How long does mail from the U.S. take to arrive in Japan

[scott757pc]

I sent a friend a package almost 5 weeks ago and they still have not recieved it.It was supporse to take about 2 weeks I was told at the post office,lol.Luckely I insured the package.
My friend sent me a package from Japan and it took less than two weeks.
Has anyone else had problems with mail getting lost,being sent from the U.S.
Thanks everyone
Scott

 

[Keiichi]

Where in US are you sending from? For me (from Hawaii, which is about as close as you can get to Japan with the US Postal Service) using regular USPS for mail and packages took less than a week. About 5 business days or so. Though these are to larger cities like Tokyo, Kanagawa and Nagoya. Not sure about smaller cities.

Keiichi

☝

 

[duff_o_josh]

normally there is more then one way to send an item with the time or arrival starting at 6 days to like 3 months. the price difference is like 10$ for it to get there sooner. it sounds like you didnt get the faster shipping so i am assuming you dont have a tracking number. all you can do it wait the full three months unfortunately.

 

[kirei_na_me]

Yeah, if you want something sent there quickly, you need to send it Express, where you can track it.

http://www.usps.com/shipping/expressmail.htm

We live on the east coast and we have sent packages that got there in three days.

Like duff josh said, you will probably have to wait several more weeks for it to get there.

Oh, and no, I've never, ever had any problems with any damages. I have sent jars of my preserves over there, and crystal pieces, that have gotten there without a problem.

 

[Mike Cash]

It can also depend on what was in the package, what was written on the declarations form, and how much interest Japan Customs took in it.

 

[Brooker]

If I recall correctly, it didn't take too long for me to send something to Japan (less than two weeks) but it took FOREVER to receive a package from Japan (over a month) because America is very cautious about inspecting packages after 9/11.

 

[hintgiver]

I am going a little more along the lines of what duff-O-Josh said. Packages in the US can ship two ways one way (the more expensive of the two) will take 7-14 days (I usually ship this way because that's how long it takes.

The second options takes about 5-8 weeks and, thought cheaper, in my opinion, is not worth the money you save.

When sending a package ask for the fastest and ask how much it will cost and move up from there.

Regular letters usually arrive in a week

 

[christine0913]

I sent a friend a package almost 5 weeks ago and they still have not recieved it.It was supporse to take about 2 weeks I was told at the post office,lol.Luckely I insured the package.
My friend sent me a package from Japan and it took less than two weeks.
Has anyone else had problems with mail getting lost,being sent from the U.S.
Thanks everyone
Scott

My daughter has not received a package mailed 3 weeks ago to japan Is NY having bad weather? What is the problem ? christine

 

[thomas]

It could be the bad weather in the eastern US, however, the coronavirus pandemic has also affected international deliveries significantly. In my experience, once mail arrives in Japan, it's delivered promptly.

Service availability by country - Japan Post

Available areas and post types may be limited for some countries and areas.

www.post.japanpost.jp

News - Japan Post

www.post.japanpost.jp

Did you send your parcel via DHL or EMS? Is there any way to track it? Have you tried to contact the dispatcher/post office?

 

[salyavin]

If regular mail remember that rides on passenger planes of which there was a great reduction due to covid.

 

[mdchachi]

My daughter has not received a package mailed 3 weeks ago to japan Is NY having bad weather? What is the problem ? christine

The whole U.S. postal system is in a poor state. We sent a document via global express that normally would take 5 days and it took three or four weeks, spending most of its time around Chicago. That was around Christmas time. Check the tracking information on the package to see where its held up.

 

[timaki]

I just received a 3-pound package sent by USPS Priority Mail from the West Coast. It took five days to arrive, which I thought wasn't that bad.

 

[Petaris]

The whole U.S. postal system is in a poor state. We sent a document via global express that normally would take 5 days and it took three or four weeks, spending most of its time around Chicago. That was around Christmas time. Check the tracking information on the package to see where its held up.

The Post Offices in Chicago went from OK to absolutely horrible this summer after the changes made by the new USPS boss.

We have also had other new issues with international shipments where previously allowed prepared/pre-packaged food items are now being seized by US Customs (inbound to the US). That was actually via UPS but still annoying.

 

[salyavin]

What prepared/pre-packaged food has been siezed? This is relavent to me as well who gets care packages from mother in law back in Japan.

 

[Petaris]

What prepared/pre-packaged food has been siezed? This is relavent to me as well who gets care packages from mother in law back in Japan.

I will have to ask my wife. It was a care package from her mom. Snacks for the kids and something else, but I don't know what specifically.

 

[salyavin]

I get exactly the same kind of packages which makes me worry a little.

 

[mdchachi]

I will have to ask my wife. It was a care package from her mom. Snacks for the kids and something else, but I don't know what specifically.

Was it released eventually? Or permanently siezed?

I'm going to guess the offending item was umeboshi. It's dense and suspicious-looking. And they have triggered extra scans on me at airport customs.

 

[Petaris]

No, it was the kids snack Meiji Takenoko No Sato. The reason given was that it was an "Avian product" because it contained eggs. That is a rediculous excuse as it obviously doesn't have raw eggs in it. Its the government though so upon reporting to work all workers must turn off their brains until the end of the day.

On the other hand, they won't have to worry about a zombie attack as there are no brains in sight. LOL

 

[mdchachi]

No, it was the kids snack Meiji Takenoko No Sato. The reason given was that it was an "Avian product" because it contained eggs. That is a rediculous excuse as it obviously doesn't have raw eggs in it. Its the government though so upon reporting to work all workers must turn off their brains until the end of the day.

On the other hand, they won't have to worry about a zombie attack as there are no brains in sight. LOL

Wow, that's dumb especially considering that that product is for sale at Japanese stores in the U.S. Maybe the inspector really likes that snack and wanted to keep them. What's next, confiscating Pocky??

 

[salyavin]

Yea that is not the kind of item I expected them to take. We don't often get sent that one as it is so easy to get here but I believe it has been sent to us before.

 

[Petaris]

Yeah, we buy it at Super H-Mart (Korean) and Mitsuwa Marketplace here, but it is far more expensive then it is in Japan and is lite so cheap to ship when her mom sends a box of goodies. Though not in this case. On top of that we got billed by UPS Customs Brokerage $25 because UPS in Japan apparently made a mistake on weighing the package or entered the amount incorrectly. :/

 

[Petaris]

Yea that is not the kind of item I expected them to take. We don't often get sent that one as it is so easy to get here but I believe it has been sent to us before.

Yeah, we have received them a bunch of times with no issue.

 

[timaki]

Yeah, we buy it at Super H-Mart (Korean) and Mitsuwa Marketplace here, but it is far more expensive then it is in Japan and is lite so cheap to ship when her mom sends a box of goodies. Though not in this case. On top of that we got billed by UPS Customs Brokerage $25 because UPS in Japan apparently made a mistake on weighing the package or entered the amount incorrectly. :/

UPS Japan will give you a refund if you explain. Due to an errant translation, they once charged me over $100 in duties to import a $5 ink-stamp for office paperwork. They refunded the duties in full once we pointed out their error.

 

[Ranbento Raito]

Sent letter on via first class on the 9th of April, is it possible it could arrive in a week or will it probably take more than that?

 

[Petaris]

Its possible, but don't be surprised if it takes longer. For anything important you should use an option that includes tracking like USPS Priority or Express, UPS, or FedEx.