Christmas in Japan with the Whole Family: 7 Ways to Travel Without Hauling Luggage

The hardest part of a family trip is the luggage

Booking flights and hotels for the whole family is the easy part. The hard part comes after you land: your own suitcase in one hand, the kids' bags in the other, and one eye on Grandma and Grandpa behind you.

In winter it gets harder. There is snow on the pavements, trains are packed for the New Year holidays, and a family of five can easily travel with six suitcases. Sort out the luggage, and the rest of the trip gets much easier.

Here are 7 practical tips, plus a 6-day Tokyo and Niseko plan that shows where your bags go each day.

7 ways to travel without hauling luggage

1. Snow: suitcase wheels don't roll on it

In Niseko, Sapporo and other snowy towns, pavements are often covered in snow or ice. Suitcase wheels get stuck, and dragging a heavy bag on ice is how people fall.

Send your bags ahead from hotel to hotel. Bags from Tokyo take at least a day to reach Niseko, so send them the morning before you fly and keep a small overnight bag with you. Everyone keeps their hands free, and you can give Grandpa your arm on the icy path.

2. The year-end rush: trains are full, and big bags need a seat booking

The New Year is Japan's biggest holiday. Trains and the Shinkansen are very busy in the last days of December and the first days of January.

On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags over 160 cm in total (length + width + height) need a reserved seat with an oversized luggage area. If you bring one on board without a reservation, you pay a ¥1,000 fee. These seats sell out quickly in the holidays. Send the big bags ahead, and you only need seats for the family.

3. Taxis: room for 4 people, not their 4 suitcases

A standard Japanese taxi takes 4 passengers, but the boot usually fits only about 2 large suitcases. Four people with four bags often need two taxis.

With the bags already on their way, the whole family fits in one taxi, and nobody waits in the cold for the second one.

4. Check-out to check-in: four or five hours with nowhere to go

Check-out is usually 10 or 11 am, and check-in is usually around 3 pm. Grandparents want somewhere warm to sit and have lunch, not a hunt for coin lockers big enough for a family's luggage.

Leave your bags at the hotel front desk when you check out. Our courier collects them and takes them to your next hotel the same day. Spend the last half-day exploring, and find your bags waiting when you arrive.

5. Plan easy days around the season

• Christmas lights: Tokyo's winter illuminations are evening walks on mostly flat streets, easy for all ages.
• New Year shrine visits: shrines are extremely crowded from 1 to 3 January. Go on another day, or early in the morning.
• Ski days: not everyone has to ski. Grandparents can spend the day at an onsen (hot spring) while the kids are in ski school.

Plan two main activities a day, with a rest at the hotel or a café in the middle.

6. Airports: ask for a wheelchair, and send the bags on the last day

If Grandma or Grandpa can't walk long distances, ask your airline for wheelchair assistance when you book or before you fly.

On the last day, send your bags straight to the airport. No dragging suitcases and souvenirs through stations on the way home, and more time for a relaxed last lunch.

7. Book 30 days ahead, and put the whole family's bags in one booking

The holidays are the busiest time of year, so book early. Book at least 30 days before pickup and you get 5% off automatically, no code needed. For a pickup on 24 December, book by 24 November.

• Early bird, 5% off: book 30 days or more before your pickup date.
• Morning hotel pickup, another 10% off: leave your bags at the hotel front desk before 10 am. You can use it together with the early bird discount.
• One booking for the whole family: the starting price already covers the first 2 bags. From the third bag, you only pay a lower extra-bag price.
• Ski gear too: ski and snowboard bags, golf bags and strollers can be booked as special items.

Your bags go with one courier, by hand, all the way to your next stop. You can track them live on your phone, and we send you a photo when they arrive.

Sample plan: 6 days in Tokyo and Niseko, bags moved 3 times

Two hotels, Tokyo for 2 nights and Niseko for 3, and nobody pulls a suitcase from start to finish.

Day	Plan	Where your bags go
Day 1	Land at Haneda or Narita, dinner near the hotel	Hand them to our courier at the airport meeting point; delivered to your Tokyo hotel
Day 2	Tokyo sights by day, Christmas lights in the evening (keep an overnight bag)	Leave the big bags at the front desk in the morning; delivered to your Niseko hotel the next day
Day 3	Fly from Tokyo to New Chitose, transfer to Niseko	Your big bags are waiting at your Niseko hotel
Day 4	Ski school for the kids, onsen for the grandparents	Stay at the hotel
Day 5	Snow day, early dinner	Stay at the hotel
Day 6	Check out, transfer to New Chitose Airport	Leave them at the front desk at check-out; delivered to New Chitose Airport

Tokyo to Niseko takes at least 24 hours, so the big bags leave Tokyo a day before you do.

Before you go

• Choose hotels close to the station, with a lift, and rooms with enough beds for everyone
• Ask your airline for wheelchair assistance if needed
• Keep medicines, glasses and warm layers in your day bag, not in the bags you send
• Book luggage delivery for every hotel-change day (30+ days ahead for 5% off)
• Reserve Shinkansen seats with a luggage area if you are taking big bags on board
• Leave a rest break in the middle of every day

We carry. You travel.

This Christmas, keep your hands free for the people who matter. A courier takes your bags by hand and carries them all the way to your next stop. Never thrown, and photographed on arrival.