Takkyubin: The Parcel-Delivery Network

Takkyubin Japan is the nationwide door to door parcel system residents use for personal parcels, online orders, and luggage forwarding.¹ Getting the carrier, size tier, and time window right saves money and avoids a missed delivery.

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at Yamato Transport, Sagawa Express, and Japan Post official sites.

Overview

宅急便 (takkyūbin, "Yamato's door to door parcel brand; generic shorthand for parcel delivery") started at Yamato Transport in the 1970s and remains the market leader, with Sagawa Express and Japan Post as the main competitors.¹² Residents use it for personal parcels, online orders, and suitcase forwarding between hotels or homes.¹

Full household moves are a separate product line and sit outside standard takkyubin size tables.²³ This guide covers the three majors plus the smaller players, with costs, windows, and sending flows.

Next day delivery is the normal mainland benchmark, with 2 day timing typical for long distance legs such as Hokkaido or Okinawa (as of 2026-09-06; confirm current timelines with each carrier's delivery date search).¹

The main carriers at a glance

Carriers differ on size caps, window counts, konbini networks, and English depth, so name the carrier with each rule in this guide. The table below compares the three majors; detail follows per carrier.

Point	Yamato Transport	Sagawa Express	Japan Post Yu-Pack
Product name	TA-Q-BIN	Hikyaku Express	Yu-Pack
Max standard size	Size 200, 30 kg2	160 cm, 30 kg; Large Size to 260 cm, 50 kg34	170 cm, 25 kg; Weighted to 30 kg5
Time windows	5 zones6	7 slots7	6 bands5
Konbini role	Drop off and pickup across major chains2	Sales offices and drivers; no konbini drop off equivalent3	Post offices plus handling konbini5
Tracking	English tracking by waybill number2	Status search by inquiry number3	Track and trace by label number5
Standard compensation	300,000 JPY2	300,000 yen3	300,000 yen; security option to 500,000 yen5

Discount structures shift by carrier and change on company schedules (as of 2026-09-06; confirm current discounts with each carrier's official pages).²⁴⁵

Discount	Detail	As of
Yamato drop off (agency, sales office, konbini)	100 JPY off per parcel2	2026-09-06
Yamato Kuroneko Members drop off (Neko-Pit or C2 waybill)	150 JPY off per parcel2	2026-09-06
Yamato Kuroneko Members e-money	10 percent, 15 percent BIG tier2	2026-09-06
Yamato digital (Neko-Pit or C2 issuance)	60 JPY off; not at agencies or konbini2	2026-09-06
Sagawa direct bring in	100 JPY off; excludes cash on delivery (as of 2026-09-06)4	2026-09-06
Yu-Pack bring in and bulk	To 180 JPY off (as of 2026-09-06)5	2026-09-06

Yamato Transport Kuroneko

Yamato is the largest parcel carrier by volume and runs the most extensive konbini pickup and drop off network, through sales offices, TA-Q-BIN agencies, convenience stores, PUDO stations, and apartment delivery lockers.² Standard TA-Q-BIN covers Size 60 to Size 200 with insurance to 300,000 JPY tax included.²

Size means the 3 side total in centimeters. When size or weight crosses a tier line, the greater tier applies.²

Drop parcels at the counter for an instant discount

Handing the parcel to a sales office, agency, or konbini instead of booking home pickup cuts 100 JPY per parcel on Yamato, or 150 JPY as a Kuroneko Member with a digital waybill.² Members add up to 15 percent off through e-money charge tiers (as of 2026-09-06).

Sagawa Express

Sagawa is the second largest carrier, strong on business shipments and oversized goods, with fewer consumer storefronts and no konbini drop off equivalent.³⁴ Standard 飛脚宅配便 (hikyaku takuhaibin, "Sagawa's door to door parcel product") covers to 160 cm and 30 kg, with Large Size Express to 260 cm and 50 kg.³⁴

Single items to 30 kg and 160 cm use standard charges. Multi parcel sets, items over 30 kg, or totals over 160 cm use Large Size charges, and the higher of the size and weight classification applies.⁴

Cool Express surcharges run 275 yen at 60 size, 330 yen at 80 size, 440 yen at 100 size, 880 yen at 140 size, and 1,320 yen in the to 140 cm 30 kg band, tax included (as of 2026-09-06).⁴

