Japanese Airports Get Pocket Tips, a Compression Machine That Turns Airport Clothes Into Palm-Sized Cubes

Photo credit: SoraNews24
Pocket Tips looks like an ATM and works like a one-minute clothes press. SJOY, a Tokyo apparel startup founded in 2019, built the machine so travelers fold garments into a mold, set them inside, press a button, and take back a compact cube as small as one seventh the original bulk. A thin long-sleeve shirt can shrink to the size of a palm. Bulkier pieces and towels land closer to a hardcover dictionary. One cycle handles about eight items, and the fabric itself is pressed, so no vacuum bag and no extra plastic leave with you.

Haneda, Narita, Kumamoto, and Naha are four Japanese airports that have already gone through the testing process. They hosted Pocket Tips booths from late 2025 to January 2026, including a three-day free trial in Narita’s Terminal 2 and 3 departure halls from January 13 to 15. Japan Airport Terminal’s website, terminal.0 HANEDA, collaborated with SJOY and the other three airport corporations to address a common travel issue: baggage that wouldn’t close. Narita, for example, had 1,073 abandoned suitcases in 2024, a significant rise from 124 in 2020, as customers continued to buy larger luggage and leave the old ones behind.

The findings of those trials always revealed the same issue. Around 400 people provided comments across the four airports, with roughly 70% saying they had to give up on buying more souveniers simply because they didn’t have space in their luggage. When Haneda tested it in a run in 2024, more than 100 people were eager to use the service again, with 89 percent wanting to do it all over again. Queues formed only to utilize the machines. One Tokyo office worker used it to compress two jackets into a backpack, giving him enough room to buy for souvenirs before his trip.

Carry-on limits toughened on April 1st, 2026, making room in the cabin tighter and the boarding process more unpleasant. Airport staff noted a significant decline in visits to duty-free and snack outlets. If seven out of ten people are walking past the stores because their bag won’t close, a machine that allows them to gain those last few inches of room will be a tremendous hit, not just for travelers but also for the airport shops. On September 8, 2026, the joint development of Pocket Tips was officially announced, with the goal of having everything up and operating by 2027. The kiosk’s placement, duration, safety, pricing, language of the screen, and acceptance of card payments are all currently being debated.

In a recent interview, SJOY president Kawaguchi stated that when you wash or simply put the clothes out to air for around 15 minutes, they return to their normal size. So far, trials have concentrated on people leaving Japan, when they tend to go a little crazy and buy last-minute souvenirs and such. Next, the partners aim to install the same kiosk for incoming tourists, allowing them to get rid of heavy bags from the start and travel lighter. After that, the kiosks will make their way into hotels and clothing stores; if airports can build them strong enough for daily passenger traffic, it will only be a matter of time before everything can be pressed, folded, cubed, and packed in a way that allows people to make the best use of the space they have.
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