Shinkansen car near lift access

Hi, may I know if there are any tips to selecting the best car / seats on shinkansen where it is nearer to lift access when I board or exit at the station.

The reason why I am asking is because I am travelling with luggage and young kids.

As a rule of thumb, the Green Cars are usually close to the escalators. With exceptions.

You can look up the train compositions for each different shinkansen line here by clicking on each line:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html

For example for the Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo-Osaka):
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018_tokaido.html

Maybe consider using TaQBin at least for the larger suitcase(s). So you only have a small carry on for the day and your kids to worry about. Itfs not only how to get up to the track you also need to get into the station first. So it involves quite some walking.
TaQBin normally takes about 1 day for your luggage to arrive at your next hotel. You can ship from your hotel (just ask them a few days ahead) or from many conbinis. You can even ship from home. Yamato Kuroneko had a good English HD prior to Covid. I donft know if they still have it.

TAQBIN: you can also ship it directly from the airport ( Narita or Haneda) on arrival.
Available after passing through the arrival hall. Just provide the agent with the details of your hotel. No problems with communication as English is understood.
As Likebike advised, your hotel can help you send it to the next destination - hotel (s) or back to the airport.

Here is the link
https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/takkyubin/

I recall reading that therefs a bag size limit on Shinkansen now. Pl research to prevent headaches!

Some of the rail companies when you timetable search offer best car to be in for transfers. Worth having a look. Not all companies do so. Not all do though.

Aim for somewhere, aim for the middle. The lifts and normally more centrally located on the platform, give or take a few cars.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for the advice and I have contacted the hotels and explored the Yamato "hands free travel" service.

The problem now is:

- Hotel said they only provide this service using Sagawa and there is no next day delivery service.
- I tried to find the info on Sagawa but it does not have much info on the luggage delivery service.
- I went to read up more on Yamato but between Tokyo (Kanto) and Osaka (Kansai), it does not provide same day delivery too.

Could anyone please help me?

Hi!

I found this when searching up Sagawa:
https://www.sagawa-exp.co.jp/ttk/english/

I don't know which specific service my hotels have used, as I honestly don't check super closely, but I've yet to have my suitcases not arrive next day when sent from hotel to hotel. I've been using hotel luggage delivery since 2004 or 2005 when a friend who was JET introduced me to it. However, I've only had same day from very specific locations like Hakone-Yumoto (to hotels and ryokan in the Hakone area) and Nagano Station (to Yamanouchi and presumably Shiga Kogen.) I've never had same day from any of the Tokyo area airports, because my flights always get in way too late and the same is true for Tokyo Disney.

My daughter's first trip she was 5 and it was just the two of us, so I very much availed myself of delivery services and I used them every trip we took together after.

Good luck!

@Claire
There is no need to contact the hotels as generally all/most hotels provide this service. All you do is take yr luggage down to the reception, show them the name of yr next hotel or airport you wish to send it to. Theyfll fill the form, you pay them . Job done.

Most importantly, check the filled forms to ensure no errors are made. In all my years of using the service therefs never been a problem.

Ditto, you donft need to contact Yamato or any or the companies. There are several companies- Yamato, black cat , ABC - they all do the same thing.

Each hotel might use a different bag forwarding company but ultimately the procedure is the same.

For example sending from Kyoto to Tokyo - allow 1-2 days. The receptionist will tell you precisely how much time is needed. So speak to them when you check in so that you can organise things in sufficient time & not miss the collection time.

Pack a small bag with change of clothes whilst your luggage is on the way to the next destination.
If sending to the airport specify the correct airport name, date of departure, flight no etc.
When you arrive at the airport, pick up yr luggage at the bag delivery counter before check in. Donft lose the receipt the receptionist gave you.

As stated above, allow 1-2 days depending on location.

If you wish to send the luggage on arrival to yr hotel, see links below for location.
Itfs the same place youfll collect the luggage if sending from hotel for departure.
Usually I use the one at Haneda called ABC(?). Itfs located on the right after coming out from arrivals.

Haneda

https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/service/facilities/delivery.html


Narita

https://www.narita-airport.jp/en/service/svc_05

Thanks all for the kind advice! :)

@ Claire,
pl check the hotel website to see if therefs washer/ dryer where you are staying.
Generally most business hotels do have them.
If so, you can carry less clothes. Also pyjamas were provided but post Covid I donft know. See the website.

