[Discount Included!] The Whole City is Your Personal Locker! A Fun Trip in Tokyo with ecbo cloak

 

*This article was written in collaboration with ecbo cloak.

*There’s a tsunagu Japan readers-only discount at the end, so make sure you read everything!
 

[ Day 1 ]

1. Meet in Shibuya Station

Y: We’re finally in Shibuya! But it’s raining...

K: Even with the wind and rain, Hachiko’s watching over the area! Hey, we should get our umbrellas out. 

Y: Good thing I brought a hard suitcase. Imagine what would’ve happened if I brought a suitcase covered in fabric...

K: I know, right? But we’re in trouble if we can’t find a coin locker in this rain.

Y: Do you remember how the last time we were here, we finally found some large coin lockers, but because of the three-day holiday or something, they were all full! 

K: You need to be really lucky if you want to find a locker for your suitcase at a big station like Shibuya. That time, I remember we just ended up lugging our suitcases around with us while we went shopping. When I got home, my legs and my hands hurt so much that I can only think back on that trip as a bad memory.
 

Y: It might fit in a big coin locker, but for a small one, even a small suitcase like this won’t fit.

K: Even if you really try to shove it in, it won’t close. And umbrellas won’t fit in them either, so you have no choice but to hold onto it until the rain stops...
 

Y: Since we had such a tough time last time, we’ll leave our suitcases with ecbo cloak! There are a lot of places to choose from, so it’s like the whole town is a private locker! 

K: And they even have a map for you to choose where you want to drop off your luggage! Instead of wasting a bunch of time looking for a coin locker, we can use that time for meals and shopping.

Y: Alright! Let’s go drop off our luggage.

2. Drop Off Your Luggage at “We”

Currently, Tokyo has over 100 different locations where you can store your luggage. Examples of locations in Shibuya include cafes, hair salons, bicycle shops, massage salons, and language schools.

K: ecbo cloak is available in multiple languages, so you don’t need to worry about speaking Japanese. All you have to do is show the shop staff your reservation information! Try it out for yourself, and you’ll see just how convenient it is.

Y: The staff just took a picture of my luggage so they don’t mix it up with someone else’s luggage. That’s really reassuring!

K: I know, right? I’ve left my things in a coin locker in a busy area before, and I was worried that someone might forcibly open it up and take it...

Y: This time, you have no need to worry. There’s a review system in place for both parties, and they’ll also provide you with compensation if anything happens to your belongings!

K: Feels really good to be free of my things. Let’s go get something to eat - I’m hungry!

Y: Yeah, let’s go! I’m ready to eat and shop till I drop!
 

[Update: June 25th, 2019]
Due to the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit in June 28 and 29, coin lockers in major stations like Shin-Osaka, Kyoto, Shinagawa, Shinjuku, and Shibuya will not be available for several days before and after the summit period. Make sure your trip goes as smoothly as possible by using ecbo cloak instead!

3. Breakfast at Yoshinoya

K: Since we’re in Japan, I want to eat a Japanese-style breakfast. What do you think?

Y: Good idea. Should we go to Yoshinoya? It’s really famous, and we definitely won’t be disappointed.

K: If you scan the QR code on the menu, it can translate the menu for you into several different languages. Pretty useful, isn’t it?
 

Grilled Fish and Beef Set (590 yen)

Cod Roe and Beef Set (530 yen)

Y: What a great deal! The breakfast here is so filling and cheap.

K: Looking out at the city while eating a delicious breakfast… Compared to all these people rushing to work, we definitely have it better!

Y: I mean, we’re here on vacation! Where do you want to go after this?

K: How about SHIBUYA109? I know a good place there, and it shouldn’t be that crowded since it’s still pretty early.

Y: Sounds good. We should make a loop around the whole department store. Let’s leave as soon as we finish eating.
 

4. Makeover at SHIBUYA109

moreru mignon

Y: It’s like a fairytale in here! You’re wearing pink today, so it’s like you planned your outfit to match this place.

K: The fairytale-like atmosphere isn’t the only thing this place has going for it. It’s also known as the cutest purikura (photo booth) shop in the whole world! It’s a world made up of giant cake chairs, donuts dangling from the ceiling, macaron bathtubs, and chocolate powder rooms. It feels like we’re in a sweets paradise!
 

Y: It really does! The sweets theme of the store makes the whole place an amazing backdrop for photos.

K: We should take some purikura photos to remember our trip by.

Y: There are so many good shots… I don’t know which ones to choose!

K: Let’s print out this one!
 

Y: The last time I did this was in high school. I feel like I’ve gone back to my youth!

K: Yeah, I feel young again being here!

