Luggage on the Shinkansen: Japan's Train Suitcase Rules and How to Plan

On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, a suitcase whose length, width and height add up to 160 cm or less boards without a reservation. From 161 to 250 cm you have to book a "seat with an oversized baggage area" in advance, at no extra charge. Over 250 cm it can't come on board at all. Board with a big suitcase and no reservation, and you pay 1,000 yen.

How to measure 160 cm

Add up the suitcase's three measurements: height, width and depth, including the wheels and handles. It's the same method airlines use. Our 28 inch suitcases come to roughly 146 to 157 cm, under the limit. All our 32 inch suitcases are between 167 and 177 cm, so those need a reservation.

Watch the expansion. An expansion zipper adds depth. The Cosmos DLX 28 inch, for example, is 78×41×30, which is 149 cm, and with the expansion open (another 3 cm) it's 152, still under 160. A suitcase that's already close to the limit can pass it when expanded, so measure after you pack.

What happens if you board without a reservation

According to JR Central, if you board with a 161 to 250 cm suitcase and no suitable seat, you pay 1,000 yen including tax. The conductor may also send you to store the suitcase somewhere else on the train, and if the train is full you may be asked to take a later one. On a busy day that can throw off the whole plan.

How to book a seat with an oversized baggage area

The luggage space is behind the last row of the car, so these are last-row seats. The booking costs the same as a regular reserved seat. You can book:

• At a JR station ticket office: ask for a seat with an oversized baggage area.
• At the reserved-seat ticket machines, under Seat with an oversized baggage area.
• On the rail companies' booking sites: Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen Online Reservation, JR-WEST Online Train Reservation and JR-Kyushu Train Reservation.
• With a JAPAN RAIL PASS: at a ticket office, or through the pass's reservation service.

Bookings open one month ahead. In busy seasons, book as soon as your plan is set, because each train has only a few of these seats.

Carry-ons and backpacks: where they go

A 20 inch carry-on (106 to 119 cm for ours) boards with no reservation at all. JR Central says items up to about 120 cm usually fit by your feet, and the overhead racks on the Tokaido line are about 42 cm deep, so items up to 160 cm usually fit up there. Green cars have footrests, so bags mostly go on the rack.

Since July 1, 2025 there's also a trial: on some 16-car trains on the Tokaido and Sanyo lines, the oversized baggage compartment on the deck between cars can be used without a reservation. It takes a suitcase up to 80×60×40 cm, and you lock it with a rechargeable transport card (IC). It's a trial, so check the rail companies' sites before you travel to see that it's still running.

How many bags you can bring

Each passenger may bring up to two items free. Each one up to 30 kg, total dimensions up to 250 cm, and length up to 200 cm. Umbrellas, walking sticks and handbags don't count. Strollers, sports equipment and musical instruments are exempt from the oversized rule, but to use the baggage area you need to book the seat.

These are the rules of the JR Central, JR West and JR Kyushu lines. According to JR Central, regular trains (not the Shinkansen) need no reservation for a big suitcase. On JR East lines, such as the Tohoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen, check JR East's site before you travel.

Send the suitcase ahead and travel with a backpack

In Japan it's common to send suitcases between hotels. Yamato's TA-Q-BIN service takes suitcases at counters in hotels and airports, and usually delivers the next day or within two days to most areas. If the suitcase needs to reach the airport before your flight home, send it at least two days ahead (three from some areas), and the airport service takes up to 30 kg per parcel.

That way you can go from Tokyo to Kyoto with just a backpack and a carry-on, without thinking about special seats. Traveling around East Asia this way? We have a guide to packing for the Far East with a carry-on only.

Which suitcase works for a train trip in Japan

If you want a large suitcase without thinking about reservations, a 28 inch of up to 160 cm is the limit. The Swiss System 28 inch comes to 154 cm and weighs 3.0 kg, and it has no expansion, so its size doesn't change. The Cosmos DLX 28 inch is 149 cm and stays under 160 even expanded. For a couple sharing gear, a 24 inch is easier to lift onto the rack and to carry up station stairs. All sizes are on the suitcases page, and the measurements by size are in our size chart.

And what happens to suitcases at the end of a trip? Japan already has a problem with suitcases tourists leave behind, and we wrote about it in thousands of abandoned suitcases in Tokyo.

Sources: the luggage page of JR Central, the luggage guide of JR West and Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN, checked on November 8, 2026.