Luggage suggestions?

I'm staying in Japan for 5 weeks this summer. I'll be staying with 5 different friends of mine, all Japanese. They live somewhat far apart from each other, so i'll be doing a lot of traveling by train and also a flight to hokkaido and back. I'm trying to decide how much luggage would be suitable. I'll need enough clothes to last me at least a week before needing to wash, but I also know that I will buy a lot of stuff. I'm thinking of getting two suitcases(one smaller than the other so as to put it inside of the bigger one). But I was wondering if anyone has had experience having to lug 2 suitcases around like that. Is it worth the aggravation? Also, any recommendations for convenient luggage brands? (perhaps a smaller one that will strap onto a bigger one so that I don't have to roll two bags around...) Let me know what you think, thanks.

We've been very happy with Ricardo luggage, which has lots of pockets and is quite sturdy. It is almost impossible to wheel two pieces of luggage around stations and streets at the same time. You will definitely need to get a medium size suitcase, and a good size carry-on to strap on top. And that should be plenty for a week of traveling. You will just have to leave room for things to take back, although an additional carry-on bag of small size is usually allowed, and readily available in Japan. Be aware also that space for luggage is very limited on Japanese trains; even the Shinkansen has space for medium bags only behind the last seats of each car. And you'll have to get the bags aboard and off each train, which can be a hassle when they're crowded. A partial solution, assuming you're getting a rail pass (but you'll be there for five weeks!) is to buy a green car pass. There are many opinions about this, but we found that usually the cars were less crowded than the ordinary ones, which give more flexibility for luggage. Good luck!

Is there any way you can just take one suitcase? At least from my trips to the airport, one suitcase is quite manageable, though some stations may not have escalators or elevators and you'll have to drag the suitcase up the stairs. I guess I'd recommend one big suitcase and a medium/large backpack (because you don't have to use your hands to carry a backpack), if you think that could fit what you need for 5 weeks. It'll certainly make your life a LOT easier.

If you must bring two whole suitcases, maybe you can try this at the airport: the airports have companies at the arrival gates, and they can take your luggage and deliver it to a specified address by the morning of the next day. It's not too expensive from what I remember.

Still, I'd recommend packing more lightly if possible!

i am taking one medium suitcase (rolling) and 1 medium duffle bag( sort of a large gym bag ), which i will loop over the handle of and put on top of the rolling suitcase.

Is that too much to get on a train from Tokyo to Kyoto?

Will i have to put my bags in some strange storage space at the back of the train and worry about losing them?

I agree with the other posters that 2 suitcases will be a real hassle. Putting 1 inside another is a clever idea, but that may weigh close to 20 Lbs. , and then you could only bring 30 Lbs. more before you reached the weight limit.

You could take a thin collapsable duffle bag that would weigh only a pound empty, and stuff that into your suitcase, and then fill it up with up to 50 Lbs. worth of stuff when you come home.

I agree with Jonathan. I think it might be best to courier your large luggage to each destination point.

Your idea of putting one smaller suitcase in another is excellent. Perhaps get a carry on size suitcase with wheeels (we noticed multi directional wheels were handy in tight corners) and shove it in your large suitcase.

When you arrive in Japan, pack the carry on with your essentials for a few days until you get to your next destination point, and send the rest of your larger belongings onward to your next city via courier. It's worth it and reliable.

The small carry on size rolling suitcase wasn't a problem for us on the trains. The large suitcases would have been a nightmare to drag around.

Alternatively, you can plan your itinerary so that you return to the same hotel/friend's house and use the place as a base point. This way, you can stow your luggage there and return to it. It might require some back tracking but if you have a JR Pass, it's not a huge hassle. We used Kyoto as a base and travel throughout Kansai and came back to Kyoto in the end all along the hotel stowed our luggage for us so we travelled with our small carry on.

Have fun!

I don't think you need to worry about theft of bags from trains. That is almost unheard of in Japan.

My daughter and I did what 'v' did with the luggage. We had our regular luggage and each carried a backpack/ duffle bag that could be folded up as needed and stored inside our luggage. Because we were bringing many gifts for our friends we needed the extra luggage but as we distributed the gifts we could then fold up the smaller bags or use them for souvenirs to take home. We had no trouble at all on the Hikari shinkansen. We put our duffle bags over our seats and kept our regular luggage on the floor between our legs. There was plenty of room and it didn't keep me from falling asleep either. Even when we had to use the subway one morning and it was a little crowded we just stood as far out of the way as possible and it wasn't a problem. The best advice is to make sure you have luggage with wheels which we didn't. We ended up with great muscles from carrying our bags across the country!

