Can I ship it from Japan? Item-by-item guides
One page per item people ask about most. Each gives a short, reviewed answer and then shows Japan Post's actual rules: the carrier-wide ones that apply everywhere, and every destination that has its own rule for the item. An item no rule names has no specific rule, which is not the same as being cleared; the ShipMate GO app checks the exact product before anything is booked.
Can I ship perfume from Japan?
No. Japan Post refuses perfume and fragrance to every destination, by EMS, airmail and surface mail alike, because the alcohol base is a flammable liquid. Fragrance oils and mists are listed separately and accepted only when their flash point is above 60°C.
Read the guideCan I ship lithium batteries from Japan?
Only under conditions. Japan Post accepts lithium batteries only when they are installed in the device they power, within its watt-hour and quantity limits, and to destinations on its lithium list. Loose or spare batteries, and batteries packed alongside a device, cannot be sent, and some destinations refuse battery devices altogether. Whether your product qualifies is decided per item.
Read the guideCan I ship alcohol (sake, whisky) from Japan?
It depends on the destination and the strength. Japan Post's carrier-wide rule accepts alcoholic beverages only up to 24% ABV and under packing conditions. On top of that, some destinations prohibit alcohol by post, among them the United States, Canada and Brazil, while others such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and South Korea list it as conditional.
Read the guideCan I ship instant noodles from Japan?
Mostly no specific rule, with exceptions. Most of the destinations Japan Post publishes rules for do not single out instant noodles, but a handful list noodles in their own import rules, several of them as prohibited by post, and Australia lists noodles alongside dairy and egg products as conditional. The seasoning matters too: sachets containing meat, egg or dairy fall under those destinations' animal-product rules. No rule is not a statement that they can be sent.
Read the guideCan I ship meat (wagyu, jerky) from Japan?
Mostly no. Most destinations that have a meat rule prohibit meat and meat products by post, including the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand; Australia prohibits raw meat. A few, such as Singapore and the Netherlands, accept it only with a quarantine or veterinary certificate.
Read the guideCan I ship medicine from Japan?
Only under conditions, nearly everywhere. Japan Post accepts medicines and quasi-drugs only under conditions, typically personal-use quantities with documentation. Several destinations, among them Norway, Cyprus and the Czech Republic, prohibit medicines by post, and many more refuse particular kinds, such as unlabelled or unregistered medicines. Narcotics and psychotropic substances are refused to every destination.
Read the guideCan I ship cosmetics from Japan?
Only under conditions. Japan Post lists cosmetics as conditional to every destination and refuses the flammable kinds outright, among them perfume, aerosol sprays and nail polish; nail polish remover is accepted only without acetone and with a flash point above 60°C. Some destinations add their own import conditions on top, and a few, among them Turkey, prohibit cosmetics by post.
Read the guideCan I ship hair spray from Japan?
No. Japan Post refuses hair spray and every pressurised aerosol can to every destination, because the can is a pressurised, flammable container. Non-aerosol pump sprays, gels and waxes fall under the cosmetics rule instead, which is conditional.
Read the guideCan I ship lighters from Japan?
No. Japan Post refuses oil lighters and gas lighters to every destination, and several destinations, among them Canada, France, Hong Kong and Singapore, list lighters in their own import rules as well. Matches are refused too.
Read the guideCan I ship coffee from Japan?
Usually as a packaged food, with some destinations setting their own rule. Most of the destinations Japan Post publishes rules for do not single out coffee; around twenty do, typically capping coffee at 5 kg per parcel sent to an individual, treating green (unroasted) beans as seeds under plant quarantine, or prohibiting coffee outright. Elsewhere the destination's general food rules apply. No rule is not a statement that it can be sent.
Read the guide
Looking for a destination instead?
Every destination page lists Japan Post's full import rules for that country, and one shared page lists the items Japan Post refuses to every destination.
Not sure about a specific item?
This page lists Japan Post's rules. The ShipMate GO app checks your actual item against them, asks the one or two questions a conditional rule needs, and tells you the outcome before anything is charged. Sending a parcel from Japan? Booking is free and you pay once, after weighing. Shopping from abroad with Shop for Me? Anything that can't ship is dropped from your order before you pay for the goods.
Reading this as a program? Each guide has a Markdown twin at the same URL plus .md (for example https://www.shipmate.jp/en/can-i-ship/{item}.md), and site-wide guidance for agents is at /llms.txt.