Japan travel · Phone guide
How to arrange parcel redelivery in Japan when you don't speak Japanese
You got back to the hotel and found a slip in the mailbox, all in Japanese — a parcel came while you were out. Here's how to read that slip, why the QR code is your fastest route, and the exact Japanese phrases for arranging a redelivery by phone when you'd rather just talk to a person.
Japan delivers to your hand. Miss the courier and you don't get a "leave at door" — you get a 不在連絡票 (fuzai renrakuhyō), a missed-delivery slip, almost entirely in Japanese. The good news: you usually don't need to call at all. The slip has a QR code, and the carriers have apps and websites. The call is for when the automated line loses you, or you want a person to pin down a time, a place, or a front-desk handoff.
Try the QR code first — the phone is the backup
There are two walls here. One is the slip and the automated systems — mostly Japanese, asking you to type a tracking number and pick a time slot. The other is talking to a person — also in Japanese. Scan the QR code on the slip before anything else: Yamato and Japan Post both have English redelivery pages. If the page can't do what you need — a hotel front-desk drop, a changed address, a "what's the latest you can deliver" — that's when you call, and that's the wall Yovoca translates. We don't plug into any carrier's system or arrange the delivery for you; we just make the call work.
When a phone call is the fastest way
- The slip is unreadable and you're not sure which carrier. A person can read the tracking number back and confirm who has your parcel. (Yamato prints English under each Japanese line; Sagawa and Japan Post slips are harder.)
- The automated phone line is all Japanese. All three carriers have 24-hour or long-hours auto-reception — but it's Japanese-only, and it asks you to key in a number and choose a slot by ear.
- You want something off-menu — deliver to your hotel's front desk, change the address, pick it up at the branch, or "what's the latest you can bring it today?"
- A front-desk or host handoff — confirming the hotel will sign for it and whose name to use, or arranging it with a guesthouse host who isn't always there.
- The hold period is almost up. Carriers keep a parcel about a week (around 7 days) before returning it to sender — when it's close, a call settles it fastest.
What to say on the call
Polite ます/です form. Slots in Japan are fixed windows, not exact times — say the window. Fill in your own details where you see a placeholder like [number].
Asking for a redelivery
Picking a time slot
Where and how to get it
The three carriers
Find the logo or name on your slip, then use that carrier's route. The website or app is usually the calmest path; the phone is there when it isn't.
Yamato (Kuroneko)
The friendliest slip — English under each Japanese line. Scan the QR or use the website/app; there's also a 24-hour automated phone line, but it's in Japanese and wants your slip number.
Sagawa
Call the number printed on your slip — it routes to the local branch and changes per parcel. English support is the most limited of the three, so this is where a live translator earns its keep. Branch pickup needs the slip plus your ID.
Japan Post
Scan the slip's QR or use the tracking site — it has an English redelivery page (delivers back to your own address only). There's a paid English phone line, 0570-046-111, if you'd rather talk.
Good to know
Find your number
The slip has an inquiry number (6–8 digits) and a tracking number (11–13 digits). Both the automated line and the website ask for one of them.
Slots are windows
Typical windows: morning (about 8–12), then 14–16, 16–18, 18–20, 19–21. Same-day cutoffs are early evening and vary by carrier — say "today if possible" and let them confirm.
Hotel & host pickup
A hotel can often take the parcel at the front desk — ask them first and confirm whose name it's under. For a guesthouse with no desk, settle it by phone with the host.
About a week to claim
Parcels are held roughly 7 days before going back to the sender. Don't sit on the slip — arrange it the day you find it if you can.
When the slip wins
Talk to the courier, in your own language.
When the QR page can't do it and the automated line is all Japanese, Yovoca translates the call live. You speak English; the courier hears natural Japanese, and their reply comes back to you — so you can fix a time, a place, or a front-desk drop. Join the waitlist and reserve your founding line.
Yovoca translates the call. It doesn't plug into any carrier or arrange the delivery for you.
Frequently asked
I missed a delivery in Japan — what do I do?
You'll have a missed-delivery slip (不在連絡票) in your mailbox. Fastest is to scan the QR code on it — Yamato and Japan Post have English redelivery pages. If you'd rather talk to a person, or the page can't do what you need, call the carrier; arrange it within about a week before it goes back to the sender.
How do I arrange redelivery of a parcel in Japan?
Three ways: the QR code / website, the automated phone line (Japanese, asks for your tracking number and a time slot), or a live call to a person. Identify the carrier from the slip, have your tracking number ready, and pick one of the fixed time windows.
My delivery slip is all in Japanese — how do I read it?
Look for the tracking number (11–13 digits) or inquiry number (6–8 digits) — you'll need one to redeliver. Yamato slips print English under the Japanese. If you can't tell which carrier it is, a quick call with the number read aloud sorts it out.
Is the redelivery phone line in English?
Mostly it's a Japanese automated line. Japan Post has a paid English line (0570-046-111); Sagawa's foreign-language support is the most limited. For a phone-only branch or an off-menu request, a live call translator bridges the gap.
How long will they hold my parcel before returning it?
Roughly a week (around 7 days), after which it goes back to the sender. Arrange the redelivery as soon as you find the slip.
Does Yovoca arrange the redelivery for me?
No. Yovoca helps you make the call and translates it live — it doesn't plug into any carrier's system, fill in their website, or schedule the delivery for you. When the website or app can do it (Yamato and Japan Post have English pages), you may not need to call at all.