Japanese companies have launched an experimental service in Tokyo to allow travelers to leave their luggage at station lockers and pick it up at their hotels.
Seibu Holdings and a locker operating firm began the trial on Monday at Seibu-Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Toshimaen stations.
Users pay the service fees at the lockers using chargeable IC cards which are used mainly to pay public transportation fares. On a touch screen, they can choose from about 500 hotels in and near Tokyo for their luggage to be delivered to. If they put the baggage in the lockers by 2 p.m., they can receive it at the hotel later on the same day.
The operators say the service will allow tourists to enjoy their trip without carrying luggage. They say it will also help ease congestion on trains and buses by reducing suitcases and other baggage brought onto them.
Aoki Hiroshi of Seibu Holdings said many foreign travelers carry bulky luggage. He added that he will work to improve the service by studying users’ needs.
The experimental service is scheduled to continue until the end of March next year. The operators plan to examine the results and consider details of the service, including a possible expansion of payment methods.