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Shopping in Japan is amazing. More often than not, you arrive with one suitcase and leave with two – or more. Or, you end up buying a bigger one to bring home all your Japan haul. Now, how do you dispose of your unwanted or broken luggage?
Japan is meticulous with waste disposal. Rubbish is sorted by type and collected on different days. Oversized items, like suitcases, require pre-booking and payment before the local council will come collect them.
Unfortunately, some tourists have resorted to simply abandoning their unwanted or broken suitcases in hotels and airports. The Mainichi reports that abandoned luggage has become a major concern for over 80 percent of surveyed hotels in Osaka. These items, usually treated as lost property initially, not only take up valuable storage space but are also a financial burden when it comes to disposal.
Airports are facing the same problem. Abandoned luggage is often treated as a potential security threat, thus straining airport security resources. According to the Asahi Shimbun, Osaka’s Kansai International Airport has seen a rise in abandoned suitcases, with 816 discarded bags recorded in 2024 alone.
To tackle this growing problem, luggage specialist Nihon Hozai – with over 15 years of experience in renting, selling, repairing and cleaning suitcases – has launched the ReCase service to help get rid of your unwanted bags. The best part? Recase is not only a convenient solution for visitors but also an environmentally friendly one.
ReCase operates on a zero-waste, upcycling model, where unwanted suitcases are collected, refurbished and resold, while others are recycled for parts. Some of the bags are even donated to developing countries to be repurposed as storage solutions, or used by public institutions to train drug detection dogs.
The process is quick and easy. Just apply via the ReCase website (available in English and Chinese), where you can choose the time, date and pick-up point, whether it's a hotel or home address. For a nominal fee of ¥2,200 per suitcase, the company will then collect your unwanted luggage at the stipulated time and place and handle the rest.
ReCase accepts all kinds of suitcases – even broken ones. So you can easily dispose of your unwanted luggage responsibly and with zero guilt.
For more information, check the ReCase website.
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