Hi there!

You will find “coin lockers” at train stations all over Japan.

These lockers are highly convenient if you want to explore a few hours before you head to your next destination!

At coin lockers, you can store your luggage like a suitcase or a backpack.

You can expect them at major train stations in Japan, and you may also find them at smaller train stations that tourist towns.

And this includes Nachi Station!

While there are different types of coin lockers that operate in slightly different ways, these types of luggage storage lockers are generally pretty easy to use.

There will be pretty clear instructions.

They started as “coin-operated” lockers, so that’s why they are called coin lockers.

While there are some coin lockers throughout Japan that operate without coins (usually the major tourist train stations like the Tokyo Station coin lockers), when I went I found that Nachi Station does still operate with coins only.

So, you will want to be sure you have 100 yen coins if you want to use the coin lockers at Nachi Station!

I did not see any coin exchange machine at Nachi Station, so you’ll want to be sure to have some before you arrive.

If you don’t, then your next best option is to buy something at the little store nearby so you can break a 1,000 yen bill or 5,000 yen bill and ask for 100 yen coins. When you are at the Nachi Station bus stop and facing the main road, there’s a store that’s off to the right.

Or, if you are taking a bus to get to Nachi Station, then you can break 1,000 yen bills and 500 yen coins to get 100 yen coins. There is a coin exchange machine at the front of the bus. (You cannot break 5,000 yen bills on the bus.)

 

How to use a coin locker at Nachi Station

I checked out of my Yunomine Onsen hostel in the morning, and then headed to the bus stop in Yunomine Onsen to get a bus to Shingu.

After Shingu, I took a bus to Nachi Station.

To find the coin lockers, you will walk to Nachi Station which is basically right next to the bus stop.

You’ll need to go “inside” Nachi Station (it’s more like open air, but basically walk into it), and then once inside you’ll look to the left and the coin lockers are there.

There are a number of different sizes of lockers depending on what size luggage you’re looking to store.

Although I don’t think even the biggest coin locker will fit a mega huge suitcase.

There are also very limited lockers here, so you do risk not finding an available coin locker.

 

How much does a coin locker cost at Nachi Station?

The price of the coin locker will depend on how big of a locker you get.

So in the case of these Nachi Station coin lockers, to store a carry-on suitcase or big backpack it was 500 yen (less than US$5), and to store a larger suitcase was 700 yen (less than US$7).

If you are traveling with even lighter (smaller) luggage, there are also smaller lockers that are 400 yen (less than US$4).

 

How to store your luggage in a coin locker

So once you find an open locker…

Put your luggage that you want to leave behind into the locker!

Again, coin lockers may operate differently across Japan, but this is how it was at these Nachi Station coin lockers.

You insert the exactly number of 100 yen coins into the coin slot.

Then once you have inserted the proper amount, you will be able to put the key into the LOCK position to remove it.

Put the key somewhere safe so you don’t lose it!!

And then…

Luggage locked, and off to take the bus to Nachi Falls! (But actually, you should get off at the Daimonzaka bus stop if you want to make it a hike to Nachi Falls!)

 

How to get your luggage back

Once you return to Nachi Station, use your key to open up the locker with your luggage in it!

You don’t need to do anything else!

 

Is Nachi Station the best station for you?

So as mentioned, I went from Shingu to Nachi Station.

I used the Shingu Station coin lockers, and then well, I forgot to go back to Shingu Station to get my luggage and ended up going to Nachi Station without my luggage.

Once I was finished at Kamikura Jinja in Shingu, I just looked at google maps for the nearest bus stop to get to Nachi Station, forgetting that I had to go back to the train station to get my luggage!

But my original plan was to go to Nachi Station with luggage, assuming there was a coin locker there, and then leaving luggage there.

HOWEVER, knowing what I know now, I would NOT have gone to Nachi Station if I had luggage with me.

That’s because after going to Nachi Falls, the plan was to go directly to Ise to spend the night there, which is leaving the area by train.

As I now know, Nachi Station is not as well-connected to leave the area, so I think it would have been better to go to Kii-Katsuura Station to drop off luggage there.

That way, after Nachi Falls, I could go directly from Kii-Kastuura Station to Ise Station.

Both Nachi Station and Kii-Katsuura Station are well-connected to Nachi Falls.

So it really depends on what your plans are after Nachi Falls, whether you should go to Nachi Station or Kii-Katsuura Station.

Also, because there are so few coin lockers at Nachi Station, it could also be better to go to Kii-Katsuura Station which is a bigger station which means there will be more lockers. You are probably more guaranteed to find an open locker at Kii-Katsuura Station, which is another reason to go there instead.

 

HAPPY STORING LUGGAGE AT NACHI STATION!

 

I have also been to other coin lockers which can give you an idea of what they are like:

 

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