Will your suitcase fit the Shinkansen, station coin lockers, and luggage delivery? Enter your bag's height, width, and depth (including wheels and handles) or pick a preset suitcase size to check the 160 cm / 250 cm Shinkansen baggage rule, station coin locker fit (S / M / L / XL), and Yamato Transport (Takkyubin) forwarding tier and cost. See our Luggage Forwarding (Takkyubin) Guide.
Japan luggage rules every traveler should know
- The 160 cm Shinkansen rule: on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen (Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka–Hiroshima–Fukuoka–Kagoshima), bags with total dimensions (H + W + D) up to 160 cm fit on the overhead rack or at your feet with no special booking. Bags from 161 cm to 250 cm require reserving a "Seat with an Oversized Baggage Area/Compartment" (特大荷物スペースつき座席) at no extra cost when booking your ticket. Bringing an unreserved 161–250 cm bag onboard incurs a ¥1,000 fee and staff move it to a designated spot. Bags over 250 cm cannot be brought onboard.
- Station coin lockers: Small (¥400) fits backpacks and cabin bags; Medium (¥500–¥600) fits 24" suitcases; Large (¥700–¥900) fits 28–29" suitcases; Extra-Large (¥900–¥1,100) is rare and fills up by 9:30 AM at busy stations like Kyoto and Shinjuku.
- Takkyubin (Yamato / Sagawa): hotels can ship bags up to 200 cm total and 30 kg to your next hotel overnight for roughly ¥2,200–¥3,500.