I’m planning to take a group on a trip around Hakone (Using the Hakone Freepass travel ticket: Mountain Railway -> Cable Car -> Ropeway -> Boat Cruise -> Bus, which I highly recommend). We want to leave our luggage at Odawara Station for the day.
I have checked and there are, of course, several banks of coin-lockers at the station.
There is also the [Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center, Odawara Station](https://www.odakyu.jp/english/support/baggage/) That will keep luggage from 08:00 to 16:00.
If you stay in a Hotel in Hakone-Yumoto you can leave your luggage and pick it up at the station later in the day care of the [Hakone Luggage Transport Service](https://www.odakyu.jp/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/baggage_yumoto-1.pdf).
I’d rather not rush to get back by 16:00, I’m not staying at a hotel in Hakone-Yumoto, also the coin lockers might be full especially the largest size which we need.
Does anyone have any other options or ideas for leaving luggage near Odawara Station?
I thought of renting a cheap hotel room for the day. Any other ideas?
3 comments
Leaving your luggage in a coin locker is probably the best bet. There are many lockers in the station: http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/global-image/units/408962/1-20220928184924.pdf
http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/global-image/units/408964/1-20230420203334_b6441230e9e16b.pdf
If you are worried about not finding a big enough locker, you could have your luggage sent ahead to where you are staying the night or even the following night. Take a smaller bag that with only the things you need, then put it in one of the smaller lockers.
There are coin lockers in and around Hakone Yumoto Station, too.
https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/station/yumoto
https://coin-locker.net/hakone-yumoto/
Have you considered sending on your luggage with [Takuhaibin (Takkyubin)?](https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0002323/#table_of_contents_anchor9)
Large luggage lockers are very competitive at Odawara station and cannot be reliably counted upon for a large group.
You’d need a hotel room for two nights (as the morning is the previous night) and it would probably cause a lot of confusion with a stream of people going in and out for bag storage.
Option 1: same day luggage delivery to hotels in Hakone (https://www.odakyu.jp/english/support/baggage/, “carry service counter”)
Option 2: use takkyubin them and have people pack an overnight backpack.