Baggage on Japanese low-cost carriers
The trap on a Japanese LCC is not the size of your bag. It is the seven kilograms — a hard-shell cabin case can be three of those empty — and the fact that the gate has a scale.
The carry-on allowance
Peach, Jetstar Japan, Spring Japan and ZIPAIR all allow one bag plus one personal item, and all four cap the pair at 7 kg. The dimensions differ slightly: Peach states a total of under 115 cm and counts handles, pockets and wheels; Jetstar and Spring give a box of 56 × 36 × 23 cm; ZIPAIR gives two boxes, 55 × 40 × 25 cm for the first piece and 35 × 45 × 25 cm for the second.
Seven kilograms is the binding constraint, not the size. An empty hard-shell cabin case is 3 kg or more, which leaves four for everything in it. A soft bag is the difference between paying and not paying.
They weigh at the gate, not only at check-in. Moving books into your coat pockets at the desk works; it does not work at the gate, where the scale comes out again on full flights.
Checked baggage
Every Japanese LCC charges for checked baggage from the first piece. Buying it with the ticket is significantly cheaper than adding it online later, and adding it later is much cheaper than paying at the airport counter, where the walk-up rate is the highest of the three.
Weight bands rather than pieces are the usual structure: you buy an allowance of, say, 20 kg and can split it across bags. ZIPAIR sells 14, 23 and 32 kg steps for up to five pieces of 203 cm around; Spring Japan takes up to three pieces of 30 kg.
If you are close to the line, weigh the case at home. Excess weight bought at the counter is charged per kilogram and is the most expensive way to move anything by air.
Skymark is not really an LCC here
Skymark prices like a low-cost carrier but keeps a full-service baggage allowance: 10 kg of carry-on and 20 kg of checked baggage free, with no limit on the number of checked pieces. Checked bags may be up to 50 × 60 × 120 cm.
On a domestic route with a big suitcase, that free 20 kg often makes Skymark cheaper than a nominally cheaper LCC fare with a bag added.
Working out whether an LCC is actually cheaper
Add the checked bag to the LCC fare before you compare. A ¥5,000 Peach ticket with a ¥3,000 bag is a ¥8,000 ticket, and at that point ANA or JAL with 20 kg included, a bigger seat and a refundable ticket may cost the same.
The other thing to price is the alternative: sending the suitcase by takkyubin and flying with a day bag. For a domestic hop it is frequently cheaper than the baggage fee, and it removes the weight question entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How strict is the 7 kg carry-on limit on Peach and Jetstar?
Strict, and enforced at the gate as well as at check-in on busy flights. An empty hard-shell cabin case already uses three of the seven kilograms, so plan the contents around that rather than the size.
Is checked baggage ever free on a Japanese LCC?
No — Peach, Jetstar Japan, Spring Japan and ZIPAIR all charge from the first piece. Skymark, which is priced similarly, does include 20 kg free, which is often the deciding difference.
When should I buy the checked bag?
With the ticket. Adding it online later costs more, and paying at the airport counter costs the most of all.
Is it cheaper to send my suitcase than to check it?
Often, on a domestic route. A 140 or 160 size takkyubin parcel within one region is around ¥2,600 to ¥3,000, which frequently beats an LCC baggage fee, and your hands are free at both ends.
Check your own bag
All guides
Sources
- Peach Aviation — Carry-on baggage: 2 items, under 115 cm, 7 kg (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Jetstar Japan — Carry-on baggage allowance: 56 × 36 × 23 cm, 7 kg (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Spring Japan — Carry-on baggage, domestic flights (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- ZIPAIR Tokyo — Regarding baggage: carry-on and checked (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Skymark Airlines — Cabin baggage size and weight (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Skymark Airlines — Checked baggage: 20 kg free, 50 × 60 × 120 cm (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Yamato Transport — Takkyubin fare table (revised 1 October 2025) (Last checked 2026-09-09)
Last checked: 2026-09-09 — Rules and prices change. Coin locker dimensions in particular vary from station to station, so treat the sizes here as a guide and check the official page before you travel.