Moving To Japan

We serve a wide range of areas throughout Japan. From 1 m3 to up to 40 ft containers, we handle a wide range of items including pianos and automobiles. If you need time to find a place of residence in Japan, we can keep your items at our storage facilities. Please feel free to inquire about our destination rates.

What to prepare upon entry to Japan

After arriving in Japan, shipper/consignee is requested to send the documents Item A, Item B, and Item C as listed below to our mailing address: 4-6-11 Nishiogiminami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0053.You can send the above required documents through a post office using a 80 yen stamp.You can write our mailing address in English, as it does not always need to be written in Japanese.

Unacompanied Articles Custom Form

On every incoming flight to Japan, the flight attendants will provide you with a custom form upon your request. People moving to Japan is strictly required to fill out this form. Please be careful, as flight attendants do not always give you the form and you may have to request it. The form must be stamped at customs upon entering a Japanese international airport.We need this original form duly stamped at customs, as it details any unacompanied personal effects for tax-free import. Even if you have new, unused items, you can import those items without paying tax or duty as long as their estimated price is less than JPY200,000 per person (approx. US$1,700).

Should you have a car, motorbike, or piano, these items should be declared on this custom form. If the consignee fails to get this form stamped by customs, the consignee will be requested to pay 8% consumption tax (like GST) against any new items. At the import custom clearence on the Japan side, all packages must go through an X-ray inspection machine, and some of them will be opened. It will not be a mere documentart custom clearence but a 100% inspection, which will be required on the Japan side.

Passport Copy

1. A Face page (passport number must appear clearly)
2. A Page with an entry landing stamp by immigration
3. Either a visa for entry to Japan or an eligible letter

Bringing Pets to Japan

OTHER INFORMATION

Plant

Importing plants, fresh fruits, and vegetables into Japan is prohibited.

Prohibited Districts	Main Prohibited Articles		Pests and Diseases
Europe, the Middle and Near East, Africa, Australia, Brazil, etc	All fresh fruits (excluding pineapple, coconut, and green banana), walnut in shell, etc.		Mediterranean fruit fly, codling moth
USA (excluding Hawaii), Canada, New Zealand, etc.	Fresh fruits such as apple, pear, peach, plum, sweet cherry ; walnut in shell; wheat and barley straw, etc.		Codling moth, hessian fly
Hawaii	All fresh fruits(excluding pineapple, coconut, green banana; papaya with a phytosanitary certificate for Japan).		Mediterranean fruit fly, oriental fruit fly, melon fly
China, India, Iran, Myanmar, etc.	Fresh fruits such as apple, pear, peach, plum, sweet cherry ; walnut in shell; etc.		Codling moth
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Guam, Saipan, etc.	Fresh citrus fruits (ponkan, tankan, lime, etc.), plum, papaya, longan, lychee, carambola, guava, avocado, rambutan, mango, starapple, sapodilla, eugenia, mangosteen, eggplant, tomato, capsicum, watermelon, cucumber, momordica, pumpkin, etc. and ripe banana.		Oriental fruit fly, melon fly
Tahiti, Easter Island, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, etc.	Fresh citrus fruits, papaya, carambola, guava, avocado, passion fruit, mango, eugenia, annona, kiwi fruit, date plum, ripe banana.		Queensland fruit fly

Besides the above, some plants with roots or underground parts are prohibited entry from the USA　(including Hawaii), because of citrus burrowing nematode disease. Rice plants, rice straw, rice husk, and rice in the husk from all countries (excluding the Korean peninsula and Taiwan) are prohibited due to possibilites of injurious pests and diseases.

Tax

Free Tax Table

Articles	Unit	Qty	Remarks
Arcoholic beverages	Bottle	3	1. Only for persons 20 years of age or older. 2. About 760 cc is to be considered one bottle.
Cigarettes	Pcs	400	1. Only for persons of 20 years of age or older. 2. If the combined weight of cigarettes, cigars, and other tabaccos does not exceed 500 grams, these may also be admissible free of duty
Cigars	Pcs	100	Same as above.
Other Tabacco	Gram	500	Same as above.
Perfume	Ounce	2	-
Other articles	-	Market value of over 200,000 yen	-

Duty Exceeding Chart

Whisky	600 yen /bottle (750cc)
Brandy	560 yen /bottle (750cc)
Gin, vodka,rum, or other	375 yen /bottle (750cc)
Wine or other	150 yen /bottle (750cc)
Leather, handbags, and golf bags	15%
Cigarettes	5.50 yen/cigarette

Car

After the vehicle has cleared customs, it must go through battery tests and conversions to ensure that the vehicle is fit for use on Japanese roads. Those tests and conversions include the following:

GAS TEST

Done to determine what type of fuel was used in the vehicle prior to importation to Japan as well as which fuel sold in Japan will be suitable.
This test also determines what type of equipment must be removed and installed in the vehicle so that it may safely use Japanese fuels.

CONVERSION

After the Gas Test determines the various factors pertaining to the vehicles fuel use, the proper alterations are made.

SUPPLEMENTAL

After all alterations are made, the vehicle undergoes another series of tests to ensure that all equipment has been installed properly and that there is no leakage of fuel.

• The above test and inspection take about 5 days to a week.

After the conversion and inspection have been completed, the vehicle has to be registered. At this time, the vehicle is subject to the following taxation and fees:

1. Vehicle tax
2. Weight tax
3. Proof of adequate parking facilities fee
4. Registration fee
5. Insurance fee

In sum, these taxes and fees amount to approximately 10%-12% of the vehicles value.

*Registration takes approximately 1 week. In total, after customs clearance, the vehicle can be used in Japan after about 2-3 weeks.