Baggage Forwarding Service Frees Up Japan Tourists

Above, our train to Osaka arrives at Atami Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last year, when we visited Japan, our original plan was to go from Atami to Osaka with a quick stopover in Nagoya to see Nagoya Castle (featured in Mothra vs. Godzilla in 1964).

What stopped that idea was that I was unsure (despite much checking around) that Nagoya Station had lockers or facilities to store our luggage while we were wandering around. I also considered a luggage forwarding service. I inquired with the innkeeper at the ryokan we stayed at in Atami if such a service were available. Well, I didn't get much of a response, so we dropped the idea of stopping in Nagoya. Who wants to drag around big suitcases while exploring?

But, as you can see from the following snippet by News On Japan, baggage forwarding services are growing in Japan.

They wrote:

A growing number of service centers support "hands-free tourism," accepting baggage such as suitcases and souvenirs and delivering them to accommodation facilities and airports on the same day. 

Although the service is geared toward foreign tourists visiting Japan, it is also available for use by Japanese people.Why not give it a try if you're planning to travel domestically? 

In the spring of 2014, Sagawa Express Co. opened its Tokyo Service Center in Tokyo Station. From early in the morning, tourists hauling large suitcases visit the center one after another. In addition to storing baggage at a daily rate of ¥800, they also deliver baggage to Haneda Airport or any ryokan or hotel within Tokyo's 23 wards on the same day if it is brought in by 11 a.m.

To read more, go here.