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Package delivery in Japan: how to request redelivery in English with Yamato and Japan Post, the time slots and cutoffs, pickup rules and lockers.
If a courier missed you in Japan, you can request redelivery in English. Yamato has a toll-free automated line, 0120-17-9625, open 24 hours. Japan Post has an English line, 0570-046-111, daily 8:00 to 21:00. Yamato holds a parcel for one week after the attempt; its time slots run from morning to 19:00-21:00, with same-day cutoffs such as 12:40 for afternoon slots. Information is as of October 2026.
For package delivery in Japan, if a courier left a notice because nobody was home, you can ask for redelivery in English. As of October 2026, Yamato Transport (ヤマト運輸, “Kuroneko”) has a toll-free automated line, 0120-17-9625, open 24 hours, and Japan Post (日本郵便) has an English line, 0570-046-111, daily 8:00 to 21:00. Yamato holds the parcel for one week after the attempt.
The notice (不在連絡票, fuzai renrakuhyō) tells you which courier came and your tracking number. You do not need Japanese to act on it if you know where to look.
Yamato’s own English pages disagree on which key means “same day,” so follow the spoken menu. The driver’s direct number is also on the notice, but Yamato says it may not be answered while driving and may not be in English.
Yamato’s slots and same-day request cutoffs for standard TA-Q-BIN parcels (as of October 2026):
| Slot | Phone key | Request by (same day) |
|---|---|---|
| No preference | 0 | n/a |
| Before noon | 1 | 7:00 |
| 14:00-16:00 | 2 | 12:40 |
| 16:00-18:00 | 3 | 12:40 |
| 18:00-20:00 | 4 | 17:40 |
| 19:00-21:00 | 5 | 17:40 |
For cash-on-delivery and credit-card parcels, Yamato says the delivery destination cannot be changed.
Japan Post’s redelivery page is offered in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean and Portuguese. Online requests work only for redelivery to your home. For any other place, use the call center or collect the item at a post office counter. The call center is 0570-046-111, daily 8:00 to 21:00, chargeable, and it does not work from PHS or some IP phones.
To collect at the post office, call first (Japanese only, per Japan Post), then bring the notice, ID showing your current address (driver’s license or health insurance card) and your name seal. Japan Post also publishes a translation tool, Yubisashi, with English phrases for redelivery requests. See our Japan Post guide.
Yamato lets you collect at a sales office. Check tracking first: the status must show the parcel is waiting for pickup. Bring the tracking-number document and an ID such as a residence card, driver’s license, health insurance card, student ID or passport. A family member needs their own ID; a friend or other agent needs your ID (copies are accepted). If not collected within one week of arrival, a parcel may be returned to the sender.
For a delivery locker at home, write “Please deliver to delivery locker” in the Notes of Yamato’s inquiry form. Depending on the locker, parcel type and size, some parcels may still be delivered to your home. Japan Post lists はこぽす lockers at post offices, convenience stores and stations. We did not confirm convenience-store pickup rules or holding days, so check the app or the courier’s page.
Yamato added leave-at-location delivery (置き配, okihai) for its standard and Compact parcels on June 10, 2024, according to a trade-press report. Members of its app can choose a front door, delivery box or shed and see a photo afterward, with no signature needed. Japan Post lists 置き配 as well. If you rent, check your building’s rules first.
About 8.3% of parcels from the six biggest carriers needed redelivery in October 2025, according to a ministry survey reported in trade press: 9.5% in urban areas, 7.7% in suburbs and 6.7% in rural areas. That is why the notices are everywhere, and why locker and door-drop options exist.
Related: hanko (name seals) for foreigners and changing your address when you move.
For Yamato, call the toll-free automated line 0120-17-9625 (24 hours) with the 12-digit waybill number from the yellow notice. For Japan Post, use the English redelivery page (home delivery only) or call 0570-046-111, 8:00 to 21:00.
Before noon, 14:00-16:00, 16:00-18:00, 18:00-20:00 and 19:00-21:00. For same-day redelivery of a TA-Q-BIN parcel, request by 7:00 (morning), 12:40 (14:00-16:00 and 16:00-18:00) or 17:40 (18:00-20:00 and 19:00-21:00).
Yamato holds a parcel at its sales office for up to one week from the date on the notice (food and perishables excluded); Cool TA-Q-BIN is held up to three days. Japan Post's period depends on the slip, so check the date on the notice.
Yes. With Yamato, choose pickup at a sales office and bring the tracking-number document and ID such as a residence card, driver's license or passport. With Japan Post, call first, then bring the notice, ID showing your current address and your name seal.
Yes. With Yamato, write “Please deliver to delivery locker” in the Notes of its inquiry form (some parcels may still go to your home). Japan Post lists はこぽす lockers at post offices, convenience stores and stations. Availability depends on the parcel type and your area.
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