How to Use Japan's Luggage Forwarding Service — The Complete Takkyubin Guide
Moving luggage between cities in Japan doesn't have to mean dragging a suitcase through crowded train stations, up and down station staircases, and onto packed Shinkansen cars. Japan has a luggage forwarding service — called takkyubin (宅急便) — that picks up your bag from one hotel and delivers it to the next one overnight, so you travel with just a day bag and find your suitcase waiting at the destination.
It costs ¥1,500 to ¥2,500 per bag. It is one of the best travel services available in Japan and one of the most underused by first-time visitors who don't know it exists.
Here's everything about how takkyubin works, where to send bags from, and the specific situations where it makes the most difference.
What takkyubin actually is
Takkyubin is Japan's door-to-door parcel delivery service, operated primarily by Yamato Transport (identified by the black cat logo — 黒猫ヤマト, Kuroneko Yamato) and Sagawa Express. Both companies operate extensive networks throughout Japan with next-day or same-day delivery options between major cities.
For travelers, the service works like this: you leave your bag at your current hotel's front desk (or at a convenience store, post office, or Yamato service point), fill out a delivery slip with the destination hotel's address, pay the fee, and your bag arrives at the destination hotel the following day — usually before you do, if you're traveling by Shinkansen.
The specific experience this creates: on a Tokyo to Kyoto travel day, you check out of your Tokyo hotel with a small day bag containing essentials for the journey. Your suitcase is already on its way to Kyoto. You board the Shinkansen comfortably, arrive in Kyoto, explore the city or check in to the hotel, and find your suitcase already in your room or held at the front desk.
This is not a luxury service — it's a practical infrastructure that a significant portion of Japanese travelers use as a matter of course.
How much it costs — specific prices
Takkyubin pricing is based on the size of the bag (measured by the sum of three dimensions) and the distance between origin and destination.
For a standard carry-on suitcase (sum of dimensions under 160cm — most carry-on luggage): Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka costs approximately ¥1,500 to ¥1,800. Tokyo to Sapporo (Hokkaido) costs approximately ¥2,000 to ¥2,500. Kyoto to Hiroshima costs approximately ¥1,500.
For a checked bag (sum of dimensions 160cm to 200cm): add approximately ¥200 to ¥400 to the above prices.
As a comparison: a coin locker at a major station costs ¥600 to ¥900 per day for a large bag. For a city-change day where you'd need 4 to 6 hours of storage, takkyubin costs only slightly more and eliminates all of the handling.
Where to send bags from — every option explained
Your hotel front desk: the easiest option. Most hotels in Japan that cater to tourists — business hotels, mid-range hotels, ryokan — have relationships with Yamato or Sagawa and can arrange takkyubin pickup directly. Ask at check-in or check-out. The hotel staff fill out the delivery slip, arrange pickup, and charge the fee to your room or take payment separately. This requires no Japanese and no additional navigation.
Convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson): all three major chains accept Yamato takkyubin packages. Bring your bag to the counter, ask for a takkyubin form (宅急便, takkyubin, is understood immediately), fill in the destination address, pay the fee. The convenience store staff are experienced with this process. Payment is in cash — have ¥2,000 to ¥3,000 available.
Yamato Service Centers (ヤマト運輸サービスセンター): Yamato operates dedicated service points near major stations. These offer the widest range of delivery options including same-day delivery for bags sent before 11 AM. Useful for sending bags to a same-day destination rather than overnight.
Airport counters: Narita and Haneda airports have Yamato and Sagawa counters in the arrivals and departures areas. Sending bags from the airport to your first Tokyo hotel is possible — it typically takes 2 to 4 hours and costs ¥1,000 to ¥1,500. This allows arriving at your hotel without luggage if you land in the morning and want to sightsee before check-in time.
Operators: Yamato Transport (Kuroneko, black cat logo) and Sagawa Express. Both are equally reliable.
Price (standard carry-on, Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka): approximately ¥1,500–1,800. Larger bags add ¥200–400.
Delivery time: next-day delivery between major cities when sent by 2:00–3:00 PM. Same-day delivery available from Yamato service centers for morning drop-offs.