Washing detergents (tablets) are usually provided free or you can buy from reception ( not expensive) . Some washers have detergents in the system. Some hotels provide free use of the washer but you pay for the dryer. Charges are usually very minimal.

Just a thought.

@aa

Thanks! But with 2 adults and 2 kids, I am already cutting half of the clothes to bring since I will wash them mid-trip. Still, I have 2 large luggage and 1 medium sized.

Really trying to speed up to get to the shinkansen platform with 2 kids and 3 luggagesc

Thus, I was hoping to get to the lift access or for now i want to explore same day delivery. 😅

Hi!

Same day delivery is just rally hard, except in some limited circumstances. But assuming you are not moving constantly, you could move things around in bags and make it work. As an example, if you were going from Kyoto to Tokyo on December 26, you could move into the medium everything you need for the 27th and have your two large suitcases arrive in Tokyo at some point on the 27th and just be fine. (I find it is usually the afternoon, which is why you need clothes for the 27th.) For the airports, there tends to be a 48 hour arrival requirement, unless bags are taken directly to a service center.

I don't see anywhere where you mention what you refer to as large or medium bags (and I've definitely seen some interesting interpretations for both) but do realize that the Tokaido and I believe the Sanyo shinkansen, aka any shinkansen running on the tracks between Tokyo and Fukuoka, and the Kyushu shinkansen all have luggage restrictions.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

A new rule for oversized luggage came into effect in May 2020 along the Tokaido/Sanyo/Kyushu Shinkansen, which connects Tokyo with Kyoto, Osaka and Kyushu (see map below). Passengers with oversized luggage, i.e. luggage pieces whose height, width and depth add up to more than 160cm, are now required to make a seat reservation in the last row of seats. It is not possible to bring oversized luggage into non-reserved cars.

Passengers without a reservation for their oversized luggage will be asked to move their luggage to a space specified by the train conductor and pay a 1000 yen surcharge which is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass. It is possible to make reservations in advance at ticket offices, ticket machines or online. This oversized luggage rule is not in place on other train lines.

No shinkansen allows luggage over 250 cm when all sides are added up on board and yes, I saw an Australian family once with a suitcase that I am pretty sure was over that 250, because my daughter could have stood inside it without ducking.

So do be aware of that.

I don't know how the washers and dryers in Japan will compare to your home country's but I find the dryers are very very slow and take forever to dry things. When I can, I try to hang dry because even with Summer humidity, it tends to not be any slower.

Good luck!

Wash more frequently. Hotels and apartments have washers and dryers.

I have 3x kids.
First trip my wife made pack so much. 2x large and 2x small bags.

Second trip we packed 1x large and 2x small. Washed every second day. Packed 3 days worth of clothes. Plus the ones we wore on the plane.

Baggage delivery is rarely same day, unless with same region. Overnight is readily available and much cheaper.

Just to return to the lift situation. The way you have to make with your luggage and kids isnft only from lift to train car, but also from hotel to entrance of lift. Assuming you take a taxi to the station it still leaves you to navigate a busy station with luggage and kids. I donft have kids (nor that much luggage) but if you are stressed about the distance lift to train carriage Ifd be much more stressed about all the way before. Eg I took the Shinkansen to Echigo Yuzawa a few weeks with my bicycle and although I knew precisely which is the best entrance at Tokyo station to need to walk the least with the bike (which needs to be in a bag). It is still a bit of walking, navigating through a lot of people, even going up a few stairs (there would have been somewhere a ramp, but walking to the ramp would have added more strain than just carrying up the bike a few stairs. To get to the Shinkansen tracks at Tokyo station depending on the line and the entrance you need to go through two turnstiles.

Additionally on the more details popular Shinkansen lines there is now a requirement to reserve seats in the last row and use the space behind the seat for your large luggage. Unless itfs small enough to fit overhead. Each carriage only has 5 or 6 such last row seats. So if the carriage needs to be close to the lift as well you are very limited on which train you can ride.

So to return it seems really the best to go for next day delivery of the suitcases. Itfs very stress free , reliable and not too expensive.

If you can get your family and luggage to an airport, you can manage a train station.