The Post Office system in Japan is modelled upon the English system but irrespective of this works very well. Of course this being Japan it is also one of the most the most expensive postal systems in the world. Post Offices are generally open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00. Some are open on Saturdays from 9:00 to 12:00. Larger city offices stay open till 19:00 weekdays and 15:00 on Saturdays with some larger depots offering a special 24 hour postal counter.

There is an English explanation of all Postal services which is available from Monday to Friday 9:30 till 16:30. Dial your nearest centre on Tokyo 03-5472-5851 and 03-5472-5852 ‡ Osaka 066-944-6245 ‡ Nagoya 052-961-0103 ‡ Sapporo 011-251-3957 ‡ Sendai 022-711-7544 ‡ Hiroshima 082-224-0380 ‡ Fukuoka 092-752-8504 ‡ Nagano 026-225-8835 ‡ Kanazawa 0762-62-2325 ‡ Matsuyama 089-932-5932 ‡ Naha 098-868-4472. (NB: the hotlines are NOT toll-free.)

For extensive details of Post Office services go to the English information website of the Japan Post Office.

DOMESTIC MAIL

Postal charges in Japan are as follows:

You can send a letter anywhere in Japan for 80 yen, and the cost to send a postcard is 50 yen. Parcel delivery now costed by the dimensions of the package, in a similar fashion to the popular Takkyubin delivery service. Your parcel's dimesions will be measured at the counter rather than weighed. You may also pick up post office boxes of set size and cost to send your items to be absolutely sure of the cost and save some hassle. Items up to 14kg in weight can be sent through the post office via regular parcel post.

Delivery within or to a nearby prefecture usually takes one business day. Any further takes 2 business days. Special delivery can make that into one day, but that costs 270 yen more. Remember to put the return address on any mail you send out of Japan, mistakes can be easily made.

INTERNATIONAL MAIL

There are four different classifications of international mail: letter post, parcel post, express mail service (EMS) and Intelpost (electronic mail). Letter and parcel post can be further subdivided by means of transport into either surface, air, or service-airlifted (SAL) mail. Surface transport is the cheapest and slowest means of sending mail out of or into Japan. It entails shipping parcels by sea and is mostly used for large packages that are not of immediate need. Allow 3-6 weeks for delivery of packages between the U.S. and Japan (and longer for transport between Japan and other countries). Of course, air mail allows for direct air transport, but is substantially more expensive and is mainly used for letters and small parcels; allow 4-7 days delivery time to the U.S. SAL involves air transport on a space available basis, costs less than airmail and more than surface mail; allow 2-3 weeks delivery time to the U.S. Parcels up to 20kg can be shipped to most destinations from the post office. If you have no letter in the envelope of parcel you can qualify for a 'small package' discount.

INTERNATIONAL COURIER SERVICES

All of the major international courier services have offices in Japan with English speaking staff. This is the most expensive way for shipping packages or documents overseas, but it is also the fastest and most reliable. For important or expensive materials, international courier service is the most preferred means of transport. Some of the biggest companies (and their phone numbers) are listed below:

DOMESTIC PARCEL DELIVERY - TAKKYUBIN

The post office in Japan is very expensive, especially for larger heavier items. There is an alternative service called Takkyubin, which offers a fast, reliable, low-cost door-to-door delivery service to any address in Japan. It is significantly cheaper than the post office and ideal for larger items. The service is available from most convenience stores and one of the many stores displaying the logo of a cat carrying a kitten as on the left.

Your item is measured and costed according to its size and all packaging is provided. All you need do is fill out the address form with your address, the recipient's address and your telephone number. Pickups are made six times a day.

Additional services include; Takkyubin Time Service which guarantees delivery by 10:00 a.m. next day and Cool Takkyubin which allows you to send Chilled and Frozen items to any address. Especially useful are Ski Takkyubin and Airport Takkyubin, which will deliver ski equipment to ski resorts and suit cases to airports freeing you from carrying them. Airport Takkyubin is well worth considering when you leave Japan.