Multi-stop routes

Premium route: Tokyo, Kyoto/Osaka and Hiroshima

An extended version of the classic route reaching out to Hiroshima. Across 4 trips we move your luggage from Tokyo to the Kansai, then on to Hiroshima and back, so you can explore western Japan without ever carrying your suitcases.

from: 200 €
trips: 4
Cities served: 4

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Why this route

Hiroshima slots naturally into a Tokyo-Kansai itinerary: the city is a little over ninety minutes from Shin-Osaka on the Sanyo line Shinkansen. But it is rarely used as a fixed base. Travellers spend one or two nights there, often with a day trip to Miyajima, before heading back east.

That is exactly the pattern where dragging suitcases costs the most time. A short stop means handling luggage twice within forty-eight hours, in stations where lockers large enough for a hold suitcase are scarce.

The Premium route covers the four connections of the circuit, return to Tokyo included. You book once, and your suitcases make the western trip without you.

Itinerary

1
Tokyo → Osaka / Kyoto
Tokyo out to the Kansai, usually on the morning you change base.
Next day
2
Osaka / Kyoto → Hiroshima
The Kansai out to Hiroshima: this is the leg that justifies this route over the Classic one.
Next day
3
Hiroshima → Osaka / Kyoto
Back from Hiroshima to Kyoto or Osaka after one or two nights in the west.
Next day
4
Osaka / Kyoto → Tokyo
Final shipment to Tokyo for the end of the stay, ahead of the flight home.
Next day

Which cities does this route serve?

Tokyo

The starting point of most trips. Your luggage is collected from your hotel or accommodation, whichever district you are staying in.

Kyoto

An essential Kansai stop. Ideal for sending your suitcases ahead before a long day of temples, entirely on foot.

Osaka

Next door to Kyoto and often used as a base for exploring western Japan.

Hiroshima

Served by the Premium route, extending the classic itinerary further west.

Hotels, ryokan, rental apartments and private homes are all served. At a hotel, reception takes delivery for you; in an apartment, you must be there during the chosen slot.

What the price covers

from 200 €

Starting price for one bag across the whole route, VAT included. Each additional bag is priced within the same booking, with no handling fee.

Shipments travel on the Japanese takuhaibin network — the takkyubin service run by Yamato Transport is its best known form. Everything is settled online in euros at booking: not a single yen changes hands at the drop-off counter.

Collection at the drop-off point indicated for each leg of the route.
Carriage to the next delivery address, at every change of city.
Your choice of delivery date and time slot for each shipment.
A tracking link sent as soon as the luggage is collected.
Customer service reachable in English, French and Japanese.

When should you drop your luggage off at each stop?

The rule holds at every leg: a bag dropped off one day is delivered the next. So it has to go out the day before you change city, or on the morning itself for next-day arrival.

When should you drop your luggage off at each stop?
Itinerary	Delivery time	Drop off no later than
1. Tokyo → Osaka / Kyoto	Next day	The day before you arrive
2. Osaka / Kyoto → Hiroshima	Next day	The day before you arrive
3. Hiroshima → Osaka / Kyoto	Next day	The day before you arrive
4. Osaka / Kyoto → Tokyo	Next day	The day before you arrive

Who this route suits

A twelve to fifteen day stay reaching beyond the Kansai.
A short stop in Hiroshima with a day at Miyajima.
Returning travellers who want to widen the classic itinerary westward.

Tips for this route

1
For a two-night stop in Hiroshima, send the bulk of your things straight from the Kansai and keep a cabin bag: you will only have one drop-off to handle.
2
The Miyajima excursion takes a full day. Book the delivery slot for a time when you will be back, or have it addressed to your hotel, which will take it in.
3
The return to Tokyo is the most underestimated leg: suitcases weigh more on the way back than on the way out.

Frequently asked questions about this route

Does the route include Miyajima?

Shipments go to your accommodation in Hiroshima. Miyajima is visited as a day trip from the city, with no luggage to move.

What is the difference with the Classic route?

One more trip — four instead of three — and the extension to Hiroshima, in the Chugoku region. Everything else works the same.

Can I stop at Okayama or Yamaguchi?

Those cities belong to the same region as Hiroshima, Chugoku. An extra stop is booked as a single trip.

Are the lead times the same as on the Classic route?

Yes. Every leg is delivered the day after drop-off, including the Kansai to Hiroshima connection.

See how booking works · Read the FAQ

If this itinerary is not quite yours, the two other routes cover different lines.

Classic route: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka

Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka

Tokyo ↔ Kansai, 3 trips

from160 €3 trips

View this route →

Seasonal

Seasonal route: the best of Japan, season by season

Tokyo · Hokkaido · Nagano · Osaka · Kyoto · Okinawa · Fukuoka

Snow in winter, islands in summer, 4 trips

from225 €4 trips

View this route →

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Compare the three circuits, or get a quote for a single trip if your itinerary leaves the beaten track.

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