Japan Post Yu-Pack

ゆうパック (yū pakku, "Yu-Pack; Japan Post parcel product") moves through post offices and participating convenience stores, with home collection on request.⁵ Standard cover runs to 170 cm and 25 kg, with Weighted Yu-Pack adding 560 yen over base for 25 kg to 30 kg.⁵⁸

Tracking runs by label inquiry number, with compensation to 300,000 yen as a general rule and a separate declared value security path to 500,000 yen.⁵ Date specification runs within 10 days alongside six delivery time bands.⁵

Smaller players Seino and Fukuyama

Seino Transportation runs domestic parcel and express lines including Kangaroo Tokkyu-Bin Express and Kangaroo Mini-Bin Parcel, with tracking, pickup requests, and redelivery.⁹ You mostly meet Seino as a business or regional carrier rather than a konbini counter option.

Fukuyama Transporting runs parcel menus including takuhai and cool services, with public detail pages in Japanese only.¹⁰ Other logistics firms exist in directories, but residents rarely use them directly for personal parcels (limitation: secondary publisher characterization).¹

Costs and sizes

Fees move with size tier and origin to destination distance, and each carrier sets its own table. Use the bands below for planning, then confirm the exact yen in the carrier calculator before you pack.

How size tiers work

All three majors price by the greater of the 3 side total or the weight: Yamato 60 (2 kg) to 200 (30 kg), Sagawa 60 (2 kg) to 160 (30 kg) standard, Yu-Pack 60 to 170 (25 kg, 30 kg via Weighted).²⁴⁵⁸ Staff measure at the counter, so a borderline box moves up a tier when either total or weight crosses the line.

Typical domestic price bands

Typical domestic mainland personal parcel cost runs about 700 to 2,500 JPY by size and distance before surcharges and discounts (as of 2026-09-06; confirm current figures with each carrier's rate calculator).¹¹¹ The Japan Post Tokyo table anchors the band at 820 JPY for 60 size short haul and 2,500 JPY for 160 size mid haul.¹¹

Route example	Regular parcel under 10 kg	As of
Within Greater Tokyo	1,500 JPY1	2026-09-06
Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto	1,700 JPY1	2026-09-06
Tokyo to Kyushu or Hokkaido	2,100 JPY1	2026-09-06
Tokyo to Okinawa (regular parcel)	2,800 JPY1	2026-09-06

Suitcase class parcels over 20 kg or over 140 to 160 cm price materially higher and can fall into Large Size or Weighted tiers (as of 2026-09-06).⁴¹ Publisher examples put a suitcase under 25 kg at 3,200 JPY from Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto and 3,700 JPY from Tokyo to Kyushu or Hokkaido.¹

Measure the box before choosing the size tier

The tape measure at the counter decides the tier, not your estimate at home. A box 1 cm over the line pays the next band, so size down the packing or accept the higher fee before you queue.²⁴

Discounts and extra charges

Yamato drop off, member, digital, multi parcel (100 JPY per additional parcel, prepaid only), and sales office pickup discounts stack under stated conditions (as of 2026-09-06).² Sagawa direct bring in at 100 JPY and Yu-Pack bring in and bulk to 180 JPY are the parallel levers (as of 2026-09-06).⁴⁵

Refrigeration surcharges sit on top of base fees at Yamato Cool, Sagawa Cool Express, and Yu-Pack Chilled bands (as of 2026-09-06).¹²⁴⁸ Remote island transit fees can add on Sagawa routes (as of 2026-09-06).³

Speed and time window options

Speed follows route and cutoff, not a national promise. Check the carrier date search for your origin and destination pair before promising arrival day.

Typical mainland timelines

Next day is the normal mainland rhythm, with 2 day timing typical for long distance or specified remote legs (as of 2026-09-06; confirm current timelines with each carrier's delivery date search).¹ Specified date delivery is available on all three: Yamato date plus time zone, Yu-Pack date within 10 days, Sagawa scheduled options.²⁵³

Time of day windows

Window counts differ by carrier, so ignore any single national number. Yamato offers 5 no charge zones: 8:00 to 12:00, 14:00 to 16:00, 16:00 to 18:00, 18:00 to 20:00, and 19:00 to 21:00.⁶ Morning and evening bands carry same day reception cutoffs at the counter.

