[Discount Included!] Great News, Families! No More Luggage Woes 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!
 

If you are in Tokyo, you're bound to find yourself in Ueno at some point. It is a convenient location with a direct train from Narita Airport, along with various JR and subway lines. With a park and a zoo that the whole family can enjoy, as well as Ameyoko, a shopping street where you can find anything from cosmetics and medicine to electronics, sweets, and numerous eateries, Ueno is packed with anything and everything you can think of.

However, even the thought of wandering around the lively Ueno area with your luggage and your children might leave you with a looming sense of dread. That’s where ecbo cloak comes in! It’s sure to delight any parent traveling with small children.

Our Journey Began Here in Ueno!

We arrived at Ueno Station on a direct train from Narita Airport. It was past lunchtime and there was a cold breeze as we wandered through the streets with our two small children, a suitcase, and a stroller. It was inconvenient to say the least. There’s no way we could start enjoying ourselves before we found somewhere to store our luggage!
 

A Coin Locker that We Could Never Find

We’d heard from a friend who had visited Japan before that the main stations of Tokyo tended to have coin lockers. We didn’t think too much about it, assuming that a large station like Ueno would have plenty of coin lockers. My husband and I were left speechless when we encountered the red lights at the coin lockers, indicating that they were all in use. Were we capable of hauling our luggage and stroller around with us the entire day while keeping an eye on our children? No way! We had to find an empty coin locker immediately!
 

Our son was delighted with himself as he led us to the one and only available coin locker, but with that size it was impossible to fit the suitcase, let alone the stroller.

ecbo cloak for Times Like These

My husband checked online for information on luggage storage in the area, and found a service called “ecbo cloak”. We decided to download the app straightaway. As soon as the app opened, we were greeted with explanations in Traditional Chinese, which was extremely helpful, as we didn’t understand English or Japanese.

The registration was completed in a few simple steps: enter email address → set up a PIN → enter name → select nationality → enter phone number → enter credit card information. All finished in a matter of moments. We could reserve the closest luggage storage space right away! All we needed to do was select the check-in date and time, check-out date and time, and the number of luggage, and we were done.

Reserve and Store Your Luggage Straight Away!

We were able to reserve Ueno Marui/2F UENO Information Center for storing our luggage. Located on the second floor of Ueno Marui, it’s a clean and bright space that is easy to find and accessible via elevator. If you take the Hirokoji Exit from JR Ueno Station, it‘s located just across the road. My husband and I couldn’t believe our luck. Just as well, since we couldn’t have gone much further with our children telling us how hungry they were!
 

We showed the staff our reservation details, they placed a numbered label on our luggage, gave us a confirmation slip, and we were done!
 

[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!

A Pleasant Sushi Lunch

Since it was our first time here, we wanted to try food that was unique to Japan and also good value-for-money. After we dropped off the luggage, we went to Edokko Ueno Eki-mae Branch, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant located near the entrance to Ameyoko. The staff were very thoughtful and showed us to a table located upstairs. Unlike large conveyor belt sushi restaurants, this one had a warm Japanese-style interior with a unique atmosphere.

At this restaurant you can order using a tablet with Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese capabilities, so there’s no need to worry about accidentally ordering something you didn’t mean to. You can even ask for sushi without wasabi if you or your children are not able to eat it.
 

Shops and restaurants in Japan are nicely heated in the winter, so you always end up taking off your bulky outerwear as soon as you get indoors. I’m glad we were able to store our luggage. If we hadn’t, we would have taken up so much space with our coats and luggage, and would have inconvenienced the other customers and the staff of the restaurant.

After we had our fill of sushi, it was time to go on a shopping spree at the nearby Ameyoko. As we were leaving the sushi restaurant, I was confident that we made the right choice storing the stroller along with the suitcase. It would have been a nightmare to bring it up and down the stairs of the restaurant!
 

Frenzied Shopping Spree at Ameyoko

I’d heard before that Ameyoko was not to be missed if you’re in Ueno. This lively shopping street is popular not only among the Japanese but with tourists from around the world, too.

