Where to Store or Send Luggage in Japan: How to Use Hands-Free Travel (Tebura Kanko) in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
To use hands-free travel in Japan, you store your luggage or send it ahead at one of five places: station coin lockers, staffed station counters, your hotel's front desk, airport counters or same-day delivery services. Coming back to the same station that day? A locker or counter is enough. Moving to another hotel, city or the airport? Use same-day delivery and watch the cut-off: at Kyoto Station, bags must be in before 14:00 to reach your accommodation the same day.
Key takeaways
- Counters showing the government's "Japan. Hands-Free Travel" logo offer storage, delivery or both. MLIT's open-data list (updated 20 August 2026) has about 380 counters in operation; around 130 of them offer same-day delivery.
- Coin lockers can be used whenever the station is open. JNTO puts the usual price at ¥300–600, but extra-large lockers are scarce and fill up fast.
- Same-day delivery runs on morning cut-offs: 14:00 at Kyoto Station for delivery to your accommodation, 10:30–14:00 at Narita depending on the operator, and 10:00 or 12:30 at the Yamato counter at Kansai Airport.
- Most station-to-hotel services only deliver within the same city. Moving to another city needs a hotel-to-hotel or hotel-to-airport service.
- According to JNTO, delivery counters generally take items up to 160 cm (three sides combined) and about 25–30 kg, and won't take valuables, fragile items or liquids.
Where can you store or send luggage in Japan? Five types of place
Japan has five main places to drop luggage: station coin lockers, staffed station counters, hotel front desks, airport counters and same-day delivery services. Lockers and counters only store your bags; airport counters and delivery services can also send them to a hotel or the airport. Official information checked in October 2026:
| Place | Store or send | Hours / cut-off | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station coin lockers | Store | Whenever the station is open | About ¥300–600 per use (JNTO); few extra-large lockers, and they fill up fast in peak season |
| Staffed station counters | Store; some also send to hotels in the same city | At Kyoto Station, roughly 7:30–20:00 depending on the counter | Takes bags too big for lockers; counters close in the evening |
| Hotel front desk | Store (guests); can arrange courier delivery | Usually until you collect them the same day | Free for guests at most hotels; ask the front desk about delivery between hotels |
| Airport counters (Narita, Haneda, Kansai) | Store, or send to a hotel or home | Same-day delivery cut-off at Narita is 10:30–14:00, depending on the operator | Most deliveries arrive the next day; same-day areas are limited |
| Same-day delivery services | Send to your next hotel or the airport | Hand over in the morning; book ahead | Station and airport counters, courier companies and private services such as LuggAgent |
Coin lockers at a JR station. Only a few lockers in each bank are big enough for a large suitcase. Photo: 掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
How do you find a Hands-Free Travel counter?
Look for the red "Japan. Hands-Free Travel" logo at the counter: a "Storage" icon means the counter holds bags, and a "Delivery" icon means it ships them. The logo was launched in July 2015 by MLIT and the Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT press release). The current counter list can be downloaded as a CSV or PDF, with an English version, from MLIT's open-data page. Our count of the list updated 20 August 2026 is about 380 counters in operation, about 230 of which offer storage and about 130 same-day delivery.
JNTO's luggage storage page also links the airport delivery pages. For the policy background and how much time hands-free travel saves, see Hands-Free Travel: How Much Time, Money and Space Sending Your Luggage Ahead Frees Up.
Counter, locker or same-day delivery: how to choose
Three questions decide it. Answer them in this order:
- Coming back to the same station today? Use a coin locker or a staffed counter. Not coming back (moving hotel, changing city, flying out)? Use delivery, so you don't have to go back for the bags.
- Large suitcase or several bags? Skip the lockers and use a staffed counter, or a storage app you can book ahead. A day bag fits in a small locker.
- What time can you hand the bags over? Same-day delivery cut-offs are in the morning or early afternoon. If you arrive after the cut-off, store the bags and have them sent the next morning, or drop them at your hotel yourself.
For locker sizes and prices, and how storage apps compare, see Coin Lockers vs Luggage Storage Apps vs Luggage Delivery in Japan: Which Should You Use? If you're deciding between next-day courier delivery and same-day delivery, see Same-Day Luggage Delivery vs Yamato TA-Q-BIN: Which Should Tourists Use?
