Every international delivery to Japan has to clear customs before delivery can be made. During this process, the Japanese customs authorities apply duties and customs fees to your package, which are paid by the recipient of the package. Parcels worth less than 10,000 yen will not have duties or taxes applied.

Because every parcel sent to Japan, there are restrictions on the goods and items that will be allowed to clear. Apart from rules about publications which may harm the public morals, the goods which are not allowed to be imported are very much in line with goods restricted for transit by ParcelHero. You can find out more about these items on our Prohibited and Restricted goods page, or see Japan’s customs rules.

Japanese cuisine includes some of the most famous dishes in the world – but it also includes crazy confectionary and tasty beverages. If you’d like to send some back home or to your UK pen pal, you’ll need to make sure that what you’re sending is store bought, not carbonated, and not perishable. That means no fizzy drinks, or homemade treats.

Though many delivery services have a maximum size or weight allowance, ParcelHero works with leading freight firms to ensure that however large your parcel might be, we’re making it quick and simple to send to Tokyo, Kyoto, or any other Japanese destination.

It’s a long flight to land of the rising sun, and it can be a lot more relaxing if you don’t have to worry about your luggage arriving with you. ParcelHero’s door-to-door courier services mean that you can dispatch your luggage ahead of you, and have it waiting at your hotel when you arrive. Better yet, you can ship it within the country too, and since this is common practice in Japan, you can be sure your luggage will be ready and waiting whenever you need it. Just remember to package it in a suitable manner for courier shipping.

Addressing a parcel to Japan can be tricky, but it’s vital to successful delivery. Your courier can only find the address if it entered correctly, so here’s what you need to include on your package:

• Mr John Smith [name]
• 5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome [room number, house number and street name]
• Chuo-ku, Tokyo [District/town/city and prefecture]
• 100-8994 [The postal code]
• JAPAN [country]

Don’t panic if you can’t find or don’t know the name of the road your recipient lives on. Not all roads in Japan are named, and the other information you’ve provided should allow us to find the address. Japanese postal codes are seven digits long and are formatted as three digits, a dash, and the final four digits.

Japan may not celebrate Christmas like the UK does, but there are still plenty of opportunities to take a break. We need a chance to catch a breath too, so we only deliver between 9am and 6pm on normal working, not weekends or bank holidays.