The day we were there happened to be the weekend, and it was packed with so many people that you could hardly move. Making your way through the crowd might be part of the Ameyoko experience, but when you’re with young children, you have to pay extra attention to make sure they don’t get lost. Storing your suitcase and stroller before shopping is essential for sure!

Niki no Kashi

At Niki no Kashi, you can get various Japanese sweets and snacks for a bargain. It’s the perfect place to find a souvenir for your family, friends, and colleagues. Aside from candies, cookies, and chocolate, they also have condiments and packs of tea. If you’re a tourist from abroad, you can get tax back if you spend over 5,000 yen! You’ll need your passport to get the tax exemption, however, so make sure not to leave it at ecbo cloak with your luggage!
 

My husband and I began shopping, each taking our own share of the task. Our children were captivated by the various sweets in front of them. The large selection of products was drawing plenty of people to the shop. If we hadn’t stored our luggage, my husband would have had to wait outside for us.
 

Takeya

The conspicuous purple building in the picture is the famous Takeya. It’s a large shopping center with an extensive history, where you can find anything from homeware and household appliances to clothes and cosmetics. As if that wasn’t enough, the prices are lower than normal, too! Each floor has multilingual staff, so you won’t have any trouble finding what you’re looking for.

If you’re short on time, you can go to Takeya SELECT Ueno Branch where you’ll find all the popular products.
 

Since we didn’t have our luggage with us, we could really enjoy shopping as a family, and we were able to try out the newest products as well as fun items. We also had time to go through our list and make sure we didn’t miss anything!
 

Storing Our Shopping

We thought about going straight to the zoo after our shopping spree, but my husband suggested we store our shopping at ecbo cloak. The zoo can get very busy at the weekend, and none of us wanted to walk around in search of a coin locker again, so we decided to make another reservation and store our luggage.
 

After an early start to the day and getting on a flight, then walking around eating and shopping in Ueno, my daughter was exhausted. We decided to take the stroller out of luggage storage and bring it with us to the zoo.

Ueno Zoo: Fun for the Entire Family

After queueing for a short time, we were finally able to see the cute pandas, a popular attraction of Ueno Zoological Gardens. We also saw goats and sheep up-close, and were even able to touch them! My husband who loves taking photos was having a great time. Because we stored our shopping, we were able to get around the zoo and take photos with the animals with ease.
 

The End of the Day: Collecting Our Luggage

Though we were tired after walking around the zoo, we didn’t forget to go back to get our luggage! All you have to do is show them the reservation screen, but don’t forget to make sure you have all of your luggage, and the right ones, too!
 

No More Worries When Storing Your Luggage!

Thanks to ecbo cloak, our first day in Tokyo was smooth and hassle-free! You don’t have to worry about finding a coin locker, and the price is almost the same as one. Furthermore, your luggage is kept safe!

We plan to go to Asakusa and the TOKYO SKYTREE tomorrow. As soon as we get back to the hotel, we’ll reserve a nearby luggage storage facility using ecbo cloak. I hope the rest of our stay in Tokyo is just as good, if not better!

Special Discount for Our Readers!

Next, we’d like to tell you about a campaign, available only to tsunagu Japan readers!

Enter “ecbo-tsunagu-en” in the promotion box when registering, and you can store one luggage for free! (for first-time users only)

*Campaign Period: Until June 30
*Campaign Details: Store one luggage for free (actual price: 600 JPY)

(The plan varies depending on the branch. Please check the reservation page for further information.)

Please try out this service and enjoy a wonderful stay in Japan!

[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!

 

Check out this article for a trip itinerary around Tokyo with friends:
The Whole City is Your Personal Locker! A Fun Trip in Tokyo with ecbo cloak

Follow the link below if you want to find out more about ecbo cloak:
Leave Even Large Suitcases at Cafes So You Can Conveniently Sightsee in Japan Using This Service!

See the article below if you’d like to know where ecbo cloak branches are located:
Goodbye Coin Lockers! Luggage Storage Service, ecbo cloak, Expands Again!