Store anything, anywhere, with ‘ecbo cloak’

The problem with train station coin lockers

In vast, labyrinth stations like Tokyo or Osaka, it can be really hard to find your locker when you want to come back to pick up your stuff, especially if are still trying to get your bearings after just arriving in the city. When you only have a key with a number written on it, or a receipt with no location information, it’s possible to spend a tremendous amount of time walking around all the different parts of the station trying to find your one specific locker; akin to losing track of where you parked your car in a multi-level shopping mall carpark.

Another big problem is that even though there may be hundreds of lockers, if you’re travelling on the weekend, or looking for one in the afternoon, there is a pretty big chance that they will all be in use. You then have to hang around waiting for someone to come back so you can use the locker they just opened, or make your way to a different bank of lockers in the hope that one there is empty. Storing suitcases and other large items can be even more difficult as there aren’t usually many lockers big enough to hold anything bigger than a carry-on bag.

Recently, due to the G20 Osaka Summit, all the coin lockers in train stations across the country were locked and rendered unusable due to the potential security threat posed. This is not an unusual situation, and may be enforced again during the Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. If that is the case while you are in Japan, ecbo cloak is another, more convenient, option.

Aside from train station coin lockers, over the last few years a lot of other services have popped up proposing storage solutions for people travelling around, but the locations available can be quite limited, they can be hard to use with complex and unintuitive websites, and the pricing and terms can vary.

Introducing ecbo cloak

ecbo cloak is a service integrated with an app on your phone, which helps you find the closest shop near you—that you normally wouldn’t expect would offer this role—to store your luggage, and with over (1000) locations in Japan, there is a pretty good chance there’s one right around the corner.

Starting in 2017, and rapidly expanding in the years since, ecbo cloakis a true sharing economy service, in that by making use of a previously untapped, latent resource, it benefits all involved. Luggage and bag storage locations can be as varied as a local bar or restaurant, karaoke box, or post office, and are often situated in commercial districts where there is a distinct need for luggage storage, but no space for coin lockers. Also, due to the sheer number of locations available, it is surprisingly easy to find one that is close to where you are.

Currently available in five languages (English, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Japanese), ecbo cloak allows you to find a storage location close to you when you need it, and can also make reservations online or in the app. This means you can prepare for the day ahead safe in the knowledge that you won’t end up carrying heavy luggage around with you all day.

Once you install the app, register as user, and add your credit card information, you’re ready to go.

Finding somewhere close

We were in Shibuya right next to the crossing and wanted to find somewhere to drop off our suitcase.

The Karaoke Entertainment Big-Echo Shibuya Center Town Shop is on Shibuya Center-gai, just around the corner from the crossing, so we decided to leave our suitcase there.

On the location’s storage information screen it shows more details about the opening hours, as well as the maximum number of bags that can be stored. The Karaoke Entertainment Big-Echo Shibuya Center Town Shop can store up to 20 backpack-sized bags and up to 15 suitcases, and because it is open 24 hours a day, it is possible to drop off and pick up bags at any time, day or night.

To make a reservation, we needed to add the check-in and check-out times, as well as the size and number of luggage. We then confirmed the reservation.

Once we made it to the reception, we are ready to drop off our suitcase.

The staff member verifies that the reservation information is correct, and then takes a photo of the suitcase. This photo is uploaded and shared with us users through the ecbo cloak app and confirms that the suitcase has been dropped off.

With the check-in confirmed, our suitcase was put into a locked, unused karaoke room with some suitcases from other people who are also using the ecbo cloak service.

Later when we came back, all we had to do was show the staff member the photo of the suitcase, and we were able to pick it up.

If you have already made a reservation in advance to drop off your luggage, it’s an even simpler process.

With a reservation

We made a reservation the previous day to drop off our suitcase at Yotsubar, a small bar/restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo. Although it wasn’t open and serving customers yet (the bar opens at 6pm) the staff member was expecting us.

We showed the staff member the reservation screen in the ecbo cloak app, and he confirmed it on his device.

He then took a photo of our suitcase, which is used to confirm that it was dropped off, and placed it in a corner of the bar. And that was that, the suitcase was dropped off, and we were free to go shopping.

He then took a photo of our suitcase, which is used to confirm that it was dropped off, and placed it in a corner of the bar. And that was that, the suitcase was dropped off, and we were free to go shopping.

ecbo cloak allows you to store a small bag such as a backpack for 300 yen per day, with larger items like a suitcase or baby stroller costing 600 yen per day. This is on par with the price of an equivalent coin locker and cheaper than other storage services. Each location has certain options available, with larger spaces offering the possibility of overnight storage. Check out https://cloak.ecbo.io/ for more information, and a map showing the available locations in your area.

カラオケ ビッグエコー 渋谷センター街本店

東京都渋谷区宇田川町21-8 渋谷平和ビル

0357843581

View All

ヨツバ-

東京都渋谷区神宮前5-30-3 ニュ-ア-トビル 2F

0363364647

View All