Y: They have a lot of cute clothes downstairs, and we have some time left over until lunch... Want to go check it out?

K: Sure! We don’t have any heavy luggage with us, so we’ll be able to buy whatever we want!
 

5. Lunch at Kugatsudo

Y: It feels pretty good to be able to shop at SHIBUYA109 without any luggage, doesn’t it?

K: The ramen shop that we’ve been wanting to eat at is located on the 2nd floor of this building, and there’s no elevator. Good thing we dropped our stuff off at that English language school.

Y: Imagine having to give up on going to a restaurant you’ve wanted to visit for a long time - just because of a heavy suitcase and some stairs. That would be such a waste!
 

(Special Tsukemen 980 yen)

(Special Ramen 980 yen)

 

K: There’s no way I would skip out on eating this. Let’s dig in!

Y: Besides ramen and tsukemen, they also have gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and desserts like sundaes. Want to order something else?

K: I want to eat it all, but we’re going to Harajuku next, right? We should leave some room for more food later.

Y: Alright! Then let’s take a little stroll from Shibuya to Takeshita Street after lunch!
 

6. Take a Stroll Through Takeshita Street

K: As expected of the stomping grounds of Japan’s youth… This place is always bustling with people!

Y: It’s really tough for the people trying to shop here while pulling along their suitcases.

K: It looks like it’d be rough for families, too. You can’t be comfortable eating and shopping while pushing a baby stroller in this crowd of people.

Y: Oh, that’s right! Did you know that with ecbo cloak, you can also drop off baby strollers in addition to suitcases?

K: Really? That’s amazing! If these people knew about this service, things would get a lot easier for them, huh?

CROQUANT CHOU ZAKUZAKU

Y: Do you see that long line at ZAKUZAKU? I still haven’t tried it yet.

K: ZAKUZAKU is from Hokkaido, and their cylinder-shaped cream puffs are known particularly for the outside pastry. They even expanded into Taiwan with 4 branch stores!

Y: But you have to go to Japan if you want to have authentic ZAKUZAKU with ice cream. Let’s try it!
 

Y: The milk ice cream is super refreshing. It’s sweet but addictive.

K: It’s richer than I thought it would be. Paired with the pastry, it’s really fragrant and the texture is so good!
 

EISWELT GELATO

Y: I wonder why there are so many people lined up over there?

K: Looks like it’s for a gelato shop. But we just ate...

Y: There’s always room for dessert. It’s OK to eat a lot!

K: There are so many animal shapes. It’s hard to choose!

Y: I looked it up a little while ago, but it’s apparently from America, and this store in Harajuku is their first overseas branch. The frog shape is available only in Japan!

K: Want to get different flavors? That way we get more variety, and we’ll get a good picture out of it too.

Y: OK! But I want to get a double scoop too… I mean, look at it, it’s so cute!

K: Yeah, why not? Let’s come back again next year and try different flavors.
 

7. Sing at Karaoke no Tetsujin

Y: We’re going back to Taiwan tomorrow, but it feels like it’d be a bit of a waste to just pick up our luggage in Shibuya and head back to our hotel.

K: Then how about some karaoke? My friend told me I should try karaoke in Japan.

Y: But don’t they only have Japanese songs? And we haven’t even had dinner yet.

K: No worries. The karaoke system is available in multiple languages, and they have lots of songs in English, Chinese, and Korean too. They also have a food menu, so we can eat while we’re there!

Y: Let’s do that then! I practiced a few Japanese songs, so I’ll try them out.
 

Karaoke no Tetsujin is a karaoke chain in Japan that’s really popular with young people. They have a huge selection of anime songs, so it’s really great for anime fans. There are also cosplay outfits, a large food menu, and long opening hours, so you can go at anytime you’d like.
 

Y: They have a lot of songs from other countries. From hip hop to ballads, there’s so much to choose from! 

K: You can get so much done here - eat, rest, and play. It’s really worth a visit!

Y: It was a really special experience! Another one for the books, I’d say.

8. Pick Up Your Luggage

Y: We were having so much fun singing, we almost forgot to pick up our suitcases!

K: Good thing we left it at the store. If we didn’t, we might have even forgotten which coin locker we used! Shibuya is a big place, after all.

Y: Sounds like something that would happen to you! With ecbo cloak, all you have to do is show verification on your smartphone, so there are no problems with language or losing your keys.

K: Let’s get our things and head back early to our hotel. We definitely need to do some last minute shopping tomorrow in Shinjuku.
 

[ Day 2 ]

Shinjuku VIP Lounge

Y: Time passes by so quickly! Can’t believe it’s already the last day. Let’s buy what we can!