Where to send from: hotel front desk (easiest), convenience store (most accessible), Yamato service center (most options).
What you need: destination hotel name and address in Japanese (or show the address on your phone). No Japanese required at hotels or 7-Eleven — the staff handle the form.
Size limit: bags with dimensions totaling over 200cm are not accepted. Most travel luggage is well under this limit.
How to fill out the delivery slip
The takkyubin delivery slip (着払い伝票, chakubarai denpyo for recipient-pays, or 元払い伝票, motobara denpyo for sender-pays — you want sender-pays) has fields for:
Destination (お届け先): the name and address of the hotel you're sending to. Show the hotel's name and address on your phone — the staff or you can copy it onto the form. Having the address saved in Japanese characters in advance is useful; Google Maps saves addresses in local script.
Your name and contact (ご依頼主): your name and the address of the hotel you're currently at (the pickup address).
Desired delivery date (お届け希望日): tomorrow's date if you want next-day delivery. The form has a calendar field — point to the date.
Delivery time window (お届け時間帯): options typically include morning (午前中), noon to 2 PM, 2 to 4 PM, 4 to 6 PM, 6 to 8 PM, and 8 to 9 PM. Select the window that matches your hotel check-in time — bags arriving before you check in are held at the front desk.
At hotel front desks: the staff complete most of this for you. Your main input is the destination address and the date.
At convenience stores: the staff assist with the form. Show the destination hotel address on your phone, indicate tomorrow's date, and point to your preferred delivery time. The process takes 5 to 10 minutes.
The situations where takkyubin makes the biggest difference
City-change travel days: moving from Tokyo to Kyoto, or Kyoto to Osaka, or any combination — these are the days when takkyubin transforms the experience. Without it: check out of the hotel with full luggage, navigate a crowded station with a suitcase, find a coin locker (which may be full), store and retrieve the bag, board the Shinkansen, navigate the destination station with the bag, find the hotel. With it: check out with a day bag, board the Shinkansen, find your suitcase at the destination hotel.
Days with significant walking: Kyoto temple circuits, Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari — any day that involves extensive walking benefits from not carrying a suitcase. Sending your bag the night before a walking-intensive day to the hotel you'll stay at that night means a full day of walking without luggage management.
Departure day: send your bag to the airport from your last hotel the day before your flight. Yamato delivers to Narita and Haneda airport storage facilities. This allows a luggage-free last day in Tokyo — visiting a museum, a neighborhood you didn't have time for, a final meal — without managing a suitcase. The bag is waiting at the airport when you arrive to check in.
Airport arrival day: send your bag from Narita or Haneda to your first hotel immediately after landing. The bag arrives at the hotel in 2 to 4 hours. This allows you to leave the airport with a day bag and explore Tokyo before check-in time without managing full luggage through the city.
Common questions — answered directly
Is it safe? Yes. Japan's parcel delivery services have exceptional reliability and damage rates. Items of genuine value should be packed carefully as with any shipping, but standard travel luggage arrives in the same condition it was sent.
What about valuables? Passports, medication, devices, and items you need during the travel day should stay in your day bag, not in the forwarded luggage. This is standard practice and not a limitation of the service — you'd want these items accessible anyway.
What if the hotel doesn't have a reservation for me yet? The bag is held at the front desk under your name. When you check in and give your name, the staff retrieve it. There's no requirement to be checked in when the bag arrives.
What if I'm moving to a ryokan or smaller property? Call or email the ryokan in advance to confirm they accept takkyubin deliveries. Most do — it's a standard service in Japan — but some smaller properties have limited storage and appreciate advance notice.
Takkyubin is the service that experienced Japan travelers mention most consistently when asked what they wish they'd known on their first trip. It's not complicated, it's not expensive, and it changes the physical experience of moving between cities from a logistics management problem to a non-issue. Send the bag. Enjoy the Shinkansen. Find the suitcase at the hotel.
Planning your first Japan trip? Browse all guides at The Travel Cartographer Japan Travel Guide.
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