I Sent My Luggage to the Wrong Hotel in Japan — What Should I Do?

Short answer

If the bag has not been delivered, contact the carrier immediately to request a correction. Have the waybill and correct hotel details ready. Yamato permits address-change requests before delivery, subject to restrictions and additional forwarding charges. If it has already been delivered, a new shipment and payment are needed. Confirm who can receive it and how any charge will be paid.

Do this now

1
Read the waybill and current tracking status.
Separate a wrong address from a wrong guest name or date. Note whether the carrier says Delivered.
2
Call Yamato for a transfer request.
Its English Help & Support page directs transfer requests to telephone support. Give the tracking number and explain the mistake before asking what is possible.
3
Confirm the correct hotel can receive the suitcase.
Check the exact property, address, booking name and check-in date with the hotel. Tell the carrier if reception is not staffed.
4
Agree on the charge and receiving arrangement.
Ask the carrier to confirm the destination, payment method and revised timing. A request is not confirmation that an interception or transfer has succeeded.

Yamato English transfer support →

Not yet delivered

Yamato’s correction FAQ allows a request to change the receiver’s address, name or phone number before delivery. A sender’s restriction can prevent an address change. Do not assume editing your hotel reservation or membership address changes an existing shipment.

For a change of destination, Yamato states that transport from the address on the original waybill to the new address incurs a forwarding charge collected at delivery. Ask for the applicable arrangement rather than estimating a fee yourself.

Hotel delivery has a separate cash-on-delivery restriction in Yamato’s accommodation FAQ. Tell the carrier that the new destination is a hotel and agree how the charge and receipt will be handled; do not assume reception can pay for you.

The correct hotel cannot receive it →

Already delivered

Yamato’s fee FAQ says a parcel already delivered to the original address must be shipped again and the shipping fee paid again. First confirm its location with the carrier and the receiving property.

Once the bag is identified, discuss collection or a new shipment with the carrier. The wrong hotel may choose to help arrange a new shipment, but that is a secondary option at its discretion, not an obligation or a substitute for locating the bag.

Delivered, but the hotel cannot find the bag →

Only the date is wrong

Tell the carrier the requested date and your actual stay dates. Ask whether a date change can be accepted for this shipment and whether the hotel can receive it on that date. Do not request an address transfer when you only need the date checked, and do not assume a new time is guaranteed.

If that fails

Ask the carrier which receiving or collection options remain available for this particular bag. If you cannot reach support immediately, keep the receipt and tracking entry ready and ask your current hotel whether staff can help you call. Do not send conflicting instructions through several hotels.

If the destination is now correct but the bag is overdue, use the not-arrived checklist. For your next shipment, check both hotels’ receiving arrangements before handing it over.

The bag has not arrived →

Hotel-to-hotel forwarding preparation →

Official sources

Check the source directly if your journey depends on a detail.

Yamato: Correcting waybill detailsPre-delivery correction requests and restrictions.Yamato: Address changes and additional chargesForwarding fees, sender restrictions and the different procedure after delivery.Yamato: Sending to a hotel or ryokanReceiving agreement and accommodation delivery conditions, including cash-on-delivery restrictions.Yamato: English Help & SupportCurrent telephone and online contact options; telephone requests for transfers.

Checked against official Japanese sources · Last verified September 28, 2026