If you need to store your luggage while in Nara you should have no problem. Both the JR Nara and Kintetsu Nara stations have lockers in a range of sizes and there is also a baggage storage service at the Tourist Information Center at JR Nara Station.
2nd floor lockers at JR Nara Station
Table of Contents
Standard Locker Sizes at Nara Station
| Locker size | Height | Width | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large | 868 mm | 355 mm | 645 mm |
| Medium | 505 or 567 mm | 355 mm | 645 mm |
| Small | 326 mm | 355 mm | 645 mm |
Lockers at JR Nara Station
You can find lockers on the 1st and 2nd floors of the JR Nara Station building. The 2nd floor lockers are just past the convenience store on the west side of the ticket gates. The lockers here are in two sizes priced at 300 yen and 400 yen.
1st floor lockers at JR Nara Station
The 1st floor lockers are on the south side of the station building beside some restaurants. There are more lockers here and they come in three sizes priced at 300 yen, 400 yen, and 600 yen.
A 300 yen locker
A 400 yen locker
A 600 yen locker at JR Nara station
These charges are for one use and for one day. A new day starts at 2:00 am, so if you haven’t retrieved your property before this time, you will need to pay an additional fee. Also, if you lose your locker key you will have to pay a fine of 1,800 yen. All the lockers at JR Nara Station are locked with keys and are very easy to use.
First put your baggage into the locker and close the door
Put the appropriate number of 100 yen coins in the coin slot. You can only use 100 yen coins
While holding the door shut, turn the key anti-clockwise and then remove the key
And don’t forget to bring your key with you! Each locker has a unique number which is also on the key so you can find your locker again. When you want to retrieve your baggage, put the key in fully and turn it clockwise to open the locker. If you need to pay an additional fee, the amount will be shown in the display over the coin slot.
Lockers at Kintetsu Nara Station
Kintetsu Nara Station is busier than JR Nara Station, so it has a lot more lockers. All of the lockers are on the B1 basement level of the station building and close to the station facilities. You can find some smaller lockers on the passageway that runs between the east and west ticket gates.
Lockers on the passageway between the east and west ticket gates
However, most of the lockers are concentrated on the south-west side of the station and are closer to the west ticket gates. There are many large-sized lockers here too.
Lockers on the south-west side of Kintetsu Nara station
These lockers come in a greater range of sizes, and are priced at 300 yen, 500 yen, 600 yen, and 700 yen.
A 500 yen locker
A large 600 yen locker at Kintetsu Nara station
Two extra large 700 yen lockers at Kintetsu Nara Station
Again these charges are for one use and for one day. However, the new day starts at 1:00 am at Kintetsu Nara station, so you will be charged another day’s fee if you don’t collect your bags by this time. Also the charge for replacing a key at Kintetsu Nara Station is 2,000 yen.
Touch screen instructions for the automated lockers. First choose your language
Most of these lockers are locked with keys like those at JR Nara Station and are used in the same way. However, there are some automated lockers that can only be paid for with a prepaid IC card. These are also very easy to use as step-by-step touch screen instructions are given in English, Chinese and Korean as well as in Japanese.
Simply follow the instructions on the screen
Oversized Luggage Storage
There are other luggage storage options if your bags are too big for a locker. At JR Nara Station you can store your luggage at the Tourist Information Center which is located outside the east exit of the station building.
The Tourist Information Center at JR Nara Station
Inside you will find a baggage room where you can store baggage for one day for 500 yen per item.
The Baggage Room
At Kintetsu Nara Station, the Tourist Information Center inside the station building does not offer baggage storage services. However, outside the east exit of the station and above the Lawson convenience store you can find another Tourist Information Center operated by the HIS travel agency. This company will store baggage for one day for 540 yen per item.
The Tourist Information Center operated by the HIS travel agency outside Kintetsu Nara Station
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