I am planning a 3-week trip, and I would think that after about a week you would not need to take any more stuff! Try to pack light; plan to dress in layers and re-use clothes as much as you can. If you are staying with friends, maybe you can plan to take only 4-5 days of clothes, and wash more often?

I am planning to go with a medium-size bag and fit everything in it on the way out. I'm very fond of my Samsonite Spinner (which is discontinued but looks a lot like this one: http://www.ebags.com/samsonite/essence_24_expandable_spinner_upright_suiter/).
I bought a 28" one for a 2-week trip to the UK and it was too big! The 24" is just that little bit smaller and did very well for my 5-7 day trips -- I haven't had to expand it yet.

My plan for my 3-week Japan trip is to fit everything into the 24" spinner with NO expansion. I am bringing along a lightweight folding tote bag that will slip over the handle of my main bag. I've purchased some packing cubes from EBags to help me keep the clean clothes organized; I'll be taking a tour for the first 11 days and have to live out of a suitcase. I will also be bringing an ordinary bookbag-type backpack as a carry-on and general day pack.

This plan may do well for you... I'd recommend you try to keep it all in one medium-sized suitcase for as long as possible, maybe even by shipping home boxes of souvenirs every week or two as you collect them. I would NOT recommend packing two suitcases; you will lose a lot in terms of weight, and two rolling cases ARE hard to manage.

But most of all you need to get very frugal and very real with the clothes you bring. Do NOT pack fancy clothes unless you know you'll need them. Keep it to 2 or 3 pairs of shoes, one of them on your feet. Make sure all your tops go with all your bottoms to have as many outfits as possible using as few pieces as possible. If you're able, perhaps plan to buy clothes while you're there if you need anything additional! See, then its both useful and a souvenir!

On the one hand: coin lockers are common in Japan, so you'll often be able to leave luggage in places when travelling. And Takkyubin are useful if you can send presents on ahead of you (?sp? - I'm sure there's a feature on this site. It's the name for services that send parcels cheaply and quickly within Japan)

On the other hand: Japan is a wonderful country. There are little things of interest in the most unlikely places. Probably just a few hundred metres from where you're sitting with your huge bags at your feet, taking a rest from carrying them around. And imho it's much more likely that you'll experience more of them if you don't have the huge bags to carry around.

So I think it's a trade-off. You'll decide what's right for you.

I like the idea of a courier if one is going to be traveling around Japan. But where do you find them, other than at the airports? We will be disembarking at the port in Osaka. Are there couriers at the ports? Do they always deliver by the following morning? And, does anyone have any idea of the cost of delivering from Osaka to Tokyo?

About delivery services:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

just come back from japan, mother, daughter & myself carrying 1 roller suitcase each plus small bag on hooked on top total weight 10kgs. This seemed light and easy until we hit the subways in nagoya with no escalators or lifts and we had 2 flights of stairs to carry them up. They where even worse on the way home when my mother had bought japan out adding an additional 2 bags to lug. A bit squashed on the subways with luggage so I would avoid busy periods catching them if you can and we had no problems on the bullet trains fitting the luggage in front of our seat or in the space at the back. Just keep your luggage locked for your peace of mind. You don't need many clothes, just plenty of t shirts, 2 pants and socks and jocks

Does anyone knows how much is to delivery one piece of luggage medium size from Tokyo airport to Osaka airport and store it at Osaka airport for two weeks before pick up.

rucksack instead of suitcase?

Does anyone knows how much is to delivery one piece of luggage medium size from Tokyo airport to Osaka airport

About 1500-2500 Yen.

and store it at Osaka airport for two weeks before pick up.

The delivery company will hold it a few days for free, but for longer storage they will charge for it. I don't know the exact price, but I estimate a fee of around 500 Yen per day.

I was in Japan for 6 weeks (4 weeks language school and 2 weels travelling).

I used a combination roller luggage and backpack from samsonite or something like that. It also had a clip on daytrip backpack.

A good suggestion is always to pack one bag and if you need it buy another later on in your trip. It can usually be done cheap and you wont have to lug it around for too long.

I bought a duffel/sports bag to make sure i had enough room for my souvenirs and present when i was returning home.

generally if youre going to be travelling alot with your luggage i recommend a largish backpack. But thats mainly if youre staying in youth hostels and the like.

Also i did not have problems with storing my luggage behind the last seat row in the shinkansen. Especially if you get on the train early (show up in good time if need be).