How to Send a Package at a Convenience Store in Japan

When you’re exploring the landscapes and festivals of Japan, getting to the post office during business hours to send a package probably won’t be high on your priority list. Fortunately, the solution is likely right down the street: your local convenience store.

At most convenience stores in Japan, you can walk in and send a package to anywhere else in the country at any time of day or night—complete with tracking. In this article, we explain how it all works and offer a step-by-step guide to getting your package in the mail. We’ve done our best to make sure the information is correct as of writing (November 2023), and links to external sites with more info are included where available.

One quick note before we begin: These are domestic-only services. To send packages internationally, you’ll need to visit the post office or contact a delivery service directly, which is outside the scope of this article. Your accommodation might also be able to help!

Most convenience stores in Japan offer one of two package delivery services: Yamato Transport’s Ta-Q-Bin and Japan Post’s Yu-Pack. There are minor differences in pricing, delivery times, and so on, but either one will get a box across the country just fine.

Note that if you want to send something no larger than A4 size and less than 4 kilograms—a book, for example—you can also use Japan Post’s Letter Pack service. Letter Pack envelopes are available at most convenience stores that offer Yu-Pack services. Yamato Transport also offers a flat-rate service called Ta-Q-Bin Compact for items under Size 60 (see below for more on sizing).

Services by Yamato Transport

Ta-Q-Bin: https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/takkyubin/

Ta-Q-Bin Compact:
https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/compact/

Services by Japan Post

Yu-Pack: https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/you_pack/index_en.html

Letter Pack:
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/letterpack/index_en.html

Ta-Q-Bin and Yu-Pack have fairly similar rules about what they allow. Obvious no-no’s include things like cash, hazardous chemicals, and pets. Ta-Q-Bin also explicitly disallows credit cards and difficult-to-replace documents like passports.

One possibly surprising rule for Yu-Pack and Ta-Q-Bin is: No correspondence! In simple terms, this means that you can’t include a letter in your package. Send it separately or make it an email!

For more details, check these links:
1) Prohibited items for Ta-Q-Bin
(https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/preparations/inability/)

2) Prohibited items for Yu-Pack (under “Yu-Pack” > “What are things that cannot be sent with Yu-Pack?”)
(https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/index_en.html)

3) What counts as correspondence, via Japan Post
(https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/about_shinsyo_en.html)

Package sizes in Japan are basically “height plus length plus width.” For example, a cardboard box measuring 30 cm by 30 cm by 50 cm would be “Size 110.” The maximum size and weight most convenience stores will handle is shown in the table below.

You can choose to send a package in one of two ways: hatsubarai, meaning “sender pays,” or chakubarai, meaning “recipient pays.”

As well as standard package delivery, special services are available:

- Golf: For sending clubs to a golf course
- Ski: For sending snow gear to a ski resort or lodge
- Kuko (“airport”): For sending luggage to the airport in advance of your flight

When sending luggage to the airport, be sure to have your flight information handy—including date, time, flight number, and terminal—and send the luggage early enough to arrive on time. Yamato Transport suggests sending the luggage by 1 PM three days before your flight leaves; Japan Post also suggests two or three days.

Shipping prices vary by package size, company, and location. Check the links above for the latest pricing. In most cases, you can expect to pay between ¥1,000 and ¥4,000 per package, although prices can be higher still when locations like Hokkaido, Kyushu, or Okinawa are involved.

If you know that the convenience store accepts your credit card or preferred cashless payment option, you should be able to use it to send packages too. If you’re unsure, cash is always a safe bet!

Now that you’re an expert on sending packages via convenience store, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice! These are the steps to follow:

1. Package up your item, padding and taping it as necessary.

- If you need a cardboard box, you can probably buy one . . . you guessed it, at the convenience store. Stores offering Yu-Pack service may even have special Yu-Pack-brand boxes available.

2. Make sure you have the recipient and sender details.

- You’ll need a name, address, and phone number for both.
- If you have no permanent address in Japan, a hotel address or similar is fine.
- NAVITIME’s JAPAN TRAVEL APP is a handy way to double-check addresses and spellings. (Available for both iOS and Android smartphones)
- If you’re sending luggage to the airport, you’ll also need your flight information.

3. Take your package to the convenience store.

- Tell the staff at the register you want to send it with Ta-Q-Bin or Yu-Pack
- Don’t forget to mention extra details like chakubarai shipping, or kuko (airport) delivery.

4. Fill out the waybill that the convenience store gives you.

- The fields will all be labeled in both English and Japanese. You can write in either language.
- You can specify a particular date or time if you like, but it’s not compulsory.
- Be sure to be specific about the contents. For example, write “Books” or “Cookies” instead of just “Gift.” Delivery services can be very strict about this.

5. Pay for shipping and leave the rest to the staff.

- Once your waybill is ready, the staff at the register will ring you up, accept payment (unless you’re using chakubarai), accept your package, and give you a copy of the waybill.
- Be sure to keep the waybill copy safe, as it has tracking information on it. If sending luggage to the airport, you’ll need it to retrieve your package.

It’s rare for packages to go astray in Japan, but Ta-Q-Bin and Yu-Pack both offer online tracking services. Simply enter the tracking number on the waybill into the relevant site below:

Ta-Q-Bin tracking:

http://track.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/english/tracking

Yu-Pack tracking:

https://trackings.post.japanpost.jp/services/srv/search/?locale=en

If your package happens to reach its destination when the recipient isn’t home, no problem. The delivery agent will leave a “Sorry we missed you” slip instead with each options for rescheduling.

So, next time you find yourself in a distant prefecture accumulating too many snacks or souvenirs to carry back to your Japan journey home base, remember: an easier option may be available at the local convenience store.