The 160-centimetre rule: travelling the shinkansen with a large suitcase

On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu shinkansen, a suitcase's size is its height, width and depth added together. Up to 160 centimetres, nothing changes. Above that, the bag needs a seat booked for it, and many visitors only find this out on the platform.

Where the line sits

The rule has applied since May 2020. Bags with a combined size of 161 to 250 centimetres count as oversized luggage, or tokudai nimotsu (特大荷物), and anything larger is not allowed on board. A 28-inch case often sits just under the limit and a 30-inch case usually goes over it, so measure your own bag instead of trusting the size on its label.

Booking the right seat

The seat you want is the tokudai nimotsu supēsu tsuki zaseki, the last row of certain cars, where the space behind the seat back holds the bag. It costs nothing beyond a normal reserved seat, and you can choose it in the smartEX app, at a ticket machine or at a staffed counter. Rail pass holders book it the same way. If you board with an oversized bag and no booking, staff will charge a ¥1,000 handling fee and take the bag to wherever space is left.

特大荷物スペースつき座席は、事前の予約が必要です。

When to send it ahead instead

There are only a few of these rows, and they fill early around Golden Week, Obon and the New Year holidays. If you change hotels every few days, it is often simpler to send the case by takkyūbin (宅急便). Most hotel front desks and many conbini take bags, which usually arrive the next day between major cities for a few thousand yen. You travel with a day bag, and station stairs and coin lockers stop being a problem.