Sagawa offers 7 slots for individual destinations: morning 8:00 to 12:00, 12:00 to 14:00, 14:00 to 16:00, 16:00 to 18:00, 18:00 to 20:00, 18:00 to 21:00, and 19:00 to 21:00.⁷ Yu-Pack offers 6 bands: AM, around 12:00 to 14:00, around 14:00 to 16:00, around 16:00 to 18:00, around 18:00 to 20:00, and around 19:00 to 21:00.⁵

The old 4 window figure is outdated

Older summaries describe a standard 4 window offer, but current carrier pages show Yamato 5, Sagawa 7, and Yu-Pack 6. Count the carrier's own slots when you book.⁶⁷⁵

Sending and receiving as a resident

The resident flow is pack, label, drop off, track, and receive. Cutoffs are set per drop off counter, so the same parcel sent in the morning versus the evening lands on different days.²⁶

Sending from konbini, sales offices, and home pickup

Yamato accepts parcels via home pickup, agencies, sales offices, convenience stores, and delivery lockers, though parcels over Size 180 cannot go from some konbini.² Sagawa accepts via sales driver pickup and sales offices with a form per payment and service type, using multi parcel tags for sets.³

Yu-Pack accepts at post offices, participating konbini, and via collection service.⁵ Waybills need a detailed contents description, since missing detail can delay or block delivery on Yamato.² Packing is the sender's job on Sagawa, while Yamato publishes packing and material guides.³²

Receiving at home, konbini, and lockers

Yamato supports sales office pickup designation, temporary custody at sales offices, and konbini services, while Yu-Pack supports post office hold and preferred location forwarding on redelivery request.²⁵ Full redelivery mechanics live in the sibling redelivery guide; this article covers first attempt choices only.

Tracking a parcel

All three majors track by waybill or label inquiry number through English pages: Yamato English tracking, Sagawa status search, and Japan Post track and trace.²³⁵ Kuroneko Members can also get a delivery completion email within about one hour of completion.²

Documents and special services

Parcels and letters follow different rules. A parcel label does not make a sealed letter legal to ship.

Document delivery options

Takkyubin parcels cannot contain confidential correspondence that violates postal law; Yamato excludes confidential letters and points to ministry classification guidance.¹³ Yu-Pack likewise excludes correspondence except unsealed incidental notes such as content memos or invoices.⁵

For signature required flat documents, Japan Post Letter Pack Plus in A4 to 4 kg at a flat national rate goes face to face with receipt seal or signature, while Letter Pack Light goes to the mailbox (as of 2026-09-06; confirm current prices with Japan Post).¹⁴ Plus costs 600 yen and Light costs 430 yen nationwide, with no compensation coverage, domestic handling only, and no date specification.¹⁴

Cool and compact options

Yamato Cool TA-Q-BIN runs chilled equipment at 0 to 10 C and frozen at minus 15 C, with 6 hour pre cool for chilled and 12 hour for frozen, capped at Size 120 and 15 kg, and no konbini acceptance.¹² Yamato TA-Q-BIN Compact covers under Size 60 items in a dedicated box at 70 JPY tax included, insured to 30,000 JPY.¹⁵

Sagawa Cool Express runs to 140 cm and 30 kg with per size surcharges, while Japan Post Chilled Yu-Pack runs to 100 cm length and 150 cm total with per size surcharges for refrigerated goods only.⁴⁸ Cool parcels held after a failed Yamato attempt stay refrigerated or frozen at the sales office for 3 days including the attempt day.¹²

Option	Surcharge or box fee	As of
Yamato Compact dedicated box	70 JPY15	2026-09-06
Sagawa Cool 60 size	Base plus 275 JPY4	2026-09-06
Sagawa Cool 100 size	Base plus 440 JPY4	2026-09-06
Yu-Pack Chilled 60 size	Base plus 225 JPY8	2026-09-06
Yu-Pack Chilled 100 size	Base plus 675 JPY8	2026-09-06
Yu-Pack Chilled 140 size	Base plus 1,330 JPY8	2026-09-06

Do not send frozen food by Yu-Pack Chilled

Yu-Pack Chilled is refrigerated only, so frozen parcels need Yamato Cool frozen or a confirmed Sagawa frozen path. Sending frozen goods chilled risks spoilage and refusal.¹²⁸

English support and customer service

English entry points exist, but daily operation runs in Japanese. Plan on Japanese forms with English help on call.

