Have you ever needed to use a courier service to send something to someone? Yes? Me too.
There are quite a number of services available in Japan but is one better than the other? Are they different?
Domestic or International
Sometimes friends and family ask us to get them stuff, so of course this involves putting the item(s) in a box and then sending it to them.
Post Office
The easiest (and most cost effective) way is to use the Post Office services.
They handle both Domestic and International mail and their branches are easily accessible.
Domestic options
The usual letters and small parcels can be easily sent from the Post Office. The delivery time is pretty quick, but many smaller branches only open on weekdays. Some bigger branches open on Saturdays so check here first before going down.
International options
We are all familiar with sending postcards and letters by air so let’s look at sending parcels instead since there are both air and sea options.
By air
The EMS service allows us to send both envelopes and parcels and has a tracking number as well. One thing that I have noticed though, is that they do not really like/allow the sending of creams and liquids.
Some time back, I had gone to a department store, and they had given me some cosmetic samples. You know, like face cream and eye cream type samples? Yeah, those ones.
I had wanted to send some overseas but when I got to the post office, I ended up having to answer about 20 questions. “What is it? Does it contain alcohol? What does it contain?” etc. Umm…I didn’t know…coz…I didn’t manufacture it. And because they were samples, there wasn’t a lot of information on the ingredients on the packets either.
Later on, I found out that even companies that want to use the EMS service to send creams and liquids get asked these questions, and they have to fill out a bunch of paperwork and produce an SDS that has information on the ingredients.
Point is, if you don’t absolutely have to send that cream or liquid, don’t. It’s just too much trouble, in my opinion.
By sea
As you can probably imagine, surface mail is very affordable, but slow. Of course depending on the country, it can be quicker or slower. But in my experience, it usually takes about 1.5 months for the parcel to get to the destination country, on average.
You can call the Post Office and they can pick it up from your house
Pro tip
If your parcel is big, bulky or heavy, you can call the Post Office and they can pick it up from your house. It really is a life saver! Honestly, this is one of the 2 main reasons I am such a fan of Japan Post!
The other is because of their redelivery service. I think this is something that most of us living in Japan take for granted, but it really is such a convenient and amazing service.
I mean, you either call them, or scan the QR code to reschedule the delivery. And if it’s early enough, you can get them to resend it on the same day. I don’t think I will ever stop marveling at, and appreciating this service!
Courier services
FedEx, DHL and UPS are the most well known ones. And if you are trying to send something overseas and want to use a premium service, they are probably the ones you will end up contacting. And they are probably also the ones we are all familiar with.
You can also go with Yamato’s Takkyubin (pronounced TA-Q-BIN). Their prices tend to be more reasonable.
There are other ones as well, so try searching using these keywords: 海外 荷物 送る
What if you want to send something domestically
Takuhaibin
When I first moved to Japan I had no concept of what a Takuhaibin was. Eventually, I realized that it was a quick ground delivery service. Of course, since Japan has islands separated from the mainland by sea, part of those routes might be on ships or ferries and even aircrafts.
Takuhaibin VS Takkyubin
Some people say Takuhaibin, and some people say Takkyubin. Do you know what the difference is? I didn’t!
Kuroneko Yamato Takkyubin (ok that’s a mouth full)
This is actually a courier service invented by the Yamato Company in 1973 during the oil crisis.
And while this it is actually a registered trademark, many people use the terms Takuhaibin and Takkyubin interchangeably.
Most popular Takuhaibin companies (not an exhaustive list)
How do you use the Takuhaibin Courier Service?
There are four main ways.
- Getting it picked up from your home/office
- Personally bringing the parcel down to a Transport Sales Office
- Bringing the parcel down to a TA-Q-BIN Agency
- Convenience Stores
Check the Kuroneko Yamato site or the Sagawa Express site for the latest information.
In-Store Courier Service
Many stores also offer courier services, and some of them use the ones mentioned above. Some of them even have their own courier service.
One day, I was out shopping for a gift, and had settled on some nice Bone China plates. As you can imagine, they were heavy and fragile, and just knowing that it would be packed by the store and delivered safely was extremely reassuring.
Yay for Japanese service! Yay for amazing Courier service!
If you know of any other ways or have any tips to make things better, do share them in the comments below.
Star
Image credit: House photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com
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