Mail Redelivery

Mail is often delivered while you're at work, and so it's not unusual to come home to a slip of paper in your mailbox indicating somebody wants to give you something but you weren't around to get it.

However, never fear, as Japan has an amazing mail redelivery system that makes getting your mail whenever you want fairly painless. This system is in place not just with Japan Post, but also with special parcel carriers like Sagawa and Pelican.

Getting your mail redelivered will require you to either call someone or, in some cases, fill out a form online.

By Phone

The phone number to call is generally written pretty big on the non-delivery notice you receive in the mail.

Conversation

While it's hard to predict what people will say, here is a basic outline of what the talk should go like:

1. You - "I received a 'could not deliver' message" (不在連絡票が届いたのですが fuzai renraku-hyō ga totoita no desu ga)
2. Them - "What's the (package/notification) number on the paper?" (お荷物・送り状番号は何ですか? onimotsu/okurijō bangō wa nan desu ka?)
3. You - "0123456789..." (Number in Japanese. Note that it is common to use maru for zero, yon for 4, and nana for 7.)
4. Them - "What's your address?" (ご住所は何ですか? go-jūsho wa nan desu ka?)
5. You - "...address..."
6. Them - "When is good for you? Are you home now?" (いつ頃がよろしいですか? 今からうちにいますか? itsu goro ga yoroshii desu ka? ima kara uchi ni imasu ka?)
7. You - Time
   • "Yes, I'm here" (はい、います hai, imasu)
   • "No, I'm not there" (いいえ、いません iie, imasen)
   • "Can you deliver it tonight" (今日の夜に宅配してくれませんか? kyō no yoru ni takuhai shite kuremasen ka?)
8. Them - Time response
   • "OK" (はい hai)
   • "Tonight? How's between 7 and 9?" (今夜ですか? 今日の7時から9時までの間がよろしいですか? konya desu ka? kyō no shichi-ji kara ku-ji made no aida ga yoroshii desu ka?)
9. You - Acknowledge
10. Them - "OK, we'll deliver it <at the specific time>" (はい。～～にお届けます hai. ~~ ni o-todokemasu)
11. You - "Thank you. Goodbye." (ありがとうございます。失礼します。 arigatō gozaimasu. shitsurei shimasu)

Note: If you're asking for same day re-delivery within a certain time frame, they may ask for your phone number so they can call the driver and then call you back.

Automated

If you recieve the notice later (e.g. if you are late home or away for some reason so you don't get the notice until the next day etc) and have to call the automated phone number listed on your notice. If you're struggling with the Japanese, each step's info request will end with 'kudasai' and usually a beep to signal you should start typing numbers. Follow these steps:

1. Dial the phone number in red, if you have trouble with it try the one written in smaller red numbers underneath, one of them will work.
2. You'll be asked to first enter you phone number.
3. You'll then be asked to enter the 4 digit code written on your message of non-delivery notice (mine was written in red above the package tracking number).
4. Then, you'll have to punch in the 12 digit tracking number written on the notice.
5. Then, be careful with this part: just press 0, nothing else. This number represents the current month
6. Then it'll ask you for the day. Dial in the 2 digits (in the case of the 1st to the 9th, for example 5th: dial 05
7. Dial in the time of delivery. Your notice will have a list of numbers corresponding to times (between 12:00 and 14:00 = 2, between 14:00 and 16:00 = 3 etc), so just pick one and type it in.
8. The service will list the information you've entered, and ask you to press 1 to confirm, or 2 to re-enter it. After you press one it will thank you and you can hang up.

By Internet

Japan Post allows you to specify redelivery requests over the internet.

This section coming soon. Anyone should feel free to add the info :)