GETTING AROUND · GUIDE
Tokyo Coin Lockers: How to Sightsee Hands-Free
UPDATED JUL 2026 · 4 MIN READ
Nothing ruins a Tokyo afternoon like dragging shopping bags through Shibuya Crossing. Coin lockers are everywhere and they're cheap — but there are rules, traps, and one catch nobody warns you about.
Never walk back to the locker.
Leave your shopping in a station locker — we collect it that evening and deliver to your hotel the next day. $35 flat.
Get my bags delivered — $35 →How coin lockers work
Every major station has banks of lockers in three rough sizes. You put your bag in, pay, and get either a physical key, a printed PIN receipt, or a QR code — or, on IC-card lockers, you simply tap your Suica or Pasmo to lock and tap the same card to open.
Small
Daypack, camera bag, a couple of shopping bags. The most common size and the easiest to find free.
BALLPARK: ¥400–700 (~$3–5) per day
Medium
Carry-on backpack or a full day of Donki shopping. Good middle ground, fills up by afternoon.
BALLPARK: ¥600–800 (~$4–6) per day
Large
Cabin-size suitcase or several big bags. Rare, first to go, and clustered near main station exits.
BALLPARK: ¥800–1,000 (~$5–7) per day
The daily reset matters. Most lockers bill by calendar day, not by 24 hours, so a bag left past midnight costs another day when you open it. Prices above are ballpark — they differ by station and operator.
Where to find them
·Tokyo Station — huge banks, but a maze; try the Yaesu side.
·Shinjuku — enormous station, lockers scattered across every level.
·Shibuya — check the Hikarie and basement areas when Hachiko-side is full.
·Ueno — good availability near the Park exit.
·Ikebukuro — banks on both the east and west sides.
·Akihabara — plentiful, and handy mid-shopping.
·Asakusa — smaller banks near Senso-ji fill fast with tour groups.
Many big stations have digital boards showing live locker availability by area, and station staff will point you to the nearest bank if you ask.
When every locker is full
This happens constantly at peak times — weekends, holidays, and mid-morning at the big hubs. Options, in order of how quickly they work:
1. Try a different exit or floor. Travelers stop at the first bank they see; the ones two levels down are often half empty. 2. Station luggage counters. Major stations run staffed storage for a few hundred yen more. 3. Your hotel. Front desks will almost always hold bags for guests, before check-in and after checkout. 4. Paid storage shops. Cafés and shops near tourist areas offer storage by the hour.
The catch nobody mentions
You have to walk back to that exact locker — before it closes, before the day rolls over, on the day you use it. Stash your bags in Shibuya at noon and your evening in Asakusa now ends with a train ride back across the city to collect them. That backtrack is the real cost of a coin locker.
Or skip the walk back entirely
Drop your shopping in any PIN or QR coin locker at a Tokyo station, book by 6 PM, and Tokyo Concierge collects it that evening and delivers to your hotel the next day. $35 flat for one locker and up to 3 bags at Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Ueno and other hub stations — +$20 per extra locker, +$10 for other 23-ward stations.
Get my bags delivered — $35 →Frequently asked questions
How much do Tokyo coin lockers cost?
Roughly ¥400–700 (about $3–5) per day for a small locker, ¥600–800 (~$4–6) for medium, and ¥800–1,000 (~$5–7) for a large suitcase-size one. Prices vary by station and operator, and the clock resets daily — leaving a bag overnight costs another day.
Can I leave luggage in a coin locker overnight?
Usually yes, but you'll be charged for each additional day when you open it, and most operators clear lockers after about three days and move the contents to storage. Coin lockers are designed for a day out, not for storing bags across your whole trip.
Do Tokyo coin lockers take Suica or Pasmo?
Many of the newer ones do — you tap your IC card to lock, then tap the same card to open, so there's no key to lose. Older units are coins-only and give you a physical key. Bring ¥100 coins as backup; not every machine breaks bills.
Are there lockers big enough for a suitcase?
Yes, large lockers fit a carry-on and often a mid-size checked bag, but they're the first to fill up. At major stations they're typically gone by late morning on weekends and holidays.
What if I lose the key or my locker PIN receipt?
Contact the station office or the number printed on the locker bank. Operators can open it with ID and proof, but expect a fee and a wait. With PIN or QR lockers, photograph the receipt the moment you get it — that photo is your backup.