Luggage Transfer Advice
 

Hi,
We're going to Japan in November for 3 weeks. We're going to buy a seven day Japan Rail Pass (before the price goes up in October) because we are travelling to several cities during the second week on the shinkansen trains. I want to use small carryons/backpacks during this week and send our one larger piece of luggage (25") ahead.
We'll be leaving Tokyo where I want to send the suitcase but will be arriving at Kyoto 6 days later.
Does anybody know if it's possible to arrange delayed delivery? Is it reliable? Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Nina

Hi Taltul.
I can't help with luggage delivery, but if you are able to get by with packing just a carryon, the shinkansen (at least from Tokyo to Kyoto) had a nice amount of room for luggage. A family member had larger luggage, so we booked the oversized luggage area. I was just there in May for 16 days and got by with a carryon easily (with a packable duffel for last-minute shopping in Tokyo). Also, I did laundry at our hotels. I never regret packing less. Just posting in case it proved helpful to someone with luggage on the shinkansen. Good luck with your planning!

(pics below show the shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto and the amount of space for luggage.)
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0d17f7e321.jpg
Overhead storage for carryone
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3ed9c17097.jpg
Oversized luggage area; you need to reserve this area. Plus, you'll want to reserve seats in the same carriage if you can. We sat at the back of the train to be near the bags.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...33d911445e.jpg
Another shot of oversized luggage area in the back of the carriage.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...15008595d9.jpg
Lots of room for a carryon even in front of your knees.

>> We'll be leaving Tokyo where I want to send the suitcase but will be arriving at Kyoto 6 days later.
Ok, good description. It means you understand that the 7-day pass covers that travel time. Day 1 you activate and use your pass and, 6 days later, you use it to board a train to Kyoto on Day 7 before midnight.

Takuhaibin (Takkyubin) - Delivery Services (japan-guide.com)

"If you intend to send luggage to a hotel, consult with the hotel before doing so. Some smaller hotels may not be able to accept deliveries due to lack of storage space".

"Many companies allow deliveries to be delayed for a few days (typically by up to one week)."

The article mentions delayed delivery. I had imagined that it would be delivered in a day or two and the hotel would just store it.

You do want to print out the delivery information in Japanese.

Definitely check with your arrival hotel whether they will accept and store your luggage for that long a time. We’ve forwarded luggage previously and our hotel kept them for 2-3 days while we did short side trips but it was a large major hotel. Our luggage was in our room when we checked in.

Also request your departure hotel to fill out the form for you in Japanese to eliminate any delivery problems. You will find it a reasonable, easy, convenient system.

Since I was staying in an apartment I had my suitcase held at a nearby Yamato Delivery service office, you can check on their website but the location map is in Japanese.....you can figure it out with a translation tool. Or possibly you can call as there is an English language phone but I didn't try that....

Thanks for the advice. I'll check with the hotels that I booked about luggage transferring and luggage storage. I'm not sure about having our suitcase in storage for so long (6 days) so I might send it to the hotel where we will be staying at in the middle of the week of travelling and then send it on to our final destination. I checked prices and transferring luggage is quite cheap.

In that case you could only take what you need for the first half of the week. When you get to that place midweek exchange used clothing for fresh stuff from the bag you shipped and then ship it again.

Yes, delivery service is quite reasonable. For three summers straight (2017-2019), I used the transfer service and sent luggage on to my next hotels many times.
Happy Travels!

I appreciate all your input!