Luggage forwarding in Japan: services, prices and how to book
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In Japan you can send a suitcase ahead instead of carrying it: you hand it over at an airport counter, a courier office or your hotel's front desk, and it is waiting at your next hotel that evening or the next day. This page compares the services that visitors can book, with prices taken from each company's own page.
Quick answer
- Next day, almost anywhere: Yamato Transport's TA-Q-BIN from any Yamato office, for example ¥3,160 for a suitcase up to 160 cm from Kyoto to Tokyo. Bounce sells Yamato delivery online and in its app, from ¥2,090.
- Same day from the airport: Yamato from Haneda (drop off by 11:00, ¥5,170 to central Tokyo), Sagawa from Narita Terminal 2 (by 14:00, ¥3,650) or JAL ABC from Kansai Airport (by 12:30, ¥3,970). Prices are for one bag up to 160 cm.
- Same day between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka: LUGGAGE EXPRESS (¥13,200 per bag, drop off by 10:00, partner hotels only) or LuggAgent (US$198 for up to two bags).
- Staying in an Airbnb or a hotel without a front desk: Yamato, Sagawa, JAL ABC and LUGGAGE EXPRESS do not deliver there. LuggAgent does, for US$25 extra. Otherwise, send the bag to a Yamato office and collect it there.
Comparison
Sizes are length + width + height. Prices are for one bag up to 160 cm unless noted, and say "incl. tax" only where the company's page says so. Prices change; check the booking page before you go.
| Service | Route | Timing | Price per bag | How to book | Cut-off | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN) | Haneda Airport → hotel in central Tokyo | Same day | ¥5,170 up to 160 cm / 25 kg (incl. tax); from ¥2,450 | No reservation. Fill in a multilingual digital form (or paper form with an English guide) and pay at the TA-Q-BIN counter | Drop off by 11:00; at the hotel after 18:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Sagawa Express (Hands-free travel) | Narita Airport Terminal 2 → hotel in 10 central Tokyo wards or Urayasu | Same day | ¥3,650 up to 160 cm (incl. tax); from ¥2,120 | At the baggage counter, Terminal 2, 1st floor | Drop off by 14:00; at the hotel after 16:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| JAL ABC | Kansai Airport → hotel in central Osaka or central Kyoto | Same day | ¥3,970 up to 160 cm (incl. tax); from ¥3,420 | At the JAL ABC counter at Kansai Airport; cash or card | Drop off by 12:30; at the hotel after 20:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| LuggAgent | Haneda or Narita → hotel in Tokyo 23 wards, Tokyo Disney area or Yokohama | Same day | US$74 (Haneda) or US$81 (Narita) for 1–2 bags; +US$15 per extra bag | Book and pay online in advance (US dollars) | Airport drop-off until 18:00; at the hotel before 21:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| JAL same-day baggage delivery | JAL domestic flight arriving at Haneda by 13:00 → hotel in Tokyo 23 wards, Urayasu or some Kawasaki hotels | Same day | ¥2,800; up to 180 cm / 30 kg | Book and pay online up to 60 days ahead (Japanese-language page); check in the bag at the departure airport | 45 minutes before your flight departs | 2026-10-03 |
| Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN) | Seven Yamato offices in Tokyo (Ginza, Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Ningyocho) → Haneda Airport | Same day | ¥5,780 up to 160 cm / 25 kg (incl. tax); from ¥2,600 | No reservation. Bring the bag to one of the listed offices | Drop off by 11:00; collect at Haneda 17:00–23:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Airporter | Tokyo hotel → Haneda, Tokyo Station or another hotel; or → Narita | Same day | ¥2,200 up to 160 cm (incl. tax); ¥2,750 to Narita | Book and prepay online (card, PayPal or Alipay; no cash) | Book by 23:00 the day before; leave at the front desk by 9:00; at the airport after 16:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Airporter | Osaka or Kyoto hotel → Kansai Airport or another hotel | Same day | ¥2,420 to Kansai Airport, ¥2,200 hotel to hotel, up to 160 cm (incl. tax) | Book and prepay online (card, PayPal or Alipay; no cash) | Book by 23:00 the day before; leave at the front desk by 9:00; at the airport after 16:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN) | Kyoto → Kansai Airport | Next day | ¥4,680 up to 160 cm / 25 kg; from ¥2,600 | No reservation. Bring the bag to one of eight Yamato offices in Kyoto | Drop off by 10:00; at Kansai Airport from 7:00 the next day | 2026-10-03 |
| LUGGAGE EXPRESS (JTB) | Tokyo hotel or station ⇄ Kyoto or Osaka hotel (partner hotels, guests only) | Same day | ¥13,200 (incl. tax); ¥16,500 for 18:00 delivery or a 12:00 drop-off | Book and pay by card online; show the e-ticket at drop-off | Drop off by 10:00; at the hotel from 20:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| LuggAgent | Tokyo 23 wards, Tokyo Disney area or Yokohama ⇄ Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe or Nara | Same day | US$198 for 1–2 bags; +US$49 per extra bag | Book and pay online in advance (US dollars) | Hotel drop-off until 11:00; at the hotel before 21:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Airporter | Tokyo 23 wards ⇄ Osaka or Kyoto | Same day | From ¥4,400 (incl. tax) | Book and prepay online (card, PayPal or Alipay; no cash) | Book by 23:00 the day before | 2026-10-03 |
