XL storage lockers at JR Ueno Station?

My family arrives in Japan on the morning of the 28/12/2018. To maximise time, we were hoping to store our 4 large suitcases in XL storage lockers at Ueno station. We plan to collect them later that afternoon before heading to our hotel. I've read the lockers are very full at that time. Do you think we would get availability? Luggage transfers are another option but very expensive.

Suitcase sized storage lockers are usually in very short supply. I don't think you'll be saving much time, as you run all over the station looking for one here, one there.

There are lots of coin lockers scattered in Ueno station, some are inside the ticketed area and others are outside. The choice location may be full, but you just have to look elsewhere. I usually take a wide view photo of the area where I stashed my luggage, in case I get lost and ask the attendant by showing the photo. From my experience small and medium size lockers tend to be more full, as I have had to settle for a large locker for my medium luggage.

The third option is to go straight to your hotel and check in. You can check in at any time you wish. They will let you check in, leave you bags and then return when your rooms are available. I�fve done this many times when I arrive early to a new town and don�ft wish to spend my time looking for a locker or carrying it around until the �gofficial�h check-in time. I then use the restroom in the lobby to freshen up, grab the day-pack and camera for the day and go out to do my day�fs tourism. The hotel will hold your baggage in the lobby until your return.

Same with John B above. Most hotels will allow you to drop off your baggage. And you can just return upon check in time. I have also tried asking my hotel in Tokyo to store my luggage while I went to Kyoto for a dew days. Storing luggage seems to be a pretty standard service and you don't need to worry.

An alternative would be the hands free travel service. Yamato I think it is could deliver the cases straight to your hotel so you can head off straightaway with out worrying about them at all. They have counters at the airport.

Is that the black cat company? I tried navigating their website but it looked very pricey

Yeah that's the one. It's one of those things -trade off between price and convenience. If you can't find a locker you're stuck with the cases and have to head to the hotel to drop them off, add time looking for the locker and the detour and maybe the convenience becomes worth it.

1000-2000 yen is pretty good for same-day delivery of a suitcase in a metropolitan area. The locker isn't exactly going to be a 100-yen deposit, either.

- Japan Guide: Luggage in Japan
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

As is recommended at the top of this Japan Guide article,
the best solution is to pack lightly.
Bulky luggage makes you take more time and trouble just to walk around,
especially when you have to use stairs.

To maximise time, we were hoping to store our 4 large suitcases in XL storage lockers at Ueno station.
We plan to collect them later that afternoon before heading to our hotel.

Your suitcases may be too big for most coin-operated lockers,
which are around 35 cm in width.

Lockers at railway stations might be removed.
Larger lockers might be replaced by smaller ones.

According to the website of JR-East,
in Ueno Station there are 22 "Extra Large" size lockers
(1030 mm high x 340 mm wide x 570 mm deep),
all located outside Central Gate, near Main and Asakusa Exits.

- JR-East: Map of Ueno Station
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e204.html
: While you put the pointer over any icon for lockers' site,
the details are shown in a grey box.
- JR-East: Coin-operated Locker Dimensions and Other Information
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/pdf/info_coinlocker.pdf

To use 4 "Extra Large" size lockers,
you pay at least 2400 yen.

Depending on where your hotel is located,
compared to going by taxi,
you may spend more time
to get twice to and back from your lockers' site
and more money to keep your luggage stored there.

On the supposition
that you go smoothly by taxi, in two taxi cars,
for about 1 km from (JR) Ueno Station to your hotel,
you pay 820 to 980 yen as the taxi fares.

My family arrives in Japan on the morning of the 28/12/2018

Which airport will you fly into?

We�fre flying into Narita terminal 2 and plan on using our train passes to get around. First stop of the day in Ueno Zoo but our accommodation is next to DisneySea.

Hi!

Personally, if this were me and you are staying near Tokyo Disney, I would just takyuubin my big suitcases to the hotel via Yamato or one of the services for around 2000 yen per bag per pop and not have to spend time trying to find a locker.

If there are only 22 large lockers at Ueno Station, trying top get 4 of them is going to be very hard. In June 2018, I was in Osaka Station with two carry-on size bags around 11:30 am on a Sunday and there were no lockers available. I kept trying to use the electronic locker locator and every time I reached a locker someone else was filling it up. I spent close to 1 hour wandering around the station, going to places that were recommended by information and getting crankier by the second. Eventually, I found a Sagawa Office that did Left Luggage that was not mentioned by information and they took my bags. You need a specific size, not just a 400 yen locker and I am not sure you want to spend the time you are going to be walking around trying to locate a possible locker. You are traveling around New Years, which is a popular time for the Japanese to travel let alone other tourists.

Are you planning to take the NEX from NRT to Tokyo and then transfer or are you looking at the Keisi? The Keiyo line in Tokyo Station is not near any of the other JR lines and even without suitcases is a good 5-10 minute transfer because of all the walking and if you are using the subway from Ueno I would not want to take 4 big suitcases on a subway line and then transfer at Hatchobori during rush hour.

If you are taking the NEX to Tokyo Station and you just really don't want to takyuubin rather than risking a locker in Ueno, I would use the Cloak Room/Luggage Storage room in Tokyo Station since they are less likely to be full and can take larger bags easier than lockers. I have used the one in the Gransta area several times. The Gransta area is not a huge detour when heading to the Keiyo line as it was meant to be convenient for the shinkansen. You will need to go back up to the main level and then just keep following the signs to the Keiyo line and down lots of escalators. This is something to be aware of if you are moving to another hotel away from Tokyo Disney. There are a good 4 or 5 escalators between the Tokyo Station exit on the Keiyo line and the main part of Tokyo Station. You can reserve space ahead of time in the left luggage rooms at Tokyo Station to make sure there is room for all your bags. JR East currently offers a discounted NEX round trip if you travel within a 2 week period for 4000 yen. You could use that to get to Tokyo Station, drop off your bags and continue onto Ueno on the same ticket as long as you do not exit the gates.

Another option is you're not using a JR Pass is just pay for the direct airport limo bus to the TDR area, drop off your bags and then head to Ueno. It's currently 1800 yen from NRT to the TDR area: https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus_services/narita/tdr.html

It will cost you 650 yen to get from Bayside Station (if you're staying at an actual Disney resort they will cover your monorail ride or from the Ambassador you don't need to use the monorail and can walk to Maihama, so the cost will be less, 260 yen is the Disney monorail fare) to Ueno. The 650 yen is about the same or less than the cost of locker and you then have an easy hands free trip to Ueno.

I think if you don't want to takyuubin, this might make the most sense for your situation.

Definitely thinking of using baggage transfer now.
Do you need to pre book Yamato? The forms are in Japanese and a bit tricky!

Yamato's English website, or the portion that is English, gives instructions on how to fill them out. If not, then there's always Youtube or a Google search. I'm sure someone's come out with a video describing how to fill one out. And no, you don't need to reserve ahead of time. The place where you will drop it off and pay for the service will either call for a pick-up or has predetermined times when pick-ups are done.

If you're using a counter at the airport, they will undoubtedly be able to help you with the form.

Awesome information, thanks everyone!

Hi!

I always just use the counter at Narita, no pre - booking and the staff will help you with the forms as they are use to tourists who don't know Japanese.

I then like to takyuubin my suitcases to my next hotel as well. The staff at your first hotel will help with the forms. You can even takyuubin back to the airport you just need to send things with either 36 or 48 hours. I can't remember which the staff at your hotel will.

There are some stations where large lockers seem to be more plentiful but those seem to be further afield. Unlike in Osaka I easily found lockers in Matsumoto.

Good luck

Will you stay at the hotel for consecutive nights?
When you stay for only one night,
maybe you cannot have a chance to receive your parcels at the hotel.

Takyyubin (precisely spelled: TA-Q-BIN) is a service of Yamato Transport.
"Takuhaibin" is a general term for home luggage delivery services.

NOT: Takyyubin
BUT: Takkyubin

We�fre staying at the a hotel in Maihama for 3 nights but we will need our suitcases that same day we arrive. After skiing we think we�fll send one suitcase straight through to Osaka and collect it a week later when we fly out.