Sending your suitcase from the airport to your hotel
The single most useful thing a visitor to Japan can know about luggage: you do not have to carry it. Hand your case in at the arrivals hall and it is at your hotel the next day, usually for less than two people would pay for the airport express.
Where the counters are
At Narita, Haneda and Kansai the delivery counters are in the arrivals hall, after customs, before you reach the trains. Yamato Transport (the black-cat logo, "TA-Q-BIN"), Japan Post and Sagawa all operate there, and at the larger terminals so do JAL ABC and other handling companies.
You do not need a booking. Walk up with the case, give the hotel name and address, pay, and keep the receipt with the tracking number on it.
The same counters work in reverse at the end of a trip: send the case from your hotel to the airport a day or two before you fly, and collect it at the departures counter.
What it costs
Yamato prices takkyubin by size band — the sum of the three sides in centimetres — and by distance. A large suitcase is usually a 140 or 160 size parcel. Within one region that is roughly ¥2,630 to ¥3,020; Narita to Kyoto or Osaka is more.
There is a ¥660 airport surcharge for parcels sent to or from an airport counter, on top of the fare.
The band is decided by whichever of size and weight lands higher. A suitcase is nearly always decided by its size rather than its weight, because 160 size allows 25 kg and few holiday cases reach that.
How long it takes
Next day is the normal service for most of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. Hokkaido and Okinawa take an extra day. Hand it in before the counter cut-off — usually mid-afternoon — for next-day delivery.
Yamato runs a same-day service from Haneda into central Tokyo for parcels handed in early enough, which is worth checking if you land in the morning and want your case waiting when you check in.
Book the delivery date if you are not going straight to the hotel: you can name a delivery day and a two-hour time slot on the form, and hotels will hold a parcel that arrives before you.
Filling in the form
Write the hotel name, its full address and its phone number, and add your own name plus your check-in date with the words "guest arriving" — Japanese hotels file parcels by guest name and arrival date, and one without a date can sit in the wrong pile.
Tell the hotel you are sending a bag. Most are used to it; a few small guesthouses will not accept parcels before check-in, which is worth an email beforehand.
Keep the receipt. The tracking number on it is how you find the case if anything goes wrong, and the counter staff will not have another copy.
The limits
Takkyubin accepts up to 200 cm around and 30 kg, and no single side may be longer than 170 cm. A suitcase never approaches that; a surfboard or a bike box can.
Sagawa caps a suitcase at the 140 size band even when it measures more, which can make it the cheaper option for a very large case, and accepts up to 160 cm and 30 kg.
Japan Post Yu-Pack stops at 170 cm and 25 kg, and runs an Airport Yu-Pack service aimed specifically at travel bags and sports equipment.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send a suitcase from Narita to a Tokyo hotel?
A large case is normally a 140 or 160 size parcel. Inside the Kanto region that is roughly ¥2,630 to ¥3,020 by Yamato, plus the ¥660 airport surcharge. Two people taking the Narita Express instead would pay more than that between them.
Will the hotel accept my suitcase before I check in?
Almost always. Write your name and your check-in date on the form so the hotel can file it, and email a small guesthouse in advance to be sure.
Can I send a suitcase on the same day I land?
Next day is standard. Yamato runs a same-day service from Haneda into central Tokyo for parcels handed in early enough; elsewhere, plan on the following day and carry what you need overnight.
Is there a size limit?
Takkyubin takes up to 200 cm around and 30 kg, with no side over 170 cm. Sagawa stops at 160 cm and Japan Post Yu-Pack at 170 cm and 25 kg. No ordinary suitcase comes close to any of these.
Check your own bag
All guides
Sources
- Yamato Transport — Takkyubin size and weight table (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Yamato Transport — Takkyubin service terms: 200 cm, 30 kg, single side 170 cm (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Yamato Transport — Airport TA-Q-BIN counters and lead times (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Yamato Transport — Takkyubin fare table (revised 1 October 2025) (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Yamato Transport — Haneda same-day delivery service (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Sagawa Express — Hikyaku parcel size table and suitcase rule (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Japan Post — Yu-Pack size bands: 170 cm and 25 kg (Last checked 2026-09-09)
- Japan Post — Airport Yu-Pack for travel bags and sports equipment (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.