Rural Japan GuidesHidden Japan, made reachable

How to Send Skis and Suitcases to Hakuba

Where skis and suitcases arrive, when to send them, what fits and what it costs from Tokyo or Osaka, from Yamato's own pages checked in October 2026.

Researched & written byRural Japan GuidesHow I researchSources11 sourceslisted at the endLast checkedDetails can change — check the official site before you travel.Read6 min
A groomed ski run under a deep blue sky, with a wooden hut marked with the 1998 Olympic rings and snow cannons beside it

A ski run in Hakuba in winter. Photo: Raita Futo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

The short answer
  • Yamato's ski delivery takes your skis or board to the ski area: they arrive by the day before you ski, and you pick them up at the front desk there. Its pages do not mention hotels.
  • Drop them off by the counter's deadline 2 days before you ski (3 days from some areas), in a Yamato cover (¥400 for skis, ¥600 for a snowboard).
  • Skis are charged at the 180-size rate: ¥3,680 cash from the Kanto area (Tokyo included) to Nagano Prefecture, and ¥4,480 from the Kansai area (rates checked October 21, 2026).
My pick

Send skis to the ski area, and ask your lodging before sending a suitcase there.

Yamato's ski delivery is built around the ski area's front desk. Its pages say nothing about delivering skis to a hotel.

Count back from your first ski day: drop the skis off 2 days before, by the counter's deadline time.

  1. 1Ski delivery to the ski area180-size rate; front-desk pickup
  2. 2Suitcase by TA-Q-BIN¥3,020 for 160 size from Kanto (cash)
  3. 3Carry them on the busCovered skis in the hold; no extra charge

Carrying a ski bag and a suitcase from the airport to Hakuba means a train, a bus and a walk in snow. Japan's delivery services can take them ahead, but the rules for skis are not the same as for suitcases. This guide covers Yamato Transport's TA-Q-BIN, from its own pages checked October 16–21, 2026; I have not used the service for this trip and do not compare it with other companies.

For the trip itself, see my Hakuba without a car guide.

How ski delivery works

Yamato's ski delivery (スキー宅急便) sends skis or a snowboard to the ski area, not to an address of your choice:

  1. Drop off: take the skis to a Yamato sales office or a counter that handles them, in a Yamato cover. Ski gear cannot be sent from convenience stores or some agencies.
  2. Deadline: drop them off by the counter's sending deadline 2 days before you ski (3 days from some areas). The deadline time varies by counter.
  3. Arrival: the skis reach the ski area by the day before you ski.
  4. Pickup: collect them at the front desk of the ski area you sent them to. Bring the sender's copy of the shipping label.

Hakuba has several ski areas, so send the skis to the one you will ski first. Yamato's pages do not mention delivering skis to a hotel or other lodging. If you would rather have them at your room, ask your lodging first.

Flying in and skiing the next day? The 2-day deadline has passed by then, and Yamato's airport pages do not say whether the airport counters take skis. Plan to carry your skis on the bus for that trip.

LuggageSki covers are required

Yamato asks for skis or a board in a ski bag with its own cover over the whole bag: ¥400 for skis, ¥600 for a snowboard and ¥400 for a ski backpack. You can buy one at a Yamato sales office when you drop off, or from the driver if you book a pickup.

Size and weight limits

Size Length + width + height Weight
140 Up to 140 cm Up to 20 kg
160 Up to 160 cm Up to 25 kg
180 Up to 180 cm Up to 30 kg
200 Up to 200 cm Up to 30 kg

The table above is for suitcases and other parcels. A parcel goes in the larger of the two categories, size or weight, and Yamato does not take parcels over 30 kg.

Skis and boards are different: Yamato charges them at the 180-size rate and its ski page gives no length limit. Its ski cover measures 33 cm × 215 cm. It does not take three or more pairs of skis or boards packed together.

