Taking a suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto or Shin-Osaka? Measure it before choosing your seat. A baggage-space reservation depends on the bag's size and the storage option you want to use.
This guide covers ordinary suitcases and travel bags on the Tokaido Shinkansen. Special items and other routes need separate checks.
Before you board: your seat is not your luggage space
A ticket for an ordinary reserved seat does not reserve the oversized baggage area behind the last row. Do not put your suitcase there unless your booking includes that area, even if the space looks empty when you board.
A suitcase that meets the size limit still needs a practical storage plan. Ask yourself: can I lift it safely, keep it within my own space, and carry it through the station? If the answer is no, decide on a suitable reservation or delivery option before departure.
Reserved space occupied or nowhere to put your bag? · Compare storage options
Quick answer: does your suitcase need a reservation?
| Height + width + depth | Baggage-space reservation |
|---|---|
| Up to and including 160 cm | Not required because of this size alone. |
| More than 160 cm, up to and including 250 cm | Required: book a seat with an oversized baggage area. |
| More than 250 cm | This suitcase cannot be taken onboard. |
Check your suitcase size · Official size guidance
Do not stop at the size result. Check weight, length, item count, contents and where you will put the bag.
How to measure your suitcase
Measure the outside of the packed bag. Include wheels, handles and anything protruding. Add height, width and depth for one bag.
Example: 80 + 50 + 30 cm = 160 cm.
Check each suitcase separately. Do not add two bags together to produce one total, and do not use a label such as “28-inch suitcase” as the complete measurement.
If you measure in inches, the checker converts to centimetres using 1 inch = 2.54 cm. Do not round a near-boundary result down: 63 inches is 160.02 cm, slightly more than 160 cm.
Weight, length and number of items
JR's general allowance is up to two baggage items, each within 30 kg and 250 cm total dimensions, with a maximum length of 200 cm. Small personal items such as handbags and umbrellas are treated separately. Contents and special-item rules also apply.
An airline accepting a suitcase does not establish where it can go on a train.
JR's personal belongings conditions
What is a seat with an oversized baggage area?
It is a designated seat associated with the baggage area behind it. The area is shared by passengers with the corresponding reservations; it is not a private locker for each passenger.
An ordinary reserved seat elsewhere in the car does not include permission to use that area. Even with a small suitcase, book the corresponding seat if you want to use it.
Booking this seat type carries no additional baggage-area charge compared with the corresponding Ordinary or Green car reserved seat.
Where do smaller bags go?
Consider the overhead rack, your own foot space or an available deck storage area, as appropriate for the bag and your train. A bag within 160 cm can still be difficult to lift or unsuitable for a particular space.
Some deck storage is available without reservation under a trial arrangement. It does not replace the required reservation for an oversized suitcase. Check the facilities and instructions on your train.
Compare the storage locations · JR's current luggage guidance
Does a less crowded train mean more luggage space?
Use train seat availability to help choose a departure, then check baggage-area seats separately. An available ordinary seat does not confirm that the storage your suitcase needs is available.
| Your situation | What to check before buying |
|---|---|
| Suitcase over 160 cm | Availability of a seat with an oversized baggage area on that departure. |
| Suitcase within 160 cm, easy to lift | A safe storage option; overhead space is shared. |
| Suitcase within 160 cm, difficult to lift | Suitable alternative storage and its booking conditions. |
| Two suitcases | Each bag's size and weight, plus whether you can manage both through the station. |
| Suitable baggage-area seats unavailable | Another departure, or a delivery or storage plan that fits your itinerary. |
This guide's crowding indicators cannot tell you whether an overhead rack is full or whether a reserved baggage area is occupied. We do not have live luggage-space occupancy data.
What changed about deck luggage storage?
SmartEX announced a reservation-free trial for certain deck storage areas on 16-car Tokaido and Sanyo trains, starting 1 July 2025. Its published notice says the end date will be announced separately. This is a different facility from the reserved area behind the last row.
