Japan Railways Group - Coin Lockers & Luggage Storage


	Japan Railways and other smaller rail companies have several thousand stations throughout Japan. It is impossible for us to provide detailed information on each station: the following description is generalized but fairly accurate. Remember that Japan is a nation that travels by train so most stations will have coin lockers.

A WIDE SELECTION OF COIN LOCKERS WITH ENGLISH INFORMATION AT KAKUNODATE STATION ON THE AKITA SHINKANSEN. A POPULAR TOURIST STOP, KAKUNODATE OFFERS EVEN MORE COIN LOCKERS IN THE ADJACENT TOURIST CENTER.

All large stations (for example all Shinkansen ‘bullet train’ stations) will have coin lockers, as do most medium-sized stations and many small stations in popular tourist areas. In such tourist areas, nearby Information centers may also offer some locker space, but this varies widely from place to place. Many stations will have station diagrams with English helping you to locate the lockers. If there are no lockers it may be possible to leave bags with station personnel: you can ask someone at an information desk or at the ticket gate. It also may be possible to leave bags at a restaurant or hotel near the station if there are no lockers or if all lockers are occupied.

Lockers generally come in three sizes: Small, Medium and Large, in Japanese Sho, Chu and Dai.

Small		Approximately 35 cm tall x 43 cm wide x 57 cm deep (13” x 18” x 22”) Found in large numbers at virtually all stations. These will hold small luggage: handbags, briefcases, small tote bags or backpacks. Generally ¥300 per calendar day.

Medium		Approximately 57 cm x 43 cm x 57 cm (22” x 18” x 22”) Found in many stations. Will hold most airline carry-on bags. Generally ¥400 per calendar day.

Large		Approximately 117 cm x 43 cm x 57 cm (44” x 18” x 22”) Found in many large stations and some smaller stations at popular tourist destinations. These will hold large suitcases, or two medium bags. A photo from Hakata Station, a large Shinkansen facility, shows many large lockers in one location. On the other hand, a photo of the coin lockers at Tazawako Station, a small but popular tourist spot, shows only two large lockers. These lockers are generally ¥500 per calendar day.



TOKYO STATION: MEDIUM LOCKER	HAKATA: MANY LARGE LOCKERS	TAZAWAKO: JUST TWO LARGE LOCKERS

Costs		As listed above, basic costs are generally ¥300 (small), ¥400 (medium) or ¥500 (large) for each calendar day. This means that if you leave a bag overnight in a small locker you will have to pay ¥600, i.e. ¥300 for each calendar day. The maximum you can check bags for is three days. Station employees remove bags left longer than three days and hold them, generally at the Lost Luggage.

There is little late night and overnight train service in Japan, so most stations, or some areas of large stations, are closed for several hours between late evening (23:00 to 01:00) and early morning (perhaps 05:00). Be sure to check on station hours if you want to retrieve bags very late at night or very early in the morning. English-language signs for locating lockers, hours of use, and details of how to insert coins etc. are very common but not guaranteed. When in doubt try to locate station personnel (all in uniform) and see if they can assist you.

Hint 1: If you are planning on using coin lockers be sure to carry plenty of ¥100 coins so you don’t have to waste time trying to get change.

Hint 2: Be sure to hold the coin locker door firmly shut while you insert your money. If the door is ajar the machine may swallow your coins without locking!

The major airports, Narita (Tokyo), Kansai (Kyoto and Osaka) and Centrair (Nagoya) all offer coin lockers. These airports also have luggage shipping services (takuhaibin) that will send bags anywhere in the country at reasonable cost and time. Other smaller airports such as Fukuoka or Chitose (Sapporo) also have coin lockers.


MEDIUM AND LARGE LOCKERS AT FUKUOKA AIRPORT	BAGGAGE DELIVERY SERVICE AT CENTRAIR (NAGOYA)

Crime is very low in Japan and it is very unlikely that you will have any luggage stolen, on a platform or train, or from a coin locker. It is more likely that you might forget a bag on a train or station platform. In that case you should immediately try to contact the Lost Luggage office (in Japanese: o-wasuremono azukari-jo). Larger stations have a separate location; at smaller stations you can go to the stationmaster’s office (ekicho-shitsu).