Costs from Tokyo and Osaka

Parcel From Kanto (Tokyo) From Kansai (Osaka)
Skis or board (180-size rate) ¥3,680 ¥4,480
Suitcase, 140 size ¥2,630 ¥2,780
Suitcase, 160 size ¥3,020 ¥3,160
Suitcase, 200 size ¥4,470 ¥5,410

These are Yamato's cash rates to the Shinetsu region, which includes Nagano Prefecture, checked October 21, 2026. Cashless payment is a little cheaper, and taking a parcel to a sales office yourself takes ¥100 off each one.

Example, a group of four from Tokyo: four ski bags (4 × ¥3,680 = ¥14,720) and four covers (4 × ¥400 = ¥1,600) come to ¥16,320 one way. Adding four 160-size suitcases (4 × ¥3,020 = ¥12,080) makes ¥16,320 + ¥12,080 = ¥28,400. Yamato's liability limit for ski delivery is ¥300,000 per parcel.

When to send: count back from your first ski day

You ski first on Drop skis off by
Saturday Thursday, by the counter's deadline time
Monday Saturday, by the counter's deadline time

From some areas the deadline is 3 days before, so ask at the counter. Yamato's pages give the arrival as "by the day before you ski", not as a number of days in transit.

Sending them home or to the airport

  • Round trip: Yamato's round-trip TA-Q-BIN lets you book the return when you send. At the end of your trip you leave the skis at the ski area, with no new label or payment. The return is valid for one month from the day Yamato took the parcel on the way out.
  • Without a round trip: you send the skis home from the ski area as a new parcel. Time-slot delivery and cash on delivery can be used on the way home, but not when sending to a ski area.
  • To the airport: Airport TA-Q-BIN takes bags to your departure airport. Send them by the deadline 2 days before you fly (3 days from some areas), and collect them from 3 hours to 1 hour before boarding.
  • Counters at Narita: Terminal 1 (north and south wings) collects on floor 4 and sends from floor 1; Terminal 2 collects on floor 3 and sends from floor 1; Terminal 3 does both on floor 1.
  • Counters at Haneda: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 domestic, floor 1; Terminal 2 international, collect on floor 3 and send from floor 2; Terminal 3, floor 2.

Yamato's airport pages do not say whether the airport counters take skis, and they do not list opening hours. Check with the counter before you plan around it.

Same-day deliveryLimited routes only

Yamato's same-day delivery runs on set routes between airports or stations and hotels, such as Kyoto Station to hotels in Kyoto city. I have not found Hakuba or Nagano Prefecture on its page, so plan on sending ahead.

If you carry them yourself

  • Nagano express bus: skis and snowboards go in the luggage hold if they are in a cover. Alpico charges nothing for hold luggage and sets no limit on the number or size of bags, but asks you to keep to what you need, and you load and unload your own bags.
  • Winter bookings: last winter (December 13, 2025 – March 31, 2026) some Nagano – Hakuba buses were reservation-only. The 2026–27 timetable had not been published on October 21, 2026.
  • In the village: Hakuba's ¥300 day demand taxi does not take skis, snowboards or luggage that does not fit on a seat, so a booked taxi is the way to move bags between your lodging and the bus.
  • From Matsumoto: if you come in by the Matsumoto route, my Matsumoto to Hakuba bus guide covers that bus and its stops.

Which way suits your trip

  • Skiing for a few days with your own skis: send the skis to the ski area and carry a small bag on the bus. You pick the skis up where you will use them.
  • A group with suitcases and ski bags: sending four ski bags and four suitcases ahead from Tokyo, covers included, costs ¥16,320 + ¥12,080 = ¥28,400 one way (example above), but it leaves your hands free on the train and the bus. Ask your lodging before sending suitcases there.
  • Renting skis in Hakuba: you have suitcases to think about. A 160-size suitcase from Tokyo is ¥3,020 cash, so four come to ¥12,080 one way, or you can carry them in the bus hold at no charge.

The bus side of the trip is in my guide's section on skis and suitcases.

