long term lockers option

I am planning a trip of 18 days in Japan this summer with my family. We will travel around Honshu including some "off-the-beaten-track" destinations, so we would like to be a light as possible with our luggage. But we would like still to do some shopping at the end of our trip in Tokyo, so I was thinking that we can let one suitcase in Tokyo while doing our round trip.
I was looking at some lockers options around Ueno station but you can store luggage only up to 3 days.
Is there any option for me to store my luggage for 14 days without spending a lot of money?
Would that make more sense to buy a new luggage in Tokyo compared to pay for a locker for 14days?

Yup lockers are only good for 2.5-3.0 days depending on when you drop your bags in the locker.

The baggage delivery services allow you to have baggage delivered up to 7 days from drop off date. Obvious costs involved you'd need to investigate yourself. But they have websites for that.

I'd just pack light to begin with. All hotels and/or airbnbs have washining machines and/or dryers. Last time I traveled to Japan. I only packed 3 days of closes. Everything fitted in a knee high size luggage bag.

I understand your situation completely. I like to buy loads of stuff in Japan and over many years of travel have become fairly skilled at managing the logistics. I always pre-plan compulsively, and am rewarded by huge hauls of goodies (mainly Japanese food items) when I get home.

In your case, since you plan to travel light during your travels around Japan, it sounds like you were thinking of leaving a good-sized empty suitcase in Tokyo so it will be available when you get back? To be honest, this doesn’t make a lot of sense to me… Buying a piece of luggage at the end of the trip makes more sense, but I can tell you that it can take time to find a suitable piece, unless you don’t mind spending a fair amount of money.

What I do is use a combination of takuhaibin (luggage forwarding service) and collapsible pieces (fold-up duffel or tote bags). With takuhaibin, you can usually specify a delivery date up to 7 days after your drop-off date. So you can send a bag from your hotel at the beginning of the trip to a hotel in the middle of your trip, and then from that hotel back to Tokyo. Takuhaibin usually costs between 1500 and 2000 yen, so this strategy would cost you a few thousand yen to use twice. But sending a completely empty suitcase from Tokyo and then back again seems sort of wasteful. If you have items (for example, maybe alpine hiking gear, or warm outwear) that you will need at the beginning of your trip but not the end, or vice versa, you can use the takuhaibinned piece to shuttle those things as needed so you don’t have to haul them around for the whole trip. You can also buy things during the first half of your trip and have them waiting for you when you return to Tokyo.

Collapsible pieces are always a part of my luggage management planning. The trick is to find pieces that are light and don’t take up much space when folded up, and yet are large and strong enough to do the job on your flight back. One problem is that these types of bags tend to be floppy and lack structure, and they don’t protect the items inside very well. My solution to this is to use cardboard boxes as frames and padding. I usually put a carefully selected, perfectly sized box in my “main” suitcase and use it as a packing case while traveling around, and then put it into the unfolded duffel or tote bag for the return trip home. You can also acquire cardboard boxes in Japan (I’ll spare you my treatise on that). Another tip is to buy bubble wrap and adhesive tape at a 100-yen shop. (You can often buy cardboard boxes at them as well, but they tend to be very small ones.)

If you do want to buy a piece at the end of your trip, Tokyu Hands is a reliable place (although by no means the cheapest place) to find a fairly good assortment of fold-up pieces, which usually cost much less than actual suitcases. But there are many places where you can buy them. Just be prepared to allow some time in your day plan to shop for these items. Somehow, everything always takes much longer than I expect, when I’m in Japan.

The best long term local baggage storage I have found is at the JAL ABC Counters at Haneda and Narita airports on the arrivals and departures floors.

It is not as inconvenient as it may sound, as Haneda is a short subway/train or monorail ride from downtown Tokyo and is less than Y1000 roundtrip from most places around the Yamanote green train line.

They will store your luggage for up to 30 days.

Go here for more info www.jalabc.com/en/hands-freetravel/baggage-storage.html

Thanks.

Stan

Hi Sandra,
Great q

Hi Sandra, great question. I am travelling in Japan right now, and I use a long term luggage storage in Tokyo Station. I've used them before covid and am using their service again. It is hard to explain where it is, but is is on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station. Walk south just past the bus terminal. You will see a little nook with an elevator. In front of the elevator by the floor are two torii gate graphics. Take the B1 level, then walk down a brief corridor to take another elevator. Go down one more level to reach the service. You can store the luggage for two weeks or more, 700 Yen per day which is what you would pay for a 24 hour large luggage locker. I hope this information helps, if not I can see if I can provide greater info.

Last time I was in Japan I purchased a soft-sided collapsible bag. At the end of my trip I transferred my used clothes into the soft sided bag for the trip home since they could not be easily damaged, and put more delicate souvenirs etc. into my hard-shell suitcase. Now when I travel I put that soft bag into my suitcase each time in case I need it for my trip home.

My 5 cents worth of feedback re collapsible duffle bags… I usually bring 2 with me on my trip. Then upon my return if I’m ok to check in additional luggage beside my main one, I’ll just double them (1 inside the other) before packing non fragile items inside. I double them up since I am paranoid the collapsible duffle bag will get torn up along the way.

I recently flew to Tokyo and here’s what you can do:
Many stations provide luggage storage services, but these are usually for short periods. It may be worth contacting customer service at the stations where you plan to leave your luggage to inquire about long-term storage options. You may be offered special conditions for a longer period.
Some hostels and hotels in Tokyo provide luggage storage services even for those who are not staying with them. It may be more expensive, but by leaving your luggage at the hotel you can be sure of its safety.
Airports have luggage storage services and can provide services for a longer period.
If you still have to buy new luggage at the end of your trip, you can buy bags in bulk here: https://globy.com/b2bmarket/listing/luggage-bags-cases/luggage-travel-...
and conveniently use it throughout your vacation, this may be a more convenient option.

Regarding luggage storage, while Ueno station lockers have a 3-day limit, you still have options. You might consider luggage storage services provided by hotels or specialized facilities in Tokyo, such as Ecbo Cloak or Tokyo Station Coin Lockers. These often accommodate longer-term storage needs at reasonable rates.

When deciding between purchasing new luggage in Tokyo or paying for long-term storage, weigh your preferences and budget. If you find a reasonably priced suitcase at a store like Tokyu Hands or Don Quijote, and the convenience suits you, it could be worth it.

Hey Dani,

Thanks for the suggestion! It seems like I've got the information I needed from this thread, which is awesome. Do you happen to know of any cool cafes around Osaka? I'm heading there in March and I'm interested on checking out an internet cafe to play some games. Appreciate your help!