A note on shipping to Japan

So, I have had several people asking for my mailing address and rather than explain to each person what the shipping situation is, I thought I would just explain here for anyone interested. This is just what I've gathered from advice and my research to ship some of my things over for the best deal, and the short experience I've had with it thus far.

The two best options for shipping from the US to Japan are the US Postal Service (USPS) and Yamato Transport. I have heard of Yamato Transport being referred to as basically the UPS of Japan, but they also have a great overseas shipping service (at least to the US) that I am not sure whether UPS has or not.

First of all, if you are shipping anything normal letter/card size, USPS is the way to go, Yamato only does packages.

Now, on to packages. USPS international package shipping prices are here.

Basically, you can ship the average flatrate box (that you get at the post office) of up to 20 lbs. for $42 (11"x8.5"x5.5") or $54 (12"x12"x5.5"). As the size of box and weight goes up, the price increases vary, so I'll leave it to you to figure out pricing for other packages sizes.

With Yamato Transport, they have a service called Besso Takkyubin to ship from USA to Japan. If you are shipping a small package, it is no cheaper, and possibly more expensive than USPS. However, if you are shipping a large package, it can become much cheaper. A large box from Lowe's (61cmx45.7cmx45.7cm or 24inx18inx18in) was shipped to me for about $117 through Yamato. It contained clothes and backpacking gear, though I am not sure of the exact weight.

So, my suggestion is that if you're planning to send something, it might be worth the time and effort to arrange with others who plan to send something to ship as a group in a larger package and split the shipping.

If you would like my address and don't have it yet, feel free to send me a message and I'll pass it on to you!