| Sagawa Express (Hands-free travel) | Tokyo Station (Nihonbashi exit) → hotel in Tokyo 23 wards or Urayasu | Same day | ¥2,440 up to 160 cm / 30 kg (incl. tax); from ¥910 | At the Sagawa counter (open 7:00–21:00) | Drop off by 13:00; at the hotel after 16:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN) | Within central Kyoto (Shimogyo, Nakagyo, Minami, Higashiyama wards); similar service in central Osaka and Kobe | Same day | ¥2,860 up to 160 cm / 25 kg in Kyoto; ¥4,020 in Osaka or Kobe | No reservation. Hotels with a front desk only | Not stated on the page; ask at the office | 2026-10-03 |
| Crosta (Carry Service) | Kyoto Station → partner hotel in Kyoto | Same day | ¥1,500 per item | At the Crosta counter in Kyoto Station; card accepted | Drop off by 14:00; at the hotel after 17:00 | 2026-10-03 |
| Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN) | Almost anywhere in Japan, from Yamato offices | Next day | Example: ¥3,160 up to 160 cm, Kyoto → Tokyo | No reservation. Bring the bag to a Yamato office | Varies by office. From Kyoto, about two days to Hokkaido, Okinawa and some other areas | 2026-10-03 |
| Bounce (with Yamato Transport) | Between Yamato stores, or to your hotel (guests only) | Next day | From ¥2,090 up to 5 kg; from ¥3,070 for 5–15 kg; from ¥4,939 over 15 kg | Book and pay online or in the Bounce app; drop off at a Yamato store | Not published; get a quote in the app before booking | 2026-10-03 |
Same-day or next-day?
Next-day delivery is the cheaper and simpler option. Yamato delivers to almost all of Japan the next day; from Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa and a few other areas take about two days. It suits a trip where you stay at least one night in each city: send the bag the morning you leave, and it arrives the day after.
Same-day delivery needs an early drop-off (usually between 9:00 and 14:00), arrives in the evening (usually from 16:00 to 21:00), and only covers certain areas, mostly central Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It suits two situations: you land in the morning and want to go sightseeing before check-in, or you move from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka in one day and want the bag that night.
Flying home: plan ahead. Yamato's deadline for sending a bag from Kyoto to Haneda is two days before your flight, and Yamato has no same-day delivery to Narita. For Narita, LUGGAGE EXPRESS (¥5,500, drop off at a Tokyo hotel by 10:00, collect from 14:00) and Airporter (¥2,750 up to 160 cm, leave it at the hotel by 9:00) offer same-day delivery from Tokyo hotels.
Step by step
From a hotel
- Ask the front desk whether they can send luggage for you. Some hotels can arrange Yamato delivery at the desk.
- If not, take the bag to a Yamato office or a Sagawa store yourself, or book Airporter, LuggAgent or LUGGAGE EXPRESS online and leave the bag at the front desk (LUGGAGE EXPRESS: partner hotels only).
- Address the bag to your next hotel, with your name as it appears on the booking, so the front desk can match it to you.
- Keep the receipt or e-ticket until you have the bag back.
From an airport
- Go to the delivery counter at the airport: Yamato's TA-Q-BIN counters at Haneda (Terminal 3 for international flights), the baggage counter on the 1st floor of Narita Terminal 2 (Sagawa), or JAL ABC at Kansai Airport.
- Fill in the form. Yamato's Haneda counters have a multilingual digital form, and a paper form with an English guide.
- Pay, keep the receipt, and travel on without the bag. With Yamato at Haneda, a bag dropped off by 11:00 reaches a central Tokyo hotel after 18:00.
From a rental without a front desk
Yamato will not deliver to Airbnb rentals, convenience stores or hotels without a reception desk. Sagawa and JAL ABC do not deliver to private lodging either, and LUGGAGE EXPRESS delivers only to its partner hotels. You have two options:
- Send the bag to a Yamato office near your rental and collect it during its opening hours.
- Use LuggAgent, which delivers to Airbnb rentals for US$25 extra if you send the check-in instructions before 13:00.
FAQ
How much does it cost to send a suitcase in Japan?
For a bag up to 160 cm, from about ¥1,500 to ¥5,800 for the same day within a city or between an airport and a hotel; for example ¥3,160 for the next day from Kyoto to Tokyo with Yamato; and ¥13,200 for the same day between Tokyo and Kyoto with LUGGAGE EXPRESS. See the table for each route.
Can I pay by card?
It depends on the service. Airporter and LUGGAGE EXPRESS take payment online only (Airporter: card, PayPal or Alipay; LUGGAGE EXPRESS: card). JAL ABC at Kansai Airport takes cash or card. Yamato takes payment at the counter; check the accepted methods on its page. Sagawa takes card online if you apply in advance, or payment at the store.
How big and heavy can a bag be?
Yamato and LUGGAGE EXPRESS take bags up to 200 cm and 30 kg. JAL's same-day service from domestic flights takes up to 180 cm and 30 kg. Larger or heavier items need a different service.
Do I need to book in advance?
Not for Yamato or Sagawa at their counters. Airporter generally needs a booking by 23:00 the day before. LUGGAGE EXPRESS takes bookings up to the drop-off time (at least two hours before for airport routes). LuggAgent and JAL's same-day service are booked online in advance.
Prices and details checked on 2026-10-03.