Luggage forwarding logistics

Hello,

I’m planning another long trip to Japan in 2026 and I’m trying to determine luggage forwarding logistics. There is a lot of different information online so I wanted to get some advice from people who have recently used the service.

My plan is to go from Tokyo -> Kanazawa -> Kyoto -> Nagoya -> Kawaguchiko -> Hakone -> Tokyo. I’ll be bringing a large suitcase and a backpack. When I arrive back to Tokyo from Hakone, I plan to buy another large suitcase to fill with souvenirs (mostly snacks) to take home with me.

For my accommodations I plan to stay in hostels with the exception of Kawaguchiko and Hakone where I’d like to splurge and stay in nice ryokans with private onsen.

Some questions:

1. I understand that luggage forwarding from hotel to hotel is very common and simple, but is this also true for *hostels?*
2. I plan to check out of my hostels pretty early in the morning to catch one of the first few shinkansen/trains to my next destination. If I were to check out of my hostel between 6-8am, would they be able to forward my luggage and have it arrive same-day (maybe in the evening?) at my next destination? Or am I better off forwarding the luggage the night before checking out so that it can arrive at my next destination the following day?
3. For Nagoya -> Kawaguchiko -> Hakone leg: the plan is to check out of the Nagoya hostel in the early AM, take the shinkansen to Mishima Station & bus to Kawaguchiko, climb Mt. Fuji that afternoon, sleep in a mountain hut, descend early the following morning, and check into my ryokan late morning. Am I able to forward my luggage the morning I check out of the Nagoya hostel, and have it sent overnight and arrive the following morning at my ryokan in Kawaguchiko (like 24-36 hours later)? If my luggage arrives before I check in, will the ryokan hold it for me if I ask them to?
4. At the end of my trip, if I want to forward my luggage (specifically the souvenir suitcase – I really don’t mind hauling one suitcase and a backpack to the airport, I’ve done it before) from my hostel to the airport, how many days in advance should I send it? I’m reading that it has to be a couple days in advance which means I won’t be able to buy any last minute souvenirs on my last 2-3 days in Tokyo or I’ll have to fit them into my regular luggage.
5. Are there luggage forwarding/receiving services in all the cities listed above, or will some areas be harder than others to find these services? (specifically thinking about forwarding from Kawaguchiko to Hakone).

Thanks in advance for the help!