How to use tebura kanko: step by step
Using hands-free travel comes down to five steps that work at most counters:
- Decide where the bags need to be tonight: the same hotel, a hotel in another city, or the airport. That decides whether you store or send them.
- Check the cut-off and booking rules: walk-up counters take bags on the day, while storage apps and some delivery services need booking ahead.
- Pack a day bag: keep your passport, valuables, fragile items, medicine and liquids with you. JNTO lists valuables, fragile items, fresh food, liquids and dangerous goods as not accepted for delivery.
- Have the hotel's details ready: name, address, phone number and the name on the reservation. Some services only deliver to partner hotels, so check that yours is covered.
- Keep your receipt and check collection hours: staffed counters close in the evening. At Crosta (the JR group's counters), bags should generally be collected by 20:00.
Where to store or send luggage in Tokyo
In Tokyo, the main hands-free spots are Tokyo Station, Haneda Airport and Narita Airport. MLIT's counter list shows storage counters inside Tokyo Station's ticket gates, plus delivery counters that send bags to Tokyo hotels the same day.
| Place | Store or send | Same-day delivery | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Station | Storage counters inside the gates; Yamato and Sagawa delivery counters | Yamato and Sagawa take same-day bags until late morning | Destinations are mainly hotels in central Tokyo and the airports; check each operator's site for cut-offs |
| Haneda Airport | Yamato and Sagawa delivery counters in the arrivals lobbies | At Terminals 2 and 3, Yamato takes bags until 18:30 for central Tokyo hotels | Delivered after 18:00 the same day; departure-lobby counters handle bags sent to the airport |
| Narita Airport | Storage and delivery counters at all three terminals | Cut-off 10:30–14:00, depending on the operator | Areas are limited; Sagawa covers selected hotels in 10 Tokyo wards and parts of Urayasu |
Sources: Haneda Airport, Yamato Haneda same-day delivery, Narita Airport. If you're heading from the airport to your Tokyo hotel, see Narita and Haneda Luggage Delivery to Your Tokyo Hotel: Same-Day Options vs N'EX and Limousine Bus.
Where to store or send luggage in Kyoto
In Kyoto, start at HANDS FREE KYOTO, Kyoto City's official site run by the Kyoto City Tourism Association. It maps every option, with a flowchart to help you choose. Kyoto Station alone has five counters that store or send luggage. If you arrive at the station before 14:00, your bags can reach your accommodation the same day; after 14:00, use storage instead.
| Kyoto Station counter | Service | Reception hours |
|---|---|---|
| Crosta KYOTO | Delivery and storage | 8:00–20:00 |
| Kotochika Kyoto City Bus & Subway Information Center | Delivery | 7:30–19:30 |
| Kyoto Tourist Information Center "Kyo Navi" | Delivery | 8:30–19:00 |
| JR Kyoto Station Hachijo Gate Delivery Service | Delivery and storage | 10:00–18:00 |
| MK KYOTO TRAVEL CENTER | Delivery and storage | 9:00–19:00 |
HANDS FREE KYOTO also lists same-day delivery between accommodations in Kyoto City and from your accommodation to Kyoto Station, plus bookable storage through ecbo cloak, Radical Storage and Bounce. Kyoto City asks visitors not to take large luggage onto city buses. Arriving from Kansai Airport? See Kansai Airport to Kyoto Hotel with Luggage: Haruka, Limousine Bus or Same-Day Delivery.
The atrium at Kyoto Station. Several luggage storage and delivery counters are in and around the station. Photo: Another Believer / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Where to store or send luggage in Osaka and at Kansai Airport
In Osaka, the hands-free hubs are Kansai Airport, Osaka (Umeda), Shin-Osaka and Namba. The official Hands-Free Travel Osaka site lists storage and delivery at these stations and at both airports. JR Osaka and Shin-Osaka stations each have a Crosta counter for storage and delivery to partner hotels (JR West). Nankai Namba Station also has a storage and delivery counter, according to MLIT's list.
