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Japanese post offices provide a range of services and are open from 9 am to 5pm on weekdays, some large post offices are also open on Saturdays, but only Tokyo International Post Office and Tokyo Central Post Office are open on Sundays. Post boxes are red. Most post offices have cash machines that accept international cards.

A well-established alternative postal system is the door-to-door courier service called Takuhaibin. This service usually provides next-day delivery, is moderate in price, and is designed to ship most types of parcels and boxes, as well as sports equipment, clothes, luggage and food stuffs. You may arrange a pick-up via a local service centre or from your hotel.

One thing you will quickly notice when travelling around Tokyo is that, with the exception of major roads, Japanese streets do not have names. Instead towns and cities are divided into blocks and sub-areas. Japanese addresses therefore start with the post code, followed by the prefecture, city and sub-area, with the person’s name at the end. If written in English, the address follows the western format, starting with the person’s name, with the prefecture and post code at the end.

Japanese post offices provide mail forwarding services to and from international destinations, simply fill out the appropriate form at your local branch.