One of the strangest things about packages is that they always seem to arrive when you are not at home, usually in the middle of the day on weekdays. It can be frustrating to come home home and see one of those ‘package undelivered’ notices and then have to go through the hassle of getting the thing redelivered.
While getting a package redelivered has become a bit easier thanks to the English telephone option, it is recommended that learners try to master the Japanese webpage as the English-language phone call is charged at premium rate. By using the website you get to save money and revise/ learn your N2 kanji into the bargain!
If you are ready to try using the website, first head to the post office’s official site at http://www.post.japanpost.jp/. The homepage is a wall of kanji, but the ones you are looking for on the homepage are written as 再配達のお申し込み (Request a redelivery).
While it may seem intimidating, the first screen after clicking on the 再配達のお申し込み button is the only really tricky one. The first box that you have to fill in is about halfway down the screen after a long explanation in Japanese. It is marked with a red box and the number one. Under the number is a space where you need to insert your ZIP code/ postal code (郵便番号), then press the button to the right which will automatically find your address.
Box number two is a bit trickier. Depending on whether you have a tracking number (追跡番号 – Usually a 11/13-digit number) or a notice number (お知らせ番号 – usually a 6/8-digit number) on your slip, the place you insert your number is different. The left-hand box is for tracking numbers and the right is for notice numbers.
In box three, you have to choose the date the package WAS delivered to your house. This will be divided into months (~月) and days (~日). It should be written on the slip that was left in your postbox.
Section four is the trickiest one as it requires the receiver to put in the type of mail that was sent to you. If your mail had a tracking number (The 11/13-digit one), you want to check one of the options in the top box. If it’s a お知らせ番号, you need to check one in the lower box.
This is further subdivided into mail from Japan and mail from abroad. If you have a mail from Japan, click one of the boxes in the 郵便物 (Postal items) section. If your mail is coming from overseas, you will want to look in the 国際郵便物 (Foreign postal items) section for your item.
The type of mail you have been sent should be written on the slip that was dropped in your mail. If it was from overseas, it is most likely ‘国際小包・EMS’ (A small package from overseas/ EMS). Luckily, there is also a 不明 (Unknown) option just in case.
Finally, you will get to section 5 which is confusingly translated into English as ‘please select Direction (sic)’. This awkward phrase means that the person should select where they want to receive their mail. These are divided into:
• ご自宅等 ー one’s home
• ご近所様に配達 ー leave with one’s neighbor
• 勤務先に配達 ー deliver to one’s workplace
• 郵便局の窓口でお受け取り ー go to the post office in person to receive the mail
• 他の窓口でお受け取り ー have it sent to another post office for collection in person
From here, it gets a lot easier. When you click through to the next screen, you are shown a table which is divided with the dates from top to bottom and the times running left to right. The only tricky time is 午前中 (Sometime in the morning) as the others are all written in roman numerals.
After this, you are sent to a screen to insert your address and telephone number. Luckily this is written in English, so should be pretty self-explanatory. One good thing is that the post office has a function where, if you input your ZIP code and press the button next to it, it will predict your address.
After that you only have a couple of confirmation screens where you simply click on the furthest right button to get through and you are done.
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Hello! I’ve been having some difficulties with the first step, since the button on the right automatically opens up a second window. Although I can put in my address after going through a few steps, the information doesn’t transfer back to the main window. Perhaps there’s a “submit” button somewhere on the page, but my Japanese isn’t good enough to make sense of it. Any ideas?
Maybe you can try another Japan post tracking site, it’s simple:
https://www.trackingmore.com/japan-post-tracking.html