When traveling in Japan, you can send a large suitcase ahead to your next hotel or to the airport. If you later want to know where the bag is, the basic way to check is to use the tracking number on the shipping slip you received when you sent it.
The slip will include a tracking or waybill number. Enter that number on the official website of the delivery company that is actually transporting the luggage. The tracking page will usually show whether the bag has been shipped, is still in transit, or has already been delivered.
Even if you sent the suitcase from a hotel or convenience store, you do not track it through that location. You track it through the delivery company. Check the slip to see which company is handling the bag and which tracking number to use.
Keep the shipping slip until the suitcase arrives. Since paper slips are easy to lose while traveling, it is also a good idea to take a photo of the slip with your phone immediately after sending the bag. Even if you lose the paper copy, you can still use the number in the photo to track the shipment.
If the tracking status does not change for a long time, or if the suitcase has not arrived by the expected date, contact the delivery company and have the tracking number ready. It also helps if you know the date it was sent and the destination.
If the suitcase was sent to a hotel, a tracking page may show “delivered” even though the bag is not in your room. The hotel may be holding it at the front desk or in a luggage storage area. If you want to collect it, ask the hotel staff.
Forwarding luggage in Japan is not especially complicated. The important thing is not to throw away the shipping slip after sending the bag. As long as you keep the tracking number, you can check where the suitcase is and contact the delivery company quickly if something goes wrong.
