Send international mail from Japan by EMS.

For the first time, I had the opportunity to send international mail from Japan to overseas.

I just put it in an envelope in A4 and send it overseas, but it was my first time and I was confused, so I wrote it down.

Types of international deliveries

It is recommended that delivery should be selected according to one’s own use. In terms of types, the following are available

Japan Post

• Service: International mail (EMS, air, SAL, sea)
• Features:
  • EMS (Express Mail Service): fastest and traceable. Can be insured.
  • Airmail: slower than EMS, but less expensive.
  • SAL: cost-oriented, slower than airmail.
  • Sea mail: Cheapest, but can take weeks or months to deliver.
• Recommended use: EMS for important documents, air or SAL for smaller budgets

2. 民間宅配便

• Company: DHL、FedEx、UPS
• Features:
  • Fast and reliable. Tracking service included.
  • Delivery usually takes 1-5 days.
  • Higher costs, but ideal for corporate use and important documents.
• Recommended use: Urgent and important documents.

What is Express Mail Service EMS?

This time, I decided to use Yucho’s EMS. The reason is that it is a service that is familiar to me as this is the first time I have sent a package overseas and I could get a tracking service.

What is Express Mail Service EMS? This is summarised from the official website.

Express Mail Service (EMS) is an international postal service provided by Japan Post that allows letters, documents as well as parcels to be delivered quickly and safely to countries around the world EMS is a speed-oriented service that is highly reliable and is given priority over regular international mail.

Main features.

1. Speed
   • EMS can deliver packages to the destination country in the shortest possible time by airmail. Arrival time depends on the destination, but is usually within a few days.
2. Wide coverage
   • More than 120 countries and territories are covered worldwide, allowing packages to be sent to many destinations.
3. Tracking service
   • EMS comes with a tracking service that allows you to check the status of your package from dispatch to arrival via the internet. This gives you peace of mind that you know the current location and delivery status of your package.
4. Generous compensation scheme
   • EMS has a compensation scheme that applies in the event of loss or damage. The amount of compensation depends on the contents of the shipment and the declared value.

examples showing the use (of a word)

• Sending important documents and products to overseas business partners.
• Sending gifts and packages to family and friends living abroad.
• Delivering products purchased via internet shopping to overseas customers.

Notes.

• Prohibited goods and sending conditions vary from country to country and region to region.
• In some regions, customs procedures may take longer.

How do you send them?

Simply fill in the special EMS label at the post office and submit it with your package.
You can also create the label online in advance and bring it to the post office. I was able to send my package smoothly this way.

Create EMS-specific labels online.

Simply access https://www.post.japanpost.jp/intmypage/howto.html and follow the instructions to create a label.

Registering an account

Access Japan Post’s International Mail My Page Service. Create a free account and log in.

Labeling

1. Enter the required information
   • Sender information (name, address, contact details)
   • Destination information (name, address and contact details of the recipient)
   • Details of the contents (e.g. name, quantity, weight, price)
   • Preferred shipping method (e.g. EMS, international parcel, airmail, etc.)
2. Generation of barcoded labels
   • When the input is completed, a barcoded label is automatically generated.

Printing labels

Download the labels and print them on your printer. I don’t have a printer, so I used 7-Eleven’s online print service.

Bringing in the post office

Bring the printed labels and the package to be sent to the post office. Give each to the post office, which will paste and proceed with the procedure.

Beginner’s Guide

The Post Office also provides a beginners’ guide. Read through it before you prepare and send it.

Summary

International mail for documents is easy once you know how to do it.
Rates are reasonable, but there is a tracking service.

SAL is available for larger parcels, but be aware that after the Corona Disaster, transport routes were reduced and often stopped, so some countries are no longer able to send parcels.

As a side note, the first time I sent something, someone said, ‘I want to send this to my home country, Sri Lanka.’ And someone said, ‘I can’t send this because it falls under wall hangings.’ I saw someone who was told, ‘I can’t send this because it falls under the category of wall hangings.
It was a sparkly party mall, but, I remember that even something like that can be nixed if it falls under the terms and conditions.

It’s easy to send internationally, but you have to be careful because the terms and conditions differ between countries.