check out our article on luggage delivery services.

Apps: Ecbo and others

Since there’s an app for everything these days, luggage storage in Tokyo is no different. There is one main app for this, and it’s called Ecbo. Perfect for people staying at vacation rentals (so no friendly hotel concierge to look after it for you), these services offer a more human version of lockers.

Ecbo Cloak Service offers a smart and easy service with map-location finders and additional services like Wi-Fi and charge points. Most spots are cafés and guesthouses but might also be the post office or locations in train stations. You can select the best-suited spot depending on location or price, and see how many spaces are available.

You need an account to use the service and you can book in advance; payment is made via credit card when you leave. Prices are standardized at ¥500 per day for bags (under 45 cm) and ¥800 per day for suitcases.

A bit of trivia: Ecbo was started by Shinichi Kudo, who previously interned at Uber Japan and saw a gap in the market for easy luggage storage in Tokyo.

Additional Apps

• Bounce: With 60+ locations across central Tokyo, Bounce has a starting price of ¥450 per item. use code “TOKYOCHEAPO” to get 5% discount
• Vertoe: Has around four spots to choose from around Tokyo, with rates at a standard ¥700 per item.
• Nannybag: Has various spots to choose from around Tokyo, with rates starting from ¥750 per item per day.
• Stasher: Connects you with local businesses where you can securely store your luggage, with rates starting from around ¥800 per item per day.

Traveling with large luggage on the Shinkansen

While previously you could bring luggage on the bullet train without issue, new rules introduced in May 2020 have changed that.

If your luggage has a combined height, width, and length between 160 cm and 250 cm, you will need a luggage reservation on the following bullet trains:

• Tōkaidō Shinkansen (between Tokyo and Osaka, including Kyoto)
• San’yō Shinkansen (between Shin-Osaka and Fukuoka, including Himeiji and Hiroshima)
• Kyūshū Shinkansen (between Hakata and Kagoshima)

While this reservation is free, it must be made in advance and can only be done with a reserved ticket. These rules don’t apply to prams, wheelchairs, bikes (which must be stored in bags), and musical instruments (although you can book a space for these if you want to).

If you fail to make this reservation and try to board with “extra large” luggage, you will be fined ¥1,000 and will need to upgrade to a reserved seat ticket (a few extra hundred yen on top of your unreserved ticket price). If there are no reserved seats left, you may have to wait until the next train. Bags with a combined size of over 250 cm will not be allowed on board.

While it may not be a lot of money, ensure you are aware and book in advance to avoid the fine.

Luggage FAQs

Still got a bag-full of questions? Unload them here.

How much does luggage storage cost in Tokyo?

Luggage storage costs between ¥300 to ¥1,000 per item, depending on the size and the location. Lockers are cheaper, apps are cheap, and staffed-luggage offices are a little more, but are also a darn-sight friendlier.

Where can I store luggage in Tokyo?

You can store luggage in staffed luggage centers, in storage lockers, or via an app. The first two options are available in airports and major train stations, as well as some busy sightseeing spots. Lockers can be found across the city!

Are there storage lockers in Tokyo?

Yes! Despite the risks and the weird uses, there are still thousands of lockers in Tokyo. You’ll find them in multiple sizes in train and bus stations, in and around busy event spaces, museums or galleries, near sightseeing spots, and ocassionally on random shopping streets. Some use keys, some use electronic payments (with some extending as far as Apple or Googlepay), and they generally have a 3-day limit.

What about long-term luggage storage (over 7 days) in Tokyo?

For longer term luggage storage in Tokyo– especially relevant for those who plan to hike the Kumano Kodō, for example– storing your luggage with JAL ABC at the airport (Haneda or Narita) is your best bet. JAL ABC can store your luggage for up to 30 days. Keep in mind that this can get pricey.

Otherwise, we recommend luggage forwarding, which may work out to be cheaper depending on your specific itinerary.

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. This article was first published in May, 2017 and updated in May 2023 by Maria Danuco. Last updated: January 2025.