At Kansai Airport, Yamato has run a counter on the 4th floor of Terminal 1 since 1 August 2026. Bags handed in by 10:00 go to accommodation anywhere in the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama and Shiga prefectures), and bags handed in by 12:30 go to accommodation in Osaka City or Kyoto City; both are delivered after 18:00 the same day, and some areas are excluded (Yamato press release). For trains and buses from the airport, see Kansai Airport to Osaka Hotels with Luggage: Rapi:t, Haruka, Bus or Same-Day Delivery to Namba, Umeda and USJ.
The arrivals lobby at Kansai Airport Terminal 1. Delivery counters near arrivals can send bags to Osaka and Kyoto hotels. Photo: Fotointheworld / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
Other cities: Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Sendai
Crosta also operates at Hiroshima and Hakata stations, and the Hiroshima delivery service has added the Miyajima area (Crosta). Sendai Station has a storage counter that also delivers to hotels near the station and in Akiu Onsen the same day, according to MLIT's list. For smaller towns, search MLIT's counter list by prefecture.
Moving to another city or the airport? Same-day hotel-to-hotel delivery
Storage only works if you come back for your bags, and most station-to-hotel services deliver only within one city. On a hotel-change day (Kyoto to Osaka, say) or a departure day, you need same-day hotel-to-hotel or hotel-to-airport delivery to keep suitcases off crowded trains. For the full picture on multi-city trips, see Changing Hotels in Japan: How to Plan Your Luggage on a Multi-City Itinerary.
LuggAgent is one private option for this. At a hotel, you leave your bags at the front desk by your pickup time (09:00–11:00), without waiting for the driver; bags reach your next hotel by 18:00 or 21:00 the same day, depending on the option you choose. At the airport, you hand them to an agent at the meeting point (standard hours 09:00–18:00); for flights home, bags are delivered at least 2 hours before departure. Bags are photographed at pickup and delivery. Most services need to be booked at least 24–72 hours in advance; the exact cutoff is shown on the booking page (if you're picked up at an Airbnb or homestay, meet the driver in person at the pickup time you chose (09:00–11:00) with your bags; if your bags are delivered to one (you don't need to be there), send the full address and entry details by 13:00 local time on the service day); standard bags can be up to 180 cm and 32 kg.
Landing at Kansai Airport and staying in Kyoto, hand your bags over at the airport and go straight to your first sight:
Moving from a Kyoto hotel to an Osaka hotel, leave your bags at the front desk in the morning and spend the day in Kyoto or Nara:
Landing at Narita and staying in central Tokyo, send your bags to the hotel and head into the city hands-free:
For coverage and delivery times, see Kyoto luggage delivery, Osaka luggage delivery and Tokyo luggage delivery.
FAQ
How do you use hands-free travel (tebura kanko) in Japan?
Decide where your bags need to be tonight: use a coin locker or staffed counter if you're coming back to the same station, or same-day delivery if you're moving on. Counters with the "Japan. Hands-Free Travel" logo show whether they store, send or both. Same-day cut-offs are in the morning or early afternoon, such as 14:00 at Kyoto Station.
What time do I need to drop bags off for same-day delivery to my hotel?
It depends on where you drop them. At Kyoto Station, hand them in before 14:00; at Narita, the cut-off is 10:30–14:00 depending on the operator; at the Yamato counter at Kansai Airport, 10:00 (Kansai region) or 12:30 (Osaka City and Kyoto City). Bags usually arrive in the evening, after 18:00.
Can my hotel send my luggage to my next hotel?
Many larger hotels can arrange courier delivery at the front desk, according to JNTO, but standard courier delivery usually arrives the next day or later. For same-day delivery to a hotel in another city or the airport, use a hotel-to-hotel service such as LuggAgent, and book ahead.
What can't I send or store at a hands-free counter?
JNTO lists valuables, fragile items, fresh food, liquids and dangerous goods as generally not accepted. Delivery is usually limited to 160 cm (three sides combined) and about 25–30 kg per item, with contents worth less than ¥300,000; rules vary by operator.
This article offers general travel tips for reference only. For actual services and conditions, please rely on the booking page and the latest official announcements.
Travelling light starts here.
Send your bags at the airport, your hotel or your homestay — we deliver them to your next destination.