K: Yeah! It’s finally time to shop! Let’s use ecbo cloak today, too. We can really go all out if we leave our things at a place we can trust.
 

Y: Today’s luggage space is called “Shinjuku VIP Lounge”. It looks like it’s a rest area. They match their hours with the bus times, so you can check your bags in with them super early in the morning.

K: That’s perfect for people like us who wake up early and want to go eat breakfast in Shinjuku. It’s also close to the bus stop for buses going to the airport.

Y: We’re so good at making travel plans, aren’t we? We’ve barely had to have our luggage on us!

K: It’s because we did our research! Nah, but really, it’s all thanks to ecbo cloak.
 

[Update: June 25th, 2019]
Due to the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit in June 28 and 29, coin lockers in major stations like Shin-Osaka, Kyoto, Shinagawa, Shinjuku, and Shibuya will not be available for several days before and after the summit period. Make sure your trip goes as smoothly as possible by using ecbo cloak instead!

Y: Weird… We just went shopping in Shibuya and Harajuku yesterday, but for some reason there’s still so much to buy. It never ends!

K: I know, right?! It’s definitely a good idea to leave your luggage somewhere since it always end up like this.

Y: For just a small price, you can enjoy the precious last few hours of your trip.

K: Yup! And with ecbo cloak, you can use their services for either a long or short period of time. It’s really great for those hours before checking into your hotel or going to the airport.
 

Y: Just like yesterday’s English language school, you pick up your luggage by just showing verification (via smartphone or a receipt) for the time you dropped off your belongings.

K: You know, there are some businesses registered to ecbo cloak that provide foreign language services, too.

Y: Rather than return to your hotel to pick up your suitcase, I think it’s smarter to leave your things in a place that’s more convenient to get to.

K: Use your time wisely and you’ll be able to comfortably wait for your bus like we are now!
 

4 Reasons to Choose ecbo cloak

1. Goodbye Climbing Up & Down Stairs with a Suitcase!

(If you’re looking for a coin locker, you’ll have to face an unforeseen obstacle known as the deadly stairs...)
 

2. No Need to Search for Unoccupied Coin Lockers

(After a difficult journey, you finally arrive at some coin lockers, only to discover that they’re all being used…)
 

3. No More Stress Over Prices

(You finally find one open locker, but it costs almost 1000 yen! You only really need it for a few hours, though...)
 

4. You Don’t Have to Exchange Money

(You decide to give in and use it even though it’s costly, but you don’t have any coins or 1,000 yen bills...)
 

If you use ecbo cloak, all of the above issues will be solved!

ecbo cloak is also available outside of busy areas like Shibuya and Shinjuku, and it’s spreading all over Japan to places outside of Tokyo, too. The smartphone app is constantly updated so that everyone is able to use this user-friendly service.

Special Readers’ Discount: First Bag You Check In Is Free!

Download the ecbo cloak app and register an account by following these steps:

Enter in your email address → Set your PIN → Enter in your name → Select your nationality → Enter in your phone number → Enter in your credit card information → Registration complete!

Making a reservation is easy, too. All you have to do is select the luggage space, the check-in date and time, check-out date and time, and how many luggage you have.

And finally, here’s a special deal exclusively for readers of tsunagu Japan!

When you register, enter in “ecbo-tsunagu-en” into the promotion code box, and you’ll be able to drop off one bag for free! (only available for first-time users)

*Deal available until June 30th, 2019.
*Up to 1 bag is free. (regular price: 600 yen)

(The details may differ depending on the business. For more information, please refer to the reservation page.)

Please use this service to make your trip in Japan even more enjoyable and pleasant!
 

It’s really fun to travel abroad, but if you have a lot of luggage dragging you down, it’ll ruin not just your experience, but also the mood of the person you’re traveling with. If you use ecbo cloak to drop off your luggage somewhere, the whole city can become your personal locker, and you’ll be able enjoy your travels gracefully and carefree!

[Update: June 25th, 2019]
Due to the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit in June 28 and 29, coin lockers in major stations like Shin-Osaka, Kyoto, Shinagawa, Shinjuku, and Shibuya will not be available for several days before and after the summit period. Make sure your trip goes as smoothly as possible by using ecbo cloak instead!

 

For families traveling in Japan:
Great News, Families! No More Luggage Woes with ecbo cloak

For those who want to learn more about ecbo cloak:
Leave Even Large Suitcases at Cafes So You Can Conveniently Sightsee in Japan Using This Service!

For those who want to learn about ecbo cloak locations:
Goodbye Coin Lockers! Luggage Storage Service, ecbo cloak, Expands Again!