How I checked this

  1. I read Yamato's ski delivery pages in English and Japanese, its size FAQ and its rate tables from the Kanto and Kansai areas to Shinetsu.
  2. I read its airport and same-day delivery pages for the counters and routes.
  3. I checked each rate and deadline on October 21, 2026, and worked out the example totals from those rates.
  4. For the bus and the demand taxi, I used Alpico's luggage rules and Hakuba Village's taxi page. Sources: Yamato Transport; Alpico Kotsu; Hakuba Village
What I could not confirm yet
  • Whether skis or suitcases can be sent to a hotel in Hakuba with ski delivery.
  • Opening hours of the airport counters, and whether they take skis.
  • How many days a parcel takes in transit to Hakuba.
  • Rates from Hakuba back to Tokyo or Osaka, and where in the village to send a suitcase from.
  • The cashless rates and the exact round-trip discount.

I will update this page when Yamato changes its rates or rules.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send my skis to my hotel in Hakuba?

Yamato's ski delivery pages describe delivery to the ski area, where you pick the skis up at the front desk. They do not mention hotels, so ask your lodging whether it accepts parcels before you send anything there.

How many days before should I send skis to Hakuba?

Yamato asks you to drop skis off by the counter's sending deadline 2 days before you ski (3 days from some areas). They arrive at the ski area by the day before you ski. The deadline time varies by counter.

How much does it cost to send skis to Hakuba?

Skis are charged at Yamato's 180-size rate. From the Kanto area (Tokyo included) to Nagano Prefecture that is ¥3,680 cash, and from the Kansai area ¥4,480 (rates checked October 21, 2026). A Yamato cover costs ¥400 for skis and ¥600 for a snowboard.

Is there a size limit for skis with Yamato?

Yamato's ski delivery page gives no length limit for skis or boards. It charges them at the 180-size rate and does not take parcels over 30 kg. Suitcases and other parcels go up to 200 cm in length + width + height and 30 kg.

Can I send my skis from the airport on the day I land?

Ski delivery must be dropped off 2 days before you ski (3 days from some areas), so it will not work if you ski the next day. Yamato's airport pages also do not say whether the airport counters take skis, so plan to carry them on the bus.

Can I take skis on the Nagano – Hakuba express bus?

Yes, in the luggage hold if they are in a cover. Alpico charges nothing for hold luggage and sets no limit on the number or size of bags, but asks you to keep to what you need, and you load and unload your own bags.

Keep planning

Hakuba without a carHakuba without a car: trains and the Nagano bus, winter reservations, shuttles and taxis, where to stay, snow and seasons, from official pages.Matsumoto to HakubaEvery way from Matsumoto to Hakuba without a car: the Oito Line via Shinano-Omachi, the winter bus and the Nagano detour, compared by time, bus fare and season.Japanese Alps without a carThe Japanese Alps by bus and train: Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Kamikochi, Matsumoto and Hakuba, with fares, reservations and winter closures.

Sources

  1. Ski TA-Q-BIN (English) — Yamato Transport
  2. Ski TA-Q-BIN (Japanese) — Yamato Transport
  3. TA-Q-BIN size limits — Yamato Transport
  4. TA-Q-BIN rates from the Kanto region — Yamato Transport
  5. TA-Q-BIN rates from the Kansai region — Yamato Transport
  6. Airport TA-Q-BIN — Yamato Transport
  7. Airport TA-Q-BIN counters — Yamato Transport
  8. Same-day delivery — Yamato Transport
  9. Bus luggage rules (skis, snowboards, bicycles) — Alpico Kotsu
  10. Nagano – Hakuba winter buses 2025–26 (English) — Alpico Kotsu
  11. Hakuba day demand taxi — Hakuba Village

Researched and checked by Rio, based in Japan. I read Japanese timetables, operator PDFs and prefecture notices, cross-check them and date every fact. Published . Updated . How I research →