If it’s your fist time visiting Tokyo (or not), you’ve probably done a lot of shopping and bought a lot of food and souvenir items while touring around, and now you’re left with needing additional luggage and you’re probably wondering where to get the cheapest unbranded luggage you can find that’s ultra-cheap enough so as to not burn your budget, but still sturdy enough to at least survive a single journey, just enough to allow you to transport your Japan goodies safely back home.
This is still my question as well every time I’m in Tokyo, and to be honest, I’m still not sure if I’ve already found the ultimate answer to where the cheapest luggage would be – but at least from many visits and roaming around the city I think I at least already have some insider information on some stores that sell luggage for cheap to share with you guys.
But before we proceed with this list though, I’d like to set a disclaimer early on: Tokyo is a living and breathing city so all the small shops, prices, and luggage strength and quality you see here may change at any time, so take this all with a grain of salt – now that this is out of the way, let’s begin with the list!
Top Cheapest Luggage (Tie): & Milano and AKKY International (Akihabara)
Fancy a small ¥2,000 suitcase complete with double wheels and a TSA lock that’s spacious enough to store all your shopping finds and souvenirs? So far the only stores that I saw selling luggage at this low price is & Milano and AKKY International in the main streets of Akihabara.
& Milano in Akihabara specializes in everything luggage. They sell small suitcases for just ¥2,000 and you can get a larger suitcase for just around ¥4,500 (when I went, they had a large suitcase that was on clearance for just ¥2,400). They also have more expensive luggage in the ¥5,500 to ¥10,800 price range. They’re not a Tax-Free shop though, so keep this in mind. & Milano is located in 1 Chome-12-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021.
As for Akky International, they have two stores in Asakusa (one almost beside & Milano and the other one Akky II across the street) and they also sell small TSA suitcases for only ¥2,000 (large ones go for around ¥4,800). And while & Milano focuses on luggage, AKKY is more of a general merchandise shop where you can buy other stuff, watches, and souvenirs on top of their cheap luggage. They’re a tax-free shop for tourists, too, but for that you would have to spend ¥5,000 or more to take advantage of it which can defeat the purpose of simply buying a cheap ¥2,000 luggage. The Akky stores are located in 1 Chome-12-1 and 1 Chome-10-5 in Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021.
Second Cheapest Luggage: Fukuda Store 福田商店 (Ameyoko in Ueno)
If you’re staying near Ameyoko (in Ueno) where you can shop for cheap souvenirs, you can also get your cheap luggage at the Fukuda Store 福田商店 along Ameyoko Street just near the south entrance Ameyoko arch.
Here you can get small luggage for ¥2,980 to ¥3,300 with larger luggage priced at ¥3,620 to ¥5,980. Prices here are just a tad more expensive than the ones in Akihabara above, but still cheap enough.
Fukuda is located at 4 Chome-1-10 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005.
Tired of carrying around your heavy luggage while visiting Tokyo and the rest of Japan? You could actually send your luggage from hotel to hotel so you don't have to carry around heavy stuff when transferring from city to city - check out this post on detailing your baggage transport options.
Alternative to cheap luggage: Normal-priced luggage stores (BIC, Donki, etc.)
Just to give you a comparison point in case you’re wondering what suitcases might cost at BIC Camera or Don Quijote, they can be a lot more expensive but the build quality and brand of course ups with the price so these stores can be a good option if you’re looking for a higher quality luggage in Japan. If you’re in need for some extra-strong and extra-sturdy, durable luggage, you probably need these instead.
Is it worth buying cheap luggage from the street shops in Tokyo?
It depends on you if you think a cheap luggage is right for you considering its pros and cons. Yes these luggage are cheap, but the strength and build quality are never guaranteed.
From my experience, the ¥2,000 luggage I bought in Akihabara is still with me without any dents or scratches – it now makes for a perfect luggage for when I need an additional one, especially for unimportant stuff I don’t mind losing in case it breaks during a trip. All this being said, the strength and build quality of cheap luggage are never guaranteed so the experience will be on a case-by-case basis.
And also, it goes without saying that you should not put items in the cheap luggage that are too heavy, breakable or expensive that it can end up costing you more.
Now that you know where to get cheap luggage in Tokyo, it’s now up to you to decide if a cheap luggage is right for you so take this post with a grain of salt. 🙂