Yamato online English availability

Yamato publishes English service, tracking, receiving, and FAQ pages, plus an English phone line at 0120-67-9625 and backup 03-6834-7503 from 8:00am to 9:00pm year round.²¹⁶ Kuroneko Members discount, office search, rate and date tools, and several detail pages are Japanese only, with English pages linking out as Japanese Only.²

The working pattern is Japanese first default with English entry points. At airports and sales offices, staff can call the English Customer Service Center for phone interpretation, while email form replies may arrive the next day depending on content and timing.¹⁶

Sagawa and Japan Post English paths

Sagawa publishes English service, fare notes, and branch search pages, though round trip SMART CLUB registration and some flows stay Japanese only.³⁴ Japan Post publishes English Yu-Pack, fee, Letter Pack, and tracking pages, while the fee calculator and delivery day search stay Japanese only.⁵¹¹¹⁴

Good to know

Konbini networks are not interchangeable

Yamato, Yu-Pack, and Sagawa each use different store chains and counter rules. Check the door sticker before carrying a parcel in, since Yamato works through konbini counters while Sagawa runs on sales offices and drivers and Yu-Pack runs through post offices plus handling konbini.²³⁵

Cutoff times decide next day or 2 day

Sending deadlines vary by sales office and counter, so the same parcel sent in the morning versus the evening lands on different days. Yamato states deadlines vary by office and publishes same day reception cutoffs per window, so ask the counter for today's last call.²⁶

Size is measured at the counter

The greater of dimension total or weight sets the tier on all three majors, so a borderline box tips into the next price band at the tape measure. Pack to fit the tier below, not exactly on its edge.²⁴⁵

Frozen shipping narrows the carrier choice

Yamato Cool covers chilled and frozen to Size 120, Sagawa Cool caps at 140 cm with surcharges, and Japan Post Chilled is refrigerated only. Confirm the frozen path before ordering perishables, since frozen food must not go Yu-Pack Chilled.¹²⁴⁸

See also

• Hanko and Signature for Delivery Receipts
• Mail-Forwarding at Move and Departure
• Japan Post (Yu-Pack): Letters and Parcels
• Redelivery (Saihaitatsu) and Locker Pickup in Japan

References

Footnotes

1. japan-guide.com. "Takuhaibin Delivery Services." https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

2. Yamato Transport. "TA-Q-BIN" (English service page). https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/takkyubin/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹

3. Sagawa Express. "Hikyaku Express" (English service page). https://www.sagawa-exp.co.jp/english/service/takuhai/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

4. Sagawa Express. "Notes on calculating fares, Hikyaku Express (Land/Air)" (English). https://www.sagawa-exp.co.jp/english/send/fare/attention.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸

5. Japan Post. "Yu-Pack (parcel)" (English service page). https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/you_pack/index_en.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³

6. Yamato Transport. "What are the specified delivery time zones?" (English FAQ 2870). https://faq-en.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/app/answers/detail/a_id/2870 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

7. Sagawa Express. "Delivery Time Selection Service" (English service page). https://www.sagawa-exp.co.jp/english/service/jikantai/ ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. Japan Post. "Domestic shipping fee list (parcel)" (English). https://www.post.japanpost.jp/send/fee/kokunai/parcel_en.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

9. Seino Transportation. English top page and Transportation Service pages. https://www.seino.co.jp/en and https://www.seino.co.jp/seino/en/service/domestic/express/ ↩

10. Fukuyama Transporting. Corporate service site (Japanese only; parcel service menu). https://www.fukutsu.co.jp/english/ ↩

11. Japan Post. "Basic shipping fee table (from Tokyo)" (English). https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/you_pack/charge/ichiran/13_en.html ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Yamato Transport. "Cool TA-Q-BIN" (English service page). https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/cool/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

13. Yamato Transport. "Dangerous and Prohibited Items" (English). https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/preparations/inability/ ↩

14. Japan Post. "Letter Pack" (English service page). https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/letterpack/index_en.html ↩ ↩² ↩³

15. Yamato Transport. "TA-Q-BIN Compact" (English service page). https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/services/compact/ ↩ ↩²

16. Yamato Transport. "Can I use Yamato Transport services even if I do not speak Japanese?" (English FAQ 3082). https://faq-en.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/app/answers/detail/a_id/3082 ↩ ↩²