Everything You Need to Know About Luggage Forwarding in Japan (Takkyubin)
Want to travel like royalty while on vacation? Stay in that ryokan with complete peace of mind? To make this entirely possible for your upcoming trip, make sure to take advantage of luggage forwarding in Japan (takkyubin). This is a very convenient, foreigner-friendly, and trusted service offered by three delivery companies. With an incredibly dense logistics network, you can drop off and pick up your luggage nearly anywhere in Japan within a day or two, and for a surprisingly competitive rate. Airport to hotel, to the next city, and back to the airport without carrying your luggage once!
What is Takkyubin?
One of the many conveniences afforded to travelers in Japan is their state-of-the-art luggage forwarding service, often referred to in Japan as takkyubin. In Japanese: 宅配便, pronounced tahk-kyubiin, means parcel delivery. The primary benefit of this service is being able to send baggage to your destination ahead of you, allowing for easy travel. Anyone can use this service, regardless of age or nationality, making it especially accessible to tourists in line with Japan’s hands-free travel initiative. The three main nationwide companies that offer takkyubin are listed below.
- Kuro Neko Yamato: “Ta-Q-Bin”
- Sagawa Express: “Hakobu”
- Japan Post: “Yu-Pack”
How Do I Use Luggage Forwarding in Japan(Takkyubin)?
This service is very simple to use, and I will make everything clear here with a step-by-step process.
- Arrive at a service counter with your luggage, cash or credit card, and the name of your hotel.
- Hand over your luggage, and show the hotel booking. They will measure your bag size, wrap it up, and fill out your delivery form for you.
- Pay, receive a tracking number, and accept a copy of the delivery form “waybill”.
- When your baggage has arrived, you just need to show the hotel staff your passport to pick up the bags.
Just to be clear, there is a long list of forbidden items, similar to airplane checked baggage.
What Is the Pricing Structure of Luggage Forwarding in Japan?
Since there are a handful of companies offering takkyubin services, this section will focus on the most popular one, Yamato. There is a handy delivery cost calculator on their website, which you can use to make estimates by changing the prefectures. The table below is based upon same prefecture delivery.
Japan Takkyubin Airport Counters & Drop-off on Arrival
Don’t waste your time or energy; takkyubin can be utilized as soon as you get off the airplane. Immediately after collecting your bags and clearing customs, look for “baggage delivery” signs. These takkyubin service desks are conveniently located in the arrivals lobbies in Tokyo and Osaka’s airports. Pro tip: request round-trip service, so you can skip the paperwork on your way back to the airport! Just don’t forget that your bags must be dropped off 48 hours before your flight, no exceptions. It will pay dividends to do this right away, especially if you are travelling for cherry blossom season, when train crowds are at their peak. Two companies that offer this service out of every Tokyo and Osaka airport are: Kuro Neko Yamato’s “Ta-Q-Bin” and Japan Airlines’s “JAL ABC”.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect timeline-wise.
- Same-day delivery within the same city:
- – Yamato: 18:00 cutoff time for drop-off
- JAL: 23:00 cutoff time for drop-off
- Long-distance delivery:
- Hokkaido: expect 2-3 days
- Okinawa: expect 2-3 days
- Same-day delivery price:
- JAL: ¥4,500 flat fee (must be to a hotel, approx. 20kg limit)
- Yamato: ¥2,000 – ¥5,000
To make your life easier when planning ahead of time, here are the posted operating hours of Tokyo and Osaka’s main airports’ takkyubin service counters. These hours apply to counter access only and are completely independent of delivery cutoff times.
Size, Weight, and Pricing Rules For Luggage Forwarding in Japan
To make it easy to estimate the costs of luggage forwarding in Japan, takkyubin, here I will explain how the measurement process works so you can efficiently utilize the online pricing calculator previously mentioned.
- Volume in centimeters is measured (length+width+height)
- Weight in kilograms is measured
- A corresponding size-weight category is assigned
As long as your bags are within the approximate weight limit, your bags are accepted. The largest combination is 200cm and 30kg. Let me share Yamato’s diagram to make this clear. So, for an example of a typical trip, a 20kg suitcase being shipped from a Tokyo airport to a Tokyo hotel before a fun night out, one should expect to pay 2,090 yen.
If by chance you happen to be concerned about potentially oversized luggage you may be toting, there are several specialized opportunities. If you are travelling with sports equipment, there are dedicated services for golf bags, skis, bicycles, and fishing poles. This works just like the rest of your suitcases, just with a higher pricing structure. Do not overlook the important detail that oversized suitcases (160cm3) require advanced reservations on the shinkansen, so use takkyubin instead!
Prohibited Items in Takkyubin and Packing Tips
As a heads up, there are restrictions on baggage contents very similar to airline regulations. Since these companies’ rules are based upon Japanese law regarding postal regulations, they are largely the same across companies, yet in this section, I will focus on Kuro Neko Yamato.
Items forbidden entirely forbidden to be shipped through Yamato’s Ta-Q-Bin include, but are not exclusive to:
- Cash
- Credit cards
- Identification documents
- Original artworks
- Weapons
- Animals
- Flammables
- Toxins
- Items of value over ¥300,000
If you happen to be sending your luggage to a distant destination, such as Hokkaido, which is worth a look if travelling in February, or Okinawa, air freight will likely be used. If declared, dry ice, lithium-ion battery devices, and gps or radio wave devices may be permitted. However, this leads to further restrictions again, including but not exclusive to:
- Explosives
- Pressurized gas
- Flammable liquid
- Combustibles
- Oxidizers
- Substances poisonous, radioactive, corrosive, or otherwise hazardous.
Foreign Language Support For JapaneseTakkyubin
You may be having concerns regarding navigating the process without Japanese language skills. Takkyubin companies are aware and make efforts to address this. Let me ease your concerns by going over all of the foreign language support offered. All takkyubin companies offer similar, yet not as extensive support efforts as Yamato, so this section will again focus on Kuro Neko Yamato.
- English & Chinese-based websites with FAQ, help/support pages, network maps, pricing calculators
- English language hotline 8:00 – 21:00
- English-speaking staff at airport service counters
- English subtitles under each box title
Non-Hotel Stays (Airbnb)
It is understandable that not everyone will be staying in a hotel during their Japan trip. Airbnb has some incredibly beautiful properties! There are many beautiful places I’d recommend outside of Tokyo, and one nearby would be the historic hot spring village of Hakone. Therefore, I will explain how the process works in lieu of hotel concierge assistance. Upfront, it is still completely possible, albeit via a slightly different set of circumstances.
The reception part is key, as you can not deliver your luggage if someone is not there to receive it. Since these takkyubin companies operate very dense and expansive networks, there is never a service center too far away. Just remember to save the waybill, which will have the address and recipient name for pickup later. Yamato holds luggage for up to one week for free. Here is the official locator.
On the other hand, sending your baggage from Airbnb to the airport is a bit easier. This is where Yamato’s convenience really shines. You have over 40,000 shipping location options, including most konbini.
Quick Japanese lesson: Konbini (コンビニ) = convenience store. A useful sentence: Is there a konbini nearby? → 近くにコンビニはありますか → pronounced: “chikaku ni konbini wa arimasuka”
Why is Luggage Forwarding in Japan Worth the Cost?
When you come to Japan, you are coming for the culture. Japan is known for its perfectionism, modern cities, friendly (but shy) people, and prevalence of daily conveniences. When you come to Japan, make the most out of your trip by immersing yourself in our convenience culture. Luggage forwarding in Japan, takkyubin, is the perfect way to start as soon as you touch down at the airport.
Let me give some firsthand accounts from travelers of how good some takkyubin services can be. A student leaving for the airport checked her luggage in at 7-Eleven two days ahead of time. The night before her flight, she received a call from her university that she was studying abroad at. Yamato had gone through such an effort of finding her that they got hold of her in such a manner just to clarify the terminal her flight was at; they didn’t want to ship the luggage unless certain. They still made it in time for her morning flight the next day, in a totally different city.
The customer service is so next level, I’ve heard stories such as a Yamato driver calling and requesting to deliver a package in a rural area just one hour earlier than the scheduled time window because otherwise it would be delayed by a heavy snowstorm.
Takkyubin Tracking, Insurance, and Claims
Japan’s takkyubin networks are very reliable. However, for peace of mind, it pays to have an understanding of how your items are protected in case of any mishaps. In this section, I will inform you of how to track your bags, the insurance policy, and what resources are at your disposal if something does go wrong. Again, since every company is slightly different, the exact details will be based upon Yamato’s policies, as they provide the highest standard of protection and support.
- Standardized ¥300,000 insurance per bag.
- Live tracking number (English available)
- Accessible tracking data saved for 90 days
What to do if your items don’t show up?
- Check the tracking, and see if the item is delayed, or by chance delivered to an incorrect address.
- Immediately contact the shipping company. For Yamato, damages must be claimed within one week of delivery, and loss claims can be filed as soon as the item is delayed or missing. These can be done over the phone or online; all the information you will need will be on your copy of the waybill.
What if my items are lost or damaged?
The company will conduct an investigation, and if it is at fault for losing or damaging your items, compensation will be paid up to the insured amount of 300,000 yen. Make sure to hang on to the waybill just in case, and take a picture of the suitcases beforehand.
Storage Option Alternative to Luggage Forwarding In Japan
If you happen to be a light traveler and do not need takkyubin, or would simply like to put your bags down, Japan has you covered. Takkyubin services will hold your bags for a maximum of one week free of charge. However, if you want to explore Japan bag-free for a few hours or a day, you can still take advantage of the many coin lockers. You can oftentimes pay with transit cards if not cash, and it usually costs between ¥400-800 per calendar day, not 24 hours. Often found and publicly available at:
- Train stations
- Bus stations
- Malls
- Museums
- Major tourist destinations
Conclusion
Luggage Forwarding in Japan, Takkyubin, are one of those mythical, too-good-to-be-true Japan travel. However, I hope I have demystified the process without taking any of the intrigue out of it. Truly a unique piece of culture that will elevate your trip. Just remember that there are many options for where and how to send your luggage, there is extensive language support and insurance, and the pricing structure is very transparent.
You want a fun and fulfilling experience your first time in Japan, and we can take you to see whatever you like, such as more exciting, flashy cities like Yokohama with its famous port and skyline. If you are drawn to Japan’s natural beauty, the ever awe-inspiring Mt. Fuji and its surrounding lakes are a must-see. If any curiosities arise, please check out our blog to learn more about Japan, and our many full and half-day guided tours all throughout the country.
