Avoid Getting Weighed Down While Shopping In Tokyo With A Useful Luggage Storage Solution

Tokyo's world-class train stations are extremely efficient and convenient in many ways, and one of their features will help you handle your suitcases or your shopping: luggage lockers. These coin-operated lockers are a common feature of stations all across Japan. Some stations in Tokyo double as shopping centers or are directly connected to department stores, and many of them have lockers with English-friendly touchscreens and scanners that accept prepaid transportation cards. 

These lockers can be a lifesaver if you forget to transfer your luggage ahead to your hotel and need somewhere to stow your bags before check-in or after check-out, or if you need to drop off your shopping bags before heading to dinner. It will probably be easier shopping in the world's most populated city without wheeling around a suitcase or getting weighed down by an overloaded backpack.

Like the long-nosed, aerodynamic bullet trains speeding in and out of Tokyo every day, station lockers might be different from what you're used to seeing stateside in cities like New York or Chicago. Tokyo's self-service lockers come in several sizes, ranging from 400 yen (about $2.60) for small lockers to 1,000 yen (about $6.51) for extra-large ones.

In Tokyo, rechargeable IC cards like Suica and Pasmo can help cut down on the time you'd otherwise spend buying a new ticket every time you transfer train lines. Such cards also make it easy for you to scan yourself into a locker without needing to dig around in your pockets for 100-yen coins. When the time comes, hold your card over the IC reader, and you should hear the door to your locker click open. Some old coin lockers have a key you'll need to hang onto for later, but Tokyo's touchscreen-enabled lockers usually spit out a receipt with your passcode printed on it. Since a receipt is arguably easier to lose, you'll want to tuck yours away somewhere safe until you come back to retrieve your bags.

Be mindful not only of your locker number, but of your locker bank's location as well, since it's easy to get lost in labyrinthine hubs like Shinjuku, the world's busiest train station. If you're not planning to leave via the same subway or train line, you may also want to look for lockers outside the ticket gate. Different lines owned by other railway companies will have their own separate ticket gates, though unlike in New York, they all accept the same transportation cards.

Speaking from personal experience, finding an open locker isn't always a sure thing in stations near major tourist centers. Depending on where you are in Tokyo, you may need to follow a station map to the next available locker bank if the one you're eyeing is full. In especially crowded tourist spots, don't be surprised if you catch someone hovering behind you like a vulture, ready to swoop in the minute you empty your locker. Luggage lockers are all around Tokyo but are typically found in train stations.

In Tokyo, you have plenty of options for storing and shipping your bags beyond automated train station lockers. Takuhaibin delivery services will ship your luggage to your hotel or to the airport. They can also ship it to a private residence, though someone needs to be there to sign for it. You can access these services at most hotels, airports, and convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Family Mart, though some can also be found at major tourist hubs like Asakusa near the Senso-ji Temple and at the Tokyo Skytree shopping complex. Major couriers like Yamato and Sagawa offer storage services at many major train stations in addition to their shipping services.

If you're using these companies to ship your suitcase to your hotel, be sure to plan in advance, since they usually don't deliver them until the next day. If you're sending your bag to the airport, this usually takes two days. You can even send your luggage to other prefectures outside Tokyo, which helps to circumvent the size limit on bags that the Tōkaidō Shinkansen bullet train introduced in 2020.

Tokyo is also in the network of global services like Bounce and Radical Storage, which connect travelers with local businesses where they can deposit their luggage short-term. Radical Storage charges a daily flat rate of 850 yen (about $5.54) per item plus 250 yen for a required guarantee on each item up to 425,000 yen (about $2,800). Whether you go with a station locker or one of these other options, having fewer bags to lug around might free you up to enjoy sightseeing in Tokyo better.