Sending Your Luggage Ahead in Japan: How TA-Q-BIN Works and What It Costs
Travel between cities without dragging a suitcase. How Japan's luggage delivery service works, real prices for a suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto, airport delivery deadlines, and where to drop off.
One of the best travel tricks in Japan: send your suitcase ahead and travel between cities with just a day bag. It makes crowded trains, stairs at stations and Kyoto's packed buses much easier.
Locals call it takkyubin (home delivery). The biggest provider is Yamato Transport, whose service is called TA-Q-BIN.
At a glance
- Cost: about ¥3,000 for a large suitcase between Tokyo and Kyoto
- Speed: usually next day between major cities
- No reservation needed. Drop off at your hotel front desk or a Yamato office
- To the airport: send it 2 days before your flight (3 in some areas)
How it works
- Drop off your bag at your hotel's front desk (ask first) or a Yamato Transport sales office. No reservation is needed.
- Fill in the delivery slip with your next hotel's name, address and phone number, your name as on the booking, and your check-in date.
- Pay and keep the receipt with the tracking number.
- Travel light. Your bag is waiting at the next hotel.
Check with both hotels
Most hotels accept luggage for guests, but some hotels and vacation rentals do not. Ask your current hotel if they can send it, and your next hotel if they can receive it before you check in.
What it costs
Yamato charges by size (length + width + height) and distance. A typical large suitcase is size 160 (up to 160 cm in total). The maximum is size 200 (up to 200 cm), and each piece can weigh up to 30 kg.
Example prices for one size-160 suitcase (standard fares, tax included):
| Route | Price | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Station office → hotel in Kyoto | ¥3,160 | As early as next day |
| Kyoto office → hotel in Osaka | ¥3,020 | As early as next day |
| Haneda Airport → hotel in Tokyo | ¥2,410 | 2 days |
| Haneda Airport → Sapporo or Fukuoka | ¥3,630 | 2 days |
Is it worth it? For about ¥3,000 per bag, you skip carrying a suitcase onto the Shinkansen, through station stairs and onto city buses. For families with several bags, the total adds up, so you might send only the biggest ones.
Timing: for next-day delivery, drop off at a sales office by about 6:00 PM.
Payment: Yamato offices take credit cards, QR payments and e-money. If you send from a hotel, you may only be able to pay in cash.
Sending your luggage to the airport
Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN sends your bags straight to the airport for your flight home, so you can spend your last day hands-free.
- Send it at least 2 days before your departure (3 days in some areas). The exact cut-off ("Sending Deadline") depends on where you drop it off.
- It is delivered to the airport counter by the day before your flight.
- There is an airport handling fee of ¥660 on top of the delivery fare.
- Bags over 30 kg are not accepted.
Same-day delivery and storage at stations
Yamato also runs counters at big stations and airports where you can store luggage or send it same-day to your hotel. For example:
| Counter | Storage | Same-day delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Station (Marunouchi North Exit) | Yes | |
| Kyoto Station | Yes | Yes |
| Shin-Osaka Station (East Exit) | Yes | Yes |
| Namba Station (Osaka) | Yes | Yes |
| Kansai Airport Terminal 1 | Yes | Yes |
| Haneda Airport Terminal 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Narita Airport (T1/T2/T3) | Yes |
Same-day delivery is handy when you land in the morning and want to go sightseeing before check-in.
Yamato: Hands-Free Travel for visitors
Tips
- Keep essentials with you: medicine, chargers, one change of clothes and valuables.
- Bring your passport or receipt if you collect a bag from a Yamato office.
- Lost or damaged? Yamato compensates up to ¥300,000 per piece.
- English help: Yamato has an English phone line (0120-67-9625, 8:00–21:00).
Sources
Prices change
Prices, exchange rates and rules in this article were checked on the date shown above. They can change at any time, so please confirm on the official website before you book or buy.
