Moving to a new hotel? Plan your luggage before your sightseeing

Work out the luggage first, then plan what to do between leaving one hotel and checking in at the next. Your day should still work if every locker is full.

Send the suitcase, keep the essentials

A hotel change is far less stressful when everything you need for the first night travels with you. If you plan to use a luggage delivery service, first check when the bag will arrive and whether the receiving hotel will accept it. Do not let medicines, documents or your children's essentials rely on that delivery.

Between the room and the train

A suitcase in a room entrance. Stock photography, not a representation of Japanese room sizes. Photo: Max Vakhtbovych / Pexels.

A Japanese railway platform, between journeys. Photo: 分 八 / Pexels.

Your bag has gone ahead. What do you carry?

Passport and ID

Passports and anything valuable stay on you.

Things you need right away

Carry the personal items you will want before the suitcase turns up.

Prayer items

Keep your prayer essentials somewhere easy to reach.

A change of clothes

Pack enough clothes to cover the delivery time the operator has given you.

Charger, receipt and tracking

Hold on to your charger, the receipt and the tracking details for the bag.

This is a packing checklist only; nothing has been booked. Check the delivery time and whether the hotel accepts deliveries with the operator.

Picking up bags takes time too

Count bag collection as a stop, just like meals and prayer. For the next leg, check the train operator's luggage rules.

Cover photo: A suitcase in a room entrance. Stock photography, not a representation of Japanese room sizes. Photo: Max Vakhtbovych / Pexels.

Sources

• JNTO · Luggage and storage (checked 2026-10-08)