Ship cargo, machinery or household goods from the USA to Japan

It depends on the US origin, the container size, the commodity, and whether collection is needed. The transpacific lane is high-volume with frequent sailings, which helps. Because we are a direct NVOCC rather than a broker, the rate you get is the carrier rate rather than a resold one. Get a free quote in 24 to 48 hours.

Book direct with the carrier and fill the container. Ocean freight is charged on the box, so an underfilled container is money spent on air. If you cannot fill one, ask about consolidation, which splits the cost between shipments rather than making you pay for space you are not using.

Usually because they are broker quotes that get revised once booked, or they exclude collection, loading, or the export filing. Ask any cheaper quote in writing what is included and who issues the bill of lading. If they cannot issue one in their own name, they are reselling somebody else's space.

It scales with distance from the seller or facility to our loading warehouse in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston, or Baltimore. West Coast origins often route differently from East Coast ones on the transpacific lane, so where the cargo starts affects more than just the trucking bill.

It depends on volume and weight rather than a rule. A 20ft suits dense heavy cargo that would hit the weight limit before filling a 40ft. A 40ft suits bulky lighter cargo. Send us the dimensions and weight and we will tell you which is cheaper for what you are actually moving.

Import duty where applicable, consumption tax, port handling, your customs broker's fee, and inland delivery. These are charged in Japan. Our quote covers the US side and the ocean leg to the port of discharge.

Japan Customs states that for passengers who have been abroad more than one year, or who plan to stay in Japan more than one year, articles imported within six months of entry are free of duty. The goods must be your used personal and household effects rather than new items or goods for sale.

It is the Declaration of Accompanied Articles and Unaccompanied Articles, the form that establishes your duty-free status. C-5360-B is the English version for non-Japanese residents. Without a stamped copy, your household shipment is treated as ordinary commercial cargo and taxed accordingly. It is the most important piece of paper in a Japanese relocation.

At the moment you enter Japan, not afterwards. Japan Customs requires two copies of the written declaration to be submitted at the time of your entry, one of which is returned to you with the customs officer's seal. Japan Customs states plainly that you cannot declare it after entry. Do it at the airport.

Japan Customs states that unaccompanied baggage must be in your custody within six months after your arrival. That clock starts when you land, not when the container sails, so plan the shipping schedule around your arrival date rather than the other way round.

You need to have entered Japan and obtained the stamped declaration before the goods can clear on the duty-free basis, since the stamped copy is presented at clearance. In practice that means arriving first, or at minimum coordinating carefully. Tell us your travel dates at quote stage and we will time the sailing around them.

Japan Customs states that when the value of dutiable goods exceeds three hundred thousand yen, customs procedures for commercial cargo are required. Simplified duty rates are generally applied to the excess amount in most cases. Give us and your broker an honest inventory rather than hoping it goes unnoticed.

Yes, full container load commercial cargo from any US origin is routine on this lane. Tell us the commodity, weight and volume and we will quote it. Japan's ports are among the most efficient we deal with, which makes schedules more predictable than on many routes.

Yes. Depending on size and weight we ship containerised, on flat-rack, or by heavy haulage, with dismantling and securing where the dimensions require it. Send us the make, model and transport dimensions and we will work out the most economical method.

Consolidation is available on request. For smaller commercial shipments it is often considerably cheaper than paying for a full container you cannot fill. Tell us the volume and weight and we will advise whether consolidation or a 20ft container works out better.

Japan strictly prohibits bringing in meat, meat products, plants and plant products. Rice is limited to 100 kilograms per calendar year. There are also controls under CITES and other regimes. Send us the full commodity list early, because a single restricted item can hold an entire container.

It complicates clearance considerably, because the two are treated under different regimes. Japan Customs distinguishes clearly between personal-use articles and commodities or commercial samples, which are subject to duty and tax. Keep them separate unless there is a strong reason not to, and tell us if you must combine them.

Yes, by flat-rack, breakbulk or heavy haulage depending on the piece. Lead times are longer than for standard containers because suitable sailings are less frequent and loading requires more coordination. Plan further ahead than you would for a normal booking.

Yes. Japan drives on the left but does not require steering conversion for imported vehicles, which is why left-hand-drive American cars are seen on Japanese roads. That is unusual among right-hand-drive countries and it removes the largest cost barrier that affects other markets.

Japan Customs states that for automobiles used before entry, the same procedure as for import declaration of general cargoes is required. You submit three copies of the household effects duty exemption application for automobiles, together with a document such as a registration certificate proving the vehicle has been used, and proof of your entry to Japan.

Yes, and it is significant. Japan Customs states that automobiles are free of duty on the condition that they are neither resold nor given to another person within two years from the date of the import permission. If you intend to sell the car after arriving, that condition changes your position entirely.

Japan does not operate the kind of blanket age cap that many markets apply, which makes classic and older vehicles more viable here than in most destinations. What does apply is the technical inspection regime at registration, which is demanding. Confirm the registration path with your agent before shipping.

Our core service is containerised export, which protects the vehicle and allows consolidation with other cargo or household goods. For a relocation in particular, containerising the car alongside your effects can simplify the shipment. Tell us what you are moving and we will advise honestly.

Yokohama and Tokyo serve the Kanto region, Kobe and Osaka serve Kansai, and Nagoya serves the Chubu manufacturing belt. The right choice follows the inland destination rather than which port is largest. Tell us the delivery address rather than the port.

Our warehouses in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston and Baltimore all serve this lane, though transpacific routings behave differently from Atlantic ones. Which loading point suits depends on where the cargo originates and which service is running at the time.

The transpacific lane is high-frequency and generally predictable, though transit depends on the US loading port, the carrier's schedule and any transshipment. Breakbulk and flat-rack cargo takes longer because suitable sailings are less frequent. We give a concrete timