One characteristic of Japan’s delivery service is the fast speed. It’s even possible to get a delivery that was sent in the morning on the same day in urban areas such as Tokyo or Osaka, or if your address is in the same prefecture as the sender and certain criteria are met. Deliveries over longer distances and through several prefectures can arrive on the following day. For example, if you send a parcel from Tokyo to Hokkaido and Okinawa and ship it by evening, it can be picked up during the morning of the following day (until 9:00 a.m. the next morning at the shortest).

The major private transportation companies such as Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express operate year-round, so even deliveries during New Year’s and national holidays generally arrive the following day. (With the exception of certain areas, such as remote islands.)

Japanese delivery services deliver all mail in the same clean, proper state as they were shipped – there’s rarely any damage or dirt! Of course, the contents aren’t damaged, but even the boxes are carefully handled as to not get torn or wet, or even crumpled or deformed. The shipping company checks the content of each delivery as they receive it and if it contains fragile items, or it’s something that shouldn’t be turned upside down, a “handle with care” seal or tag is attached. This is one of the things why Japan’s delivery services can be used with such peace of mind.

On top of that, deliveries in Japan are only handed to the addressee or someone living in the same household, never left outside where they could be stolen and gone. If the recipient is not at home, the delivery company will keep the mail for up to seven days and redeliver it. After that time, it will be returned to the sender.

Should there be any damage or the delivery is entirely lost, the delivery company will pay a compensation of up to 300,000 yen without any special insurance procedure or extra fee for Takkyubin (Ta-Q-Bin) and Yu-Pack mail. (*Mail with a value of over 300,000 yen cannot be sent via Takkyubin, etc. A different delivery plan will be used.)

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Japan has 21 major delivery services (excluding air mail & envelope-size packages) that are handled by Japanese companies. The largest is Ta-Q-Bin by Yamato Transport with 46.9%, followed by Sagawa Transport’s Hikyaku Express with 30.6%, and Japan Post’s Yu-Pack with 15.9%. These three companies account for 93.4% of all parcels delivered via truck.

These three companies let you specify the delivery time in 2-hour steps on top of deciding the date of the delivery. That allows you to schedule your delivery around work or any plans you might have, saving you the time and effort of picking it up or having it re-delivered. With this efficient system, you won’t have to waste a day waiting for a delivery, not knowing when it will arrive! And because it’s possible to get something as quickly as possible, it’s a useful service for both the sender and the recipient. Besides, choosing time and date is free! Rest assured that your delivery will be on time, no matter where you live!

The Time & Date Specification of the main delivery companies
・Ta-Q-Bin (Yamato Transport): morning / 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. / 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. / 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. / 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
・Hikyaku Express (Sagawa Express): morning / 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. / 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. / 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. / 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
・Yu-Pack (Japan Post): morning / 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. / 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. / 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport; number of truck express deliveries (2016)

Sometimes (and more often than not!), a delivery arrives while you’re not at home. In a lot of countries, re-delivery often costs money or simply is inconvenient and tiresome to organize. Japan’s delivery services let you choose the date and time of a re-delivery for free. On top of that, the delivery time and the driver’s number are stated on the absence slip, you can always try to contact the driver directly and ask them to come back if you’ve just missed him. A regular re-delivery can easily be scheduled online, via phone, and so on. All options are clearly stated on the absence slip.

Yamato Transport, one of the major delivery companies, has a service that sends you an email informing you when exactly your delivery will arrive if you register as a member in advance. A notification like that can also be received via the Japanese messenger app LINE. If the sender doesn’t give you the chance to set your desired delivery date and time, you might miss it. However, if you use this mail service, you’ll be notified of the delivery before it arrives, and you can change the time as you see fit. It’s a win-win service that makes deliveries more efficient for both sides, saving the recipient a re-delivery and saving the driver a lot of time as well!

Delivery stages are strictly managed, so both the sender and the recipient can check the status of the delivery via the tracking number – every piece of mail has one. Simply enter the tracking number on the website of the company, you can check the type of delivery, the reception date and time, the branch that is in charge, the scheduled delivery date and time, and the delivery status itself.

This tracking service is also available for EMS (Express Mail Service) that handles international deliveries to 192 member countries of the Universal Postal Union, but even for Japanese express deliveries, the delivery status can now be confirmed in a timely manner.

In addition to the tracking service, there’s also an email service that informs the sender when the recipient has received the delivery. This email arrives automatically as soon as the delivery is completed, and the registration for it is free!

Japanese people enjoy eating raw food, such as sashimi and sushi – the reason why dishes like that can be enjoyed freshly caught or harvested is that of Japan’s excellent logistics services and network! Diverse delivery methods allow the delivery of fresh food such as fresh fish, chilled or frozen food, and even ice cream. Just like with a regular delivery, the time and date can be specified (except for ice cream).

Those delivery services are called “Cool Ta-Q-Bin” or “Chilled Yu-Pack.” Chilled mail is kept between 0°C and 10°C, while frozen mail is handled at -15°C. This temperature stays the same throughout the delivery process.

If the recipient is absent, the parcel will be stored in a fridge or freezer for up to 3 to 7 days, depending on the company and also redelivered that way. To prevent a quality loss of the delivery, the regulations of all companies state that the total size (length, width, height) needs to be 120 – 160cm, while the weight must not exceed 15 – 30kg. Frozen and chilled deliveries are more expensive than regular ones.

Approximate prices of the main delivery services
60cm (3 sides combined): ~800 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack), ~1,000 - 1,150 yen (Chilled, Frozen)
80cm (3 sides combined): ~1,000 - 1,150 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack), ~1,400 yen (Chilled, Frozen)
100cm (3 sides combined): ~1,300 - 1,400 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack), ~1,700 - 2,000 yen (Chilled, Frozen)
120cm (3 sides combined): ~1,500 - 1,600 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack), ~2,200 yen (Chilled, Frozen)
140cm (3 sides combined): ~1,750 - 1,800 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack), ~3,000 yen (Chilled, Frozen)
160cm (3 sides combined): ~2,000 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack), ~4,000 yen (Chilled, Frozen)
170cm (3 sides combined): ~2,300 yen (Ta-Q-Bin, Yu-Pack)

* These approximate prices are for the Tokyo metropolitan area.
* Size and price depends on the shipping company.

Especially convenient for tourists and travelers is the airport delivery. As its name suggests, it’s a service that lets you send and receive mail at special counters at several major airports throughout Japan. Even suitcases, so you can just have everything delivered to the airport and enjoy your last day of sightseeing without having to worry about luggage. When sending something from the airport, you can either ship it to the front desk of your hotel or to a nearby convenience store.

Unlike regular delivery, you will have to send the luggage two days (three days in some areas) in advance, depending on the delivery company. Additionally, there is a weight limit of 25kg to 30kg. It’s a very convenient service if you pack your luggage early and make sure that it doesn’t exceed any weight limits! Make sure to arrive at the airport a little earlier so that you have plenty of time left for check-in.

Approximate prices of the main delivery services
60cm (3 sides combined): ~1,500 - 1,550 yen (Airport delivery)
80cm (3 sides combined): ~1,200 - 1,700 yen (Airport delivery)
100cm (3 sides combined): ~2,000 yen (Airport delivery)
120cm (3 sides combined): ~2,200 yen (Airport delivery)
140cm (3 sides combined): ~2,500 yen (Airport delivery)
160cm (3 sides combined): ~2,700 yen (Airport delivery)
170cm (3 sides combined): ―

* Estimate price for delivery to and from Haneda airport and the Tokyo metropolitan area.
* Size regulations and prices vary by company.

Furthermore, delivery companies have all kinds of offers tailored to diverse needs. For example, there is a large parcel shipping service for gild equipment, skis, and so on (for a total size of over 160 cm, all three sides combined), special deliveries for delicate equipment such as personal computers, or special services for small mail with very reasonable prices.

“I don’t have time to ship my delivery!” or “I can’t bring heavy luggage to the office, it’s far away!” are situations that we run into all too often. In these times, a pick-up service that will come pick up your delivery at your home. Alternatively, you can also hip from the nearest convenience store. The necessary shipping slip is prepared at the convenience store itself, so simply tell the staff that you want to make a delivery.

If you choose to use a convenience store, here is what shipping company corresponds with which kind of convenience store. Not all locations take care of deliveries and shipping, so please confirm beforehand.

Yu-Pack: Lawson, Ministop, Seicomart
Yamato Transport: 7-Eleven, Family Mart, Circle K Sunkus, Daily Yamazaki, etc.
Sagawa Express: Lawson, Ministop

When moving to a new place, it is tiresome to change your address for every single thing. Sometimes, we forget to do just that and a delivery we ordered arrives at the old address. Both Japan Post and Yamato Transport offer a free “transfer service” that sends all of your mail to your new address automatically for one year. So everything that gets shipped to your old address will be forwarded to your new home, without you having to take care of it. Simply signup for this service online or via postcard.

Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express don’t only take care of express deliveries (even for big parcels) but also offer a moving service. Japan’s moving service is very polite and attentive. The staff cuts the cardboard according to the size of the furniture or whatever it is you want, making special dedicated packaging in no time – they really can be called artists of moving with that kind of technology!

From leaving all the moving preparations to the pros to them opening all of their special packagings after the moving is done, there’s so much attention to detail. This kind of attentive moving service might just be typical for Japan. In any case, you can use Japanese logistics services with peace of mind, be it small or large tasks!

Prices for large household appliances and furniture (Yamato Transport)

* 1 Box is a product of Yamato Transport’s “Single-person Moving” plan best suitable for transporting all sorts of household goods for a single-person household. The above is an estimate of charges when moving within the same city in the Kanto area, including a discount of up to 30% (web discount, early bird discount, weekday discount).
* For further details, please check the website of Yamato Transport or the free estimation service.

Japan boasts convenient delivery services and with the recent rise of online shopping and flea market apps, allowing you to easily sell and buy, the need for delivery services has rapidly increased. Following that, shipping companies are faced with a “logistics crisis” due to a staff shortage and too much work for existing staff. Amidst plans of raising the shipping costs and charging a fee for convenient re-delivery services, the public and private sector are working together to set up delivery boxes in front of stations and so on. By entering the PIN written on the delivery notice, you can pick up your parcel from the 24-hour delivery box, some even with frozen and chilled functions. Those boxes have already been introduced at some apartment buildings and condominiums, but once they become public infrastructure such as coin lockers and are installed at various stations, Japan’s logistics services will become even more convenient! We’re looking forward to the future of Japanese services, creating excitement by becoming more and more convenient and turning a pinch into a chance!