illwill

I’ll be in Japan for about 3 weeks from end-November to mid-December, moving between a few cities. Ill be with someone who'll only there for 1 week so kind of doing a speed run of some major cities that week. Figure Tokyo 3days then ->Mt. Fuji/Kyoto->Osaka->Hiroshima->Tokyo

Since im hotel hopping, I really want to avoid dragging a larger checked suitcase everywhere, additionally, I’ve got a carry-on style backpack and a crossbody bag that should fit everything I need for a few days at a time.

My plan is to pack for the first week and do laundry as I go, maybe swap out clothes or sweatshirts halfway through the trip but mostly want the bag to stuff in items that I buy for the way home. But since I’ll be hopping between cities by train, I’m wondering if I should make use of coin locker when exploring or traveling. And do they offer more than a few days (4-5) of storage? And do they let you swap out items from it if needed?

I’ve read about Takkyubin etc luggage forwarding you can send your bag ahead to your next hotel but its usually a day or two and some places I only plan on spending a day at a time at so id be waiting around for the bag.

The second and third week Ill probably be more stationary so not a hassle since ill have the bag at the hotel.

For those who’ve done similar multi-city trips in Japan: What’s something you wish you’d done differently luggage-wise?

Also, i've seen varying recommendations of of getting a JR pass ,but some say unless I'm doing multiple trips per day it wont be worth it or should i just get it the first week only.