IC Cards Archives | Tokyo Cheapo

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 new 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 A number of luggage storage counters are operating at reduced hours. The table below shows the current operating hours, but note that this is subject to change without notice. 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 and going up to or 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 'meduim' 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. Company Location Hours Cost Time Limit Notes JAL ABC Terminal 11st Floor North & South Wing 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. -/day 30 days South Wing counter is currently open until 1 hour after the arrival of the last international flight JAL ABC Terminal 14th Floor North &South Wing 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. -/day 30 days North Wing counter is temporarily closed JAL ABC Terminal 21st Floor3rd Floor 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. -/day 30 days 1st Floor counter is currently open until 1 hour after the arrival of the last international flight Narita International Airport Promotion Foundation Terminal 23rd Floor 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. -/day Not stated 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. Location Cost Time Limit Notes Terminal 1Basement Floor1st Floor Central Building4th Floor North Wing, South Wing, Central Building Small: Medium: Large: 8 days Charged per day, rolls over at midnight. Terminal 2Basement Floor FromSmall: Medium: Large: 8 days Price per hour for the first 6 hours. After 6 hours the price increases by /hour for all sizes. Terminal 23rd Floor Main Building Small: Medium: Large: 8 days Charged per day, rolls over at midnight. Terminal 32nd Floor From Small: Medium: Large: 8 days Price per hour for the first 6 hours. After 6 hours it is an extra (small), (medium), or (large) per 24 hours. Terminal 32nd Floor Extra large/over-sized: 5 days Price per 12 hours. Designed for storage of skis, snowboards etc. Haneda Airport Haneda Airport is much closer to Tokyo than Narita Airport. While it is smaller, there are still a range of luggage storage options available, so you can explore Tokyo suitcase-free. It also makes layovers at Haneda Airport easier. Find out the cheapest ways of getting to and from Haneda Airport. Staffed luggage counters A number of luggage storage counters are operating at reduced hours. The table below shows the current operating hours, but note that this is subject to change without notice. Also note that the Bonded Baggage Custody counter and the Yamato Transport counter, both located in terminal 2 are temporarily closed. 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. Company Location Hours Cost Time Limit Notes Temporary Baggage Storage Terminal 1Basement Floor 1 South 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. -/day 14 days JAL Baggage Service Counter Terminal 11st Floor 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. -/day 30 days Hotel delivery services also available. Temporary Baggage Storage Terminal 2Basement Floor 1 North 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. -/day 14 days Temporary Baggage Storage Terminal 32nd Floor 24 hours -/day 14 days Bonded Baggage Custody Terminal 32nd Floor 24 hours Not stated Not stated For storing import/export cargo and goods. Temporary Baggage Storage Terminal 33rd Floor 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. -/day 14 days Lockers Haneda also has baggage lockers, with the ones in T1 and T2 offering 3-days of use, while those in T3 can be used for 7-days. 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 lockers. 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 , and per day respectively (give or take ). 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. 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. 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 per piece. JR Yokohama Station: Located at the east exit; open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 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 per day, or 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) per day, fixed price Book here Radical Storage offers a convenient, easy-to-book luggage storage service. They offer a fixed daily price of (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. 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 and per item per day, depending on the location. Shinjuku Service Center: Inside the tourist information center on the 3rd floor of the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal; open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Prices start at 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., with final items accepted at 6 p.m. It costs a flat 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 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. 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 was started by Shinichi Kudo, who previously interned at Uber Japan and saw a gap in the market for easy luggage storage in Tokyo. They offer 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 per day for bags (under 45 cm) and per day for suitcases. Additional Apps While Ecbo was the only app offering this service in Tokyo when we first wrote this article in 2017, there are now a handful of other international apps doing a similar thing, but without the Japanese connection(s). Stasher: Currently offering one storage spot in Tokyo, their prices are around per item. Bounce: With 60+ locations across central Tokyo, Bounce has a starting price of per item. use code "TOKYOCHEAPO" to get 5% discount Vertoe: Has around four spots to choose from around Tokyo, with rates at a standard per item. Traveling with large luggage on the Shinkansen: 2020 changes 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 now need a luggage reservation. While this reservation is free, it must be made in advance and can only be done with a reserved ticket. It's worth noting that 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 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. These rules apply to specific routes only: the Tōkaidō Shinkansen (between Tokyo and Osaka, including Kyoto), the San'yō Shinkansen (between Shin-Osaka and Fukuoka, including Himeiji and Hiroshima) and the Kyūshū Shinkansen (between Hakata and Kagoshima). While it is not a lot of money, just 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 to 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. While we do our best to ensure it's correct, information is subject to change. This article was first published in May, 2017. Last updated in May 2023 by Maria Danuco.

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