How it works
- 01Confirm both hotelsAsk your current reception whether it can arrange forwarding and confirm that the destination hotel accepts and holds luggage before your check-in. Do not assume an unattended rental has this service.
- 02Prepare the destination detailsHave the hotel's full name, address and phone number, your booking name and check-in date ready, plus reservation details if requested. Use the same guest name as the booking.
- 03Complete the formAsk reception or a participating courier counter to help with the forwarding form. Check the recipient details and requested delivery date before handing over the bag.
- 04Confirm timing and paymentAsk for the accepted size/weight, price, payment method, drop-off cutoff and expected delivery date. Delivery is often next day or two days later, but the route and service determine the timing; leave enough time for the confirmed date.
- 05Keep the receiptPay as agreed, hand over the luggage and keep the receipt and tracking number. Check delivery before you need the bag; contact the courier and hotel if there is a delay.
- 06Pack for the waitCarry clothes and toiletries for the confirmed delivery interval, plus your passport, money, valuables, medication and essential devices. Do not send anything you cannot manage without.
When to use it
- Any leg where you change cities and want a sightseeing day in between.
- Nights in a ryokan reached by mountain rail or bus.
- The run to the airport at the end of the trip.
Restrictions and bag size
The courier's service limits apply to both weight and the sum of the bag's dimensions, and some drop-off locations accept fewer sizes. Confirm acceptance before packing. Cash, payment cards and certain valuables or dangerous items cannot be sent by ordinary parcel services; check the official prohibited-items list rather than treating every suitcase as acceptable.
Sending to an airport is different
Use the airport-specific service and confirm the terminal, pickup counter, flight date, opening hours and sending deadline. Yamato's airport service asks for drop-off by two days before departure, or three days in some areas, before the counter's cutoff. Do not apply hotel-to-hotel timing to an airport shipment; check the current instructions for your route.
Plan the days when you will not have your suitcase
Forward to a confirmed base rather than each overnight stop. On a ten-day Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka trip, ask whether the bag can reach your Kyoto hotel when you need it. On a two-week route, sending a suitcase past a short mountain stay may be more useful. The destination must agree to receive it; an address alone is not enough.
- Write your check-in date beside the booking name and ask the hotel how it wants the recipient information recorded.
- Pack a separate bag for every night until the confirmed delivery date, not just for the train ride.
- Allow for collection cutoffs, weekends, weather disruption and any route-specific restrictions. Do not build a flight connection around an assumed delivery time.
What determines the price, and when not to send
Ask for a quote for the actual route, dimensions, weight and service. Airport delivery can have a separate fee. Payment arrangements differ between counters and services; confirm before handing over the bag. Our guide to cash, cards and payments in Japan helps you prepare a suitable payment method; do not treat an old online price as a current quote.
For a single night, a small bag carried with you may be simpler. Station storage is useful only if size, availability and collection hours suit the plan. If reception cannot accept a delivery, agree an alternative with the courier rather than sending to an unattended address.
Luggage forwarding questions
Can I expect same-day delivery?
Not from an ordinary shipment without confirmation. Some specific services have different timing, but only the courier can confirm availability for your route and cutoff. Keep essentials with you until the agreed delivery date.
Can I send luggage after landing?
Check that your arrival airport has a suitable shipping counter and that it is open when you arrive. Confirm your receiving hotel and delivery date before paying. An airport arrival shipment is not the same as collecting a departure shipment before a flight.
What if the bag has not arrived?
Use the tracking number, then contact the courier and the receiving reception. Keep the sending receipt and destination details accessible. Do not wait until checkout or departure to investigate a delivery you need.
Check the service before you send
Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN instructions distinguish airport deadlines from ordinary hotel delivery. Use the actual courier's instructions for your shipment; this guide does not reserve or guarantee delivery.