The trial does not remove the reservation requirement for ordinary suitcases over 160 cm. Check current instructions for your train instead of relying on older photos or travel posts describing a reserved deck compartment.
Read the official SmartEX trial notice
How to book the required seat
In SmartEX, enter your journey and select the oversized-baggage-area seat type. Check its availability on the seat map before completing the booking. The train-wide availability indicator is a different check.
You can also ask a JR ticket office for this seat type. If using a pass or another booking service, follow the appropriate reservation process for that ticket.
SmartEX's official booking instructions
Already bought a ticket?
Open your confirmation and check the seat type. If it does not include the area your suitcase needs, check changes with your original seller before travelling.
Have your travel date, route and booking details ready. Do not assume a ticket purchased elsewhere can be imported into SmartEX and changed there.
Find the guidance for purchased tickets
What if baggage-area seats are sold out?
Check another departure with the appropriate seats. Do not treat an ordinary available seat as a substitute for the seat type required by your suitcase.
If you are planning ahead, compare forwarding and storage with carrying the bag. Check delivery deadlines before relying on those options. A service needing advance shipment will not solve every last-minute problem at the station.
Compare carrying, forwarding and storage
What if you board without the required reservation?
JR lists a ¥1,000 handling fee for oversized baggage brought without the required reservation, with storage directed by the conductor. Paying it does not give permission to use any space you choose or guarantee travel on a full train. Arrange the required seat before boarding.
Official oversized-baggage information
Strollers, musical instruments and sports equipment
These have exceptions to the ordinary oversized-suitcase reservation rule. If you want to use a reserved oversized baggage area, you still need the corresponding seat reservation. Check the item's specific carriage conditions rather than applying the suitcase checker to it.
Official special-item guidance
Do all Shinkansen lines use these rules?
The oversized-baggage reservation system applies to the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen. This article focuses on Tokyo–Kyoto–Shin-Osaka. Check the operator for another route; do not assume its storage equipment is identical.
Frequently asked questions about Shinkansen luggage rules
Is exactly 160 cm oversized?
No. For an ordinary suitcase, exactly 160 cm is within the no-size-based-reservation category. Measure the packed bag carefully; a result above 160 cm belongs in the oversized category.
Can I use the rear baggage area with a smaller bag?
Only when your seat reservation includes that designated area. A smaller suitcase does not make a reserved area available to everyone.
Is a 28-inch or 30-inch suitcase allowed?
The product label alone cannot answer that. Add the bag's actual outside height, width and depth, including its wheels and handles, then check its weight and longest side. Use the size checker rather than the advertised suitcase size.
Should I carry my suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto, then send it to KIX?
Decide when you need its contents. If you need them in Kyoto, choose a train storage plan or a delivery service to your accommodation. Bag2Gate's Osaka storage and Kansai Airport delivery is an option for luggage you can set aside during your Kansai stay, with advance shipment and acceptance deadlines. It is not a replacement for a required train reservation or an immediate station pickup.
Compare the options and deadlines
Practical questions before you travel
I cannot lift my bag safely. What should I check?
Check a suitable alternative storage option before boarding, including a corresponding baggage-area seat where appropriate. Meeting the size threshold and being able to handle the bag are different questions.
Someone else's luggage occupies the area I booked. What should I do?
Keep your reservation details ready and speak to the onboard staff. FNN's August 2024 report relayed JR Central's advice to leave unattended luggage alone and ask staff for help.
Can I send my bag instead?
Yes, you can compare suitable delivery or storage services. Choose according to when you need the bag, where you will collect it and whether it can arrive in time. Each provider has its own size and acceptance limits.
For travellers flying home from KIX who do not need some luggage during their Kansai stay, Bag2Gate combines Osaka storage and airport delivery. Check the arrival deadline and separate shipping cost before booking.
Sources and editorial information
Railway guidance checked for this article: 10 October 2026. Check the linked official guidance before travelling if conditions change.
This independent guide is operated by the team behind Bag2Gate. It is not an official JR website.
JR Central luggage information · JR personal belongings conditions · JR West luggage guidance · SmartEX booking guide · About this guide