A large station locker in Japan costs ¥500–800 and fits a full-size suitcase. The catch that surprises people: lockers bill by calendar day, not by 24 hours. Store a bag at 6pm and collect it at 9am the next morning and you pay for two days, because the clock resets at midnight, not at the hour you put it in.
That single detail decides most storage questions. For a same-day gap, lockers are cheapest and simplest. For anything crossing midnight, hotel storage is usually free and delivery is often better value than paying twice.
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Read this guide as a practical checklist. Start with the points that affect your route, stay choice, booking decision, or day-of-travel comfort.
In this guide
- Locker sizes and what fits
- The midnight reset, and the three-day limit
- Paying for a locker, and getting the bag back
- When the lockers are full
- The four main luggage options
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Locker sizes and what fits
- Small, roughly 35 × 34 × 57cm: a daypack or shopping bags. About ¥300–400 per calendar day.
- Medium, roughly 57 × 34 × 57cm: a cabin bag or two backpacks. About ¥400–500.
- Large, roughly 117 × 43 × 57cm: one full-size checked suitcase, sometimes two. About ¥500–800.
- Sizes and prices vary by station and operator. Major terminals and airports sit at the top of each range.
- Prices as listed in July 2026. Confirm at the locker bank itself, which displays current rates.
The midnight reset, and the three-day limit
Lockers charge per calendar day, midnight to midnight. An overnight stay costs two days regardless of how few hours the bag was actually inside. Budget for that before choosing a locker over free hotel storage.
Most lockers allow a maximum of three calendar days. Past that, the bag is removed to a station office and you collect it there, usually with accumulated fees. Do not use a locker as multi-day storage while you take a side trip.
Access follows station hours, roughly first train to last — about 5am to midnight in most places. Narita and Haneda airport lockers run 24 hours. A late flight out of a city station can leave you unable to retrieve a bag you stored that morning.
Paying for a locker, and getting the bag back
Two kinds of locker bank exist side by side, and they are retrieved in completely different ways. Older banks are mechanical: feed in ¥100 coins, turn the key, take the key with you. No key, no bag, so a lost key means finding station staff.
Newer banks are electronic, operated from a touchscreen at the end of the row, and this is where people get caught out. If you pay by tapping a Suica, Pasmo or other IC card, that same card becomes the key. You must return with the physical card you tapped — a card in a phone wallet works only if you tap the same phone. Paying by cash at the screen instead gives you a printed slip with a QR code or PIN, which is safer if several people are sharing bags.
Screens at newer banks usually offer English. Coin-only banks have no language to speak of, which makes them easier rather than harder.
When the lockers are full
Large lockers at major stations fill by mid-morning, and during holiday periods they fill earlier. Assume this rather than discovering it with a train to catch.
Electronic banks show availability on the screen, and at large stations that screen often covers every bank in the building, which is faster than walking the corridors. Failing that, the usable fallbacks are a paid storage counter in the station or a nearby shop, hotel storage if you have not checked out yet, or a storage service booked in advance near where you actually want to be.
Lockers cluster at every exit of a large station, not only the main one. A full bank at the central exit does not mean the station is full.
The four main luggage options
- Hotel storage: usually free, before check-in and after checkout, and the best answer for anything crossing midnight. Rules and staffed hours vary.
- Station lockers: cheapest for a same-day gap. Large sizes fill first at major stations and around big events.
- Luggage delivery: better than storage when you are moving between cities. Roughly ¥2,000–2,700 for a large case, next day.
- Paid storage counters and services: useful when lockers are full, your stay has no staffed desk, or you want to drop bags near an attraction rather than at the station.
When luggage storage services make sense
A service such as Radical Storage can be useful when your hotel is far from your sightseeing area, when you have a late flight, or when station lockers are a poor fit. It can also help on days when you want to visit a museum, workshop, food area, or attraction before moving to the next hotel.
As with any third-party service, check current opening hours, exact location, bag rules, price, cancellation, and how pickup works before relying on it.
What to check before choosing storage
- Opening hours and final pickup time.
- Exact address and whether the location is easy to find with bags.
- Large suitcase acceptance and number of bags allowed.
- Security process, receipt, and what happens if pickup is late.
- Distance from your station exit, attraction, or hotel.
- Whether luggage delivery would be better than temporary storage.
Common planning mistakes
- Assuming every station has large lockers available.
- Returning to the wrong station exit after storing bags.
- Planning a day trip with luggage because storage seems like a small detail.
- Leaving too little time to pick up bags before a train, flight, or hotel transfer.
- Forgetting that some small stays or apartment-style properties may not have staffed storage.
Matching the option to the day
- Arrival day, hotel not ready: hotel storage, free. Drop bags, collect at check-in.
- Checkout day with an evening train: hotel storage again, free, and most will hold until the front desk closes.
- Day trip returning to the same city: a large station locker, ¥500–800, as long as you are back before the station closes.
- Theme park or attraction day: lockers on site, or a paid counter near the entrance rather than back at the station.
- Moving to a different city: delivery, roughly ¥2,000–2,700, sent the day before you need it.
Sources
Rules and availability can change. Use official sources for final confirmation.
Common questions
FAQ
How much do coin lockers cost in Japan?
About ¥300–400 a day for a small locker, ¥400–500 for medium, and ¥500–800 for a large one that fits a full-size suitcase, as listed in July 2026. Prices vary by station, with major terminals and airports at the top of each range.
Are Japanese coin lockers charged per 24 hours?
No. They bill per calendar day, midnight to midnight. A bag left from 6pm to 9am the next morning counts as two days. For anything crossing midnight, free hotel storage is usually the better choice.
How long can I leave luggage in a Japanese coin locker?
Usually three calendar days maximum. After that the bag is removed to a station office and you collect it there with the accumulated fees. Most lockers are also only accessible during station hours, roughly 5am to midnight, though Narita and Haneda airport lockers run 24 hours.
Will a suitcase fit in a Japanese coin locker?
A large locker is roughly 117 × 43 × 57cm and takes one full-size checked suitcase, sometimes two. Large lockers are the first to fill at major stations, so have hotel storage or a paid counter as a backup.
How do you pay for a coin locker in Japan?
Older banks take ¥100 coins and give you a physical key. Newer electronic banks are operated from a touchscreen and take IC cards such as Suica and Pasmo, or cash. If you pay with an IC card, that card is the key and you must return with the same physical card. Paying cash at the screen gives you a slip with a code instead, which is easier if someone else may collect the bag.
What if all the coin lockers are full?
Large lockers at major stations fill by mid-morning. Electronic banks show availability on screen, often for the whole station rather than one row, and lockers are spread across every exit rather than concentrated at the main one. If the station is genuinely full, use a paid storage counter, your hotel if you have not checked out, or a storage service booked in advance.
Should I use luggage storage or luggage delivery in Japan?
Storage when you need the bag back the same day in the same city. Delivery when you are moving to a different city, since roughly ¥2,000–2,700 for next-day delivery compares well against two days of large-locker fees plus carrying the bag through transfers.
Can hotels in Japan store luggage before check-in?
Many hotels can, but not all. Small stays, apartment-style properties, and unstaffed accommodations may have limited storage. Confirm hours, rules, and whether large suitcases are accepted.
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