Two Weeks in Japan: Which Suitcase to Take and How to Pack

For two weeks in Japan, the easiest setup is one 24 or 28 inch suitcase whose dimensions add up to 160 cm or less, plus a small backpack for days out. A suitcase like that boards the Shinkansen without a special reservation. Pack layers for the season and leave about a quarter of the suitcase empty for shopping on the way home.

A two-week trip to Japan usually covers several cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, maybe one more stop. That means lots of trains, stairs in stations and a new hotel every few days. The suitcase you pick affects every one of those moves, so it's worth thinking about before you start packing.

24 or 28 inches: what works for two weeks in Japan

The limit that matters in Japan is 160 cm: height, width and depth added together, wheels and handles included. Above that you need to book a special seat on the Shinkansen in advance. All of our 24 and 28 inch suitcases listed here are under the limit:

If you're traveling solo and pack smart, a 24 inch is enough for two weeks, and it's easier to lift onto the train rack and carry up station stairs. If you're traveling in winter with a coat and heavy shoes, or plan to come home with a lot of shopping, a 28 inch will pay off. 32 inch suitcases go over 160 cm, and with one every Shinkansen ride needs a reservation. We set out all the train rules in luggage on the Shinkansen.

A big suitcase, or a carry-on and a backpack?

There are two ways to do Japan. One: a single suitcase that moves with you from city to city. Two: a 20 inch carry-on and a backpack, with the big suitcase sent between hotels. Yamato's TA-Q-BIN service takes suitcases at hotel and airport counters, and usually delivers the next day or within two days to most areas.

Mixing the two works especially well: you go to Kyoto for three nights with a carry-on and a backpack, and the big suitcase is already waiting at the next hotel. A 20 inch carry-on like the Navigator comes to 114 cm and boards the train with no reservation at all. And if you'd rather skip the big suitcase altogether, the method is in our guide to packing for the Far East with a carry-on only.

What to pack by season

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), temperatures change a lot between seasons, and that decides how much room your clothes will take:

• Spring, March to May: 5 to 23°C. A coat or jacket for the colder part, and layers you can take off.
• Summer, June to August: 20 to 35°C, with July and August the hottest. Thin clothes in breathable fabric, a hat, sunglasses and an umbrella.
• Autumn, September to November: 8 to 27°C. A light shirt and an evening jacket early in the season, a sweater or coat later on. It's also when typhoon season begins, so keep an eye on the weather.
• Winter, December to March: in the south an average of 2 to 12°C, and in the north, in Hokkaido and Tohoku, from minus 10 to 2. A down coat, gloves, a scarf and thermal wear.

In winter a down coat takes up half a suitcase. Wear it on the plane, and it counts against neither your weight nor your space.

A two-week packing list

• Clothes for about a week, with one laundry stop planned halfway through. That's the difference between needing a 24 and a 28 inch.
• Comfortable walking shoes you've already broken in. You walk a lot in Japan, even inside the stations.
• A small backpack for days out, which stays with you on the train and at temples.
• Packing cubes, which keep each city separate and make unpacking and repacking at every hotel easier. More methods in our guide to saving space in your suitcase.
• A foldable laundry bag, so clean and worn clothes don't mix over two weeks.

Room for shopping on the way home

Japan is a shopping destination, and most people come home with more than they left with. There's a less pleasant side to that too: thousands of suitcases pile up in Tokyo that tourists left behind after buying new ones. We wrote about it in thousands of abandoned suitcases in Tokyo.

The fix is simple: leave with an expandable suitcase and keep it closed on the way out. On the Cosmos DLX the expansion zipper adds about 25% volume, and on the 24 inch the depth goes from 23 to 26 cm. Just remember the weight allowance doesn't grow with the volume: before the big shopping, check how much your ticket allows, and if you need a second suitcase, our guide to shopping trips abroad helps you work out whether it pays. The dimensions of every size are in our size chart, and the suitcases themselves are on the suitcases page.

Sources: JNTO, what to wear in Japan, the baggage page of JR Central and Yamato's Airport TA-Q-BIN service, checked in November 2026. Suitcase dimensions, volume and weight come from our product pages.