Shinkansen Oversized Luggage: The Free Reservation Rule Tourists Miss — and Japanese Riders Are Fed Up

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 80 of 633 comments

• If JR offers this as a service, they need to actually police it. The people dumping bags there without asking are in the wrong — that's the baseline, obviously.

  サービスとして提供するならJRがきちんと対策しないとダメだよね 勝手に置くやつが悪いのは大前提だけど

  — @eiennight354 likes

• The people who put bags there without asking are at fault, but JR literally sells these tickets as 'seats with oversized-baggage space,' so they have to manage it properly.

  勝手に置くひとが悪いんだけど、 JRも「特大荷物スペース付き座席」でチケット売ってるわけだから、ちゃんと管理しないとダメだよなあ。

  — @てっかまき-w3r349 likes

• Wherever you are: thinking you can use anything for free is the big mistake.

  どんなとこでも、ただで使えると思っているのが大間違いだよ

  — @binnikun166 likes

• Fines. Necessary.

  罰金必要。

  — @user-zw3iq6fi2q460 likes

• Conductors need the authority to remove unreserved bags. If that can't happen, scrap the reservation system.

  車掌さんが予約してない荷物を撤去できるようにしないと 出来ないなら予約制を止めるしかない

  — @parchimaru129 likes

• If using it without a reservation keeps working out, the honest people who actually book are the ones who lose. JR needs to deal with this fast 😅

  予約しなくても使えるってのが罷り通るなら馬鹿正直に予約する人が損をしてしまうからJRには早急に対応して欲しいですね😅

  — @yoshidayoshio061720 likes

• A lot of people genuinely don't know about this. Last New Year's I had the space booked, but my case was so heavy I shipped it ahead, so my slot sat empty — and someone silently started leaving their bag there. I told them: 'Mine's free now, go ahead — but if my neighbor's owner turns up, move it.' People line up from the morning tickets go on sale to get those seats. If you want the space, put in the effort!!

  確かに知らない人が多いかも。私も年末予約してたんだけど荷物が重すぎて送ってしまったため自分の分のスペースが空いてしまっていたら黙って置いていく人がいたんで「私の分は必要なくなったので置いてもいいけど、隣席の人の分はきたらどけて下さいね」と声をかけました。その使える座席を取るために発売日の朝イチから並んでとってるからね。使いたかったら努力して‼️

  — @pattyanti3 likes

• I tell the conductor. These days they check the cameras and then give the warning 😊❤ Last year a lady dumped her bag in the space behind a mom traveling with a baby and a stroller. I reported it — the mom said 'oh, it's fine,' but no! You reserved it! (And reserving is free.) Someone has to tell people it costs money to leave bags there without one!!

  私は車掌に言う 今はカメラで確認して注意してくれる😊❤ 去年赤ちゃんと子供連れた女性の後ろベビーカー置いててそこの空きスペースに荷物置いたおばちゃんいたから、車掌に言ったら 女性が『大丈夫ですよ』って言ってたけど、ちゃんと予約してるんだから！（予約したらタダ） 置くにはお金いるとか言って教えてあげないと！！

  — @れいあ動画視聴3 likes

• The reservation itself is free — it's basically declaring 'I'll be putting this here' in advance. No reservation and it's ¥1,000 (you report to the conductor and they assign you a spot).

  予約自体は無料、いわゆる最初から置かせてねで、予約していないと1000円掛かる（この場合は車掌さんに申告で場所を指定される）

  — @hades38153 likes

• If you select 'oversized luggage' when you book the last-row seat, it's free 😊 The catch is it's limited to those last-row seats, I believe. Without a reservation, if there's space left, you pay to use it — that's how I remember it working.

  1番後ろの席を予約する時に『大型荷物』を選択したらタダですよ😊 その代わり1番後ろの席限定だったと思う 予約なしでおきたい場合、空いてる場所あればお金払って置けるようになる だったと思う

  — @れいあ動画視聴2 likes

• Wait, that space is reservation-only?! I haven't ridden the shinkansen in nearly a decade and never had a seat near it, so I had no idea...

  え？！あれ予約制なの？！ ここ10年近く新幹線乗ってないし、荷物スペースが近くにある席とったことないので知らなかった・・・

  — @フリスク和牛3 likes

• I've just moved bags people dumped there without a reservation. Just move them — that's all there is to it.

  私は予約もせず勝手に置いていた人の荷物を勝手にどけましたよ。勝手に荷物をどければいいんですよ。

  — @ピーチコ-m7z131 likes

• Me? I'd quietly set it out on the deck. What happens after that is not my problem.

  私なら、そっとデッキに放り出すわ。後のことは知らん。

  — @waka001001001110 likes

• Real talk: if the bag gets damaged and they sue you, you lose. The right move is to tell the conductor and have *them* move it. Extra hassle, I know — but getting sued isn't what you want either, right?

  ガチで言うと、それでその荷物が破損して訴えられたら負けるからやめといた方がいい。 基本は車掌に言ってどかしてもらうのがベスト 余計な手間なのは分かるけど訴えられるのも本望じゃないよね？

  — @しばトラ-q3q28 likes

• What you can actually do, right now, is tell the conductor immediately.

  現時点で出来ることは即座に車掌さんに言う事ですね。

  — @tsukadontsukadon256 likes

Do I need a reservation for oversized luggage on the shinkansen?

Yes, for the space behind the last row of seats on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen. You book a "seat with oversized baggage space," the reservation itself is free, and boarding with an oversized bag (three sides totaling more than 160cm, up to 250cm) without one costs a ¥1,000 fee plus a spot assigned by the conductor. Since July 1, 2025 the separate deck-area luggage corners have been trialed as no-reservation shelves, but officially "oversized" bags may not go there, so the seat-back space is still the one to book.

Sources: jr-central.co.jp · railway.jr-central.co.jp — checked 2026-08-24

What should I do if someone's bag is in the luggage space I reserved?

Tell the conductor immediately — the thread's practical consensus (256 likes). One commenter notes conductors now check onboard cameras before issuing a warning. Don't move or toss the bag yourself: another commenter warns that if it gets damaged, you could be the one held liable.

Why are Japanese passengers so annoyed about the luggage space?

Because the seats that come with the space sell out — one commenter describes queueing from the morning tickets go on sale to get one — and people who didn't book keep using it anyway. The top comments call it "the same smell as unauthorized parking" (575 likes) and demand fines (460 likes) and real enforcement from JR (354 likes).

Is the shinkansen luggage space free to use if it looks empty?

No. "Thinking you can use anything for free is the big mistake" (166 likes) sums up the thread. The space belongs to whoever reserved the adjacent seats; unreserved oversized bags incur a fee, as of the comments. If you're unsure where your suitcase goes, ask staff when boarding rather than claiming an empty-looking shelf.