Leaving luggage behind or forwarding it?

I posted this in another thread but it seems to have gotten buried so I thought I'd repost it as it's own question.

We are still in the planning phases, but our itinerary before Kyoto includes a week in Tokyo, with a few days in Tokyo at the end of our 4 week trip. Due to certain obligations, this was a necessity, so we thought to spend the middle 14-18 days or so between our required times in Tokyo to travel around and explore. We don't want to be too rushed as we prefer a relatively relaxed pace.

The plan so far is:

Tokyo (8 nights)
Kyoto+Nara (5 or 6 nights)
Kinosaki (1 night)
Hiroshima (1 night)
Miyajima (1 night)
Osaka (3 or 4 nights if we include Mt. Koya)
Hakone (1 night)
Tokyo (remainder)

One thing that is of particular concern is luggage on the leg of Kyoto - Kinosaki - Hiroshima - Miyajima - Osaka. It would be quite a bit of extra effort to carry our luggage around every day, and we would prefer not to have to do so. It should be easy enough to just take what we need for the 3 nights hopping around and not take all our luggage, but I am not well versed in our options for leaving luggage behind or perhaps forwarding it onwards. However, we're most likely going to be using airbnbs for Kyoto and Osaka, so we may not have access to hotel amenities. Any suggestions on this would be very appreciated!

I've used several different options, maybe there are others:

I've left my suitcase at the hotel was staying and made a trip with minimal luggage and returned to the same hotel to stay a few more nights. I asked the people at the front desk and it was fine, they put it in a luggage room with a tag attached.

I've also sent on my suitcase to the hotel I would be staying a few days later, I phoned them up and they gave me the details that I needed to attach (name I made the reservation under, arrival date, etc.) and used one of those companies that picks up and drops off luggage.

I've also left my suitcase at the luggage room at a large JR station and picked it up on my way back.

The first and the last option were the easiest :-)

Pack light and do laundry every now and again, or use takyubin (loads of info about that on here and the main japan guide website)

Your dilemma is using Airbnb for Kyoto and Osaka. If you were planning on using Hotels for the 2 cities you would have no problem at all in forwarding luggage to your next hotel.

I was considering using Airbnb but passed on it and stayed at budget hotels. As a solo traveler, there wasn't much difference in cost in the area I wanted. There were cheaper options of Airbnb that I saw but they were further out from where I wanted to stay. The ones I considered was just maybe US$10 cheaper a day but once added cleaning and service fees added after...not much difference. But since you said "we" and "our" I'm going to assume there will be at least 2 or more of you. That will make a difference between a hotel vs Airbnb due to the fact you can split amongst your group in cost. But the main reason why I chose hotels was the use of luggage forwarding service and ability to hold luggage before check in and after check out. Also, check in times for Airbnb ranges. The ones I considered had after 5p with few after 3p or 4p. Oh, and the convenience of having your luggage waiting at the hotel was a blessing. I didn't have to lug it around or pick it up somewhere.

Leaving luggage in a locker might not work for you since you need to leave it for about 3 nights (I don't think lockers hold that long and they clean it out after a certain time). Big JR Stations have luggage holding.

This is for Kyoto:
http://carry-s.com/?page_id=437
or
https://www.kyotostation.com/kyoto-station-lockers-luggage-storage/
(scroll towards the bottom, discusses the luggage storage room from the first link)

I can't find any info on how long they keep/store luggage but I'm thinking 3 days time will be fine. You might want to call or email them for info. Try to check if Osaka area has something similar. Since both cities are close by (under 30 mins), just leave it at which station is convenient for you guys and just train it over to pick up.

Thanks for the detailed info!

We might consider a hotel in Osaka just for this convenience. From Hyperdia, it looks like there's a fair number of trains leaving from Osaka to Kinosaki, so it would be feasible to leave our luggage at the hotel and then take off light before coming back to check in at that hotel a few days later, or just use a luggage forwarding service as suggested.

I guess we'll evaluate our options closer to the travel date. I, for one, travel relatively light so the luggage isn't much concern. But I can't speak for everyone haha.

You just need to double check with the hotel if they will keep/hold your luggage in advance for several days before check-in date if you are dropping it off yourself. If doing luggage forwarding service the hotels will keep it if it arrives before check-in. Two hotels received my luggage the day before I checked in. Most hotels will keep/hold luggage if you drop off same day when checking in. Say if you arrive 9am and check in time is 3pm....most will hold it until you come back to officially check in. A friend was able to have her luggage held by the hotel she was staying in for several days after she checked out BUT she was checking into the very same hotel 4 days later (she visited other cities and stayed in an airbnb for 2 nights and another 2 nights at a ryokan).