Japan luggage forwarding from airport to hotel is per piece and takes time; a private car is per vehicle. Same-day limits, Hakone's bag service, and when to ride instead.
Luggage forwarding in Japan, from the airport to your hotel or back, is convenient, but your bags do not fly there by themselves. It is charged per piece, it needs time to arrive, and on the night your suitcase is away you need a change of clothes with you. The simplest way to decide is one question: which bags do you need tonight?
Airport to hotel: bags you need tonight travel with you, not by forwarding
Anything you will open on your first night is best arriving with you. From the airport, only some destinations get same-day delivery: Yamato's same-day service runs from limited counters to limited destinations, such as Haneda to Tokyo's 23 wards, with cut-off times that vary by counter; see Yamato same-day delivery. Delivery times for other destinations are as the operator publishes them.
With a private car, the bags arrive with you. Haneda to anywhere in Tokyo is ¥15,000 by Alphard or ¥17,000 by Hiace, priced per car and the same however many bags you have within capacity: the Alphard seats 7 with room for 6 pieces, the Hiace seats 10 with room for 9 (see how many suitcases fit in each vehicle). From Narita, see Narita Airport to central Tokyo.
A family of five with six suitcases: count the pieces
Forwarding costs more with every piece; a car costs the same for six suitcases as for three. A family of five with six cases fits the Alphard exactly, and everything arrives together in one car.
Flip it round: two people with one case each who want to go somewhere else first may be better off forwarding the cases and taking the train light. The number of pieces and where you are going that day decide this better than which option sounds easier.
Tokyo, then a night in Hakone: send bags to Hakone-Yumoto
If your trip includes a night at a Hakone ryokan midway through, the big suitcases do not need to come up the mountain with you. Hakone-Yumoto Station runs a luggage transport service to partner accommodation in the Hakone area, and back to the station on your return:
- For same-day delivery, check bags in at the counter by 12:00 (online reservations by 11:30).
- Items over 2 m in combined dimensions or over 30 kg are refused, as are strollers, valuables and fragile items.
- Partner facilities only; service to some accommodation may pause in early January or during typhoons or snow.
See the Hakone luggage transport service. If the whole family is going straight from the airport to the ryokan, there is nothing to split: Haneda to Hakone by Alphard is ¥50,000, with every bag on board. See Haneda to Hakone.
Going home: send the big bags to the airport
If the last night's shopping got out of hand, Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN can deliver your bags to an airport counter, where you collect them on departure day with your receipt. Items over 30 kg are not accepted; see Yamato Airport TA-Q-BIN. Allow enough days and follow the operator's published cut-off times.
If you would rather not work out cut-off times at all, a car from the hotel to the airport takes every bag with you; see our Tokyo hotel to airport transfer guide for timing.
Split by which bags you need each night, and mix the two freely. Send your trip on the booking page with the number of bags for each leg.
FAQ
- With luggage forwarding from a Japan airport to my hotel, will bags arrive the same day?
- Not necessarily. Yamato's same-day delivery covers limited destinations from limited counters, such as Haneda to Tokyo's 23 wards, with cut-off times that vary by counter. Delivery times for other destinations are as published by the operator.
- With a lot of luggage, is forwarding or a private car better value?
- Forwarding is charged per piece; a private car is priced per vehicle, the same however many bags you bring within its capacity. The Alphard takes 6 pieces and the Hiace 9, so the more bags you have, the more sense it makes to ride together.
- Staying at a ryokan in Hakone, can we leave the big bags off the mountain trip?
- Hakone-Yumoto Station has a luggage transport service to partner accommodation in the Hakone area. For same-day delivery, bags must be checked in by 12:00, and only partner facilities are covered. See Hakone's official tourism site for details.
- Can we send our luggage to the airport before we fly home?
- Yes. Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN delivers to the airport counter, where you collect it with your receipt on departure day. Items over 30 kg are not accepted. See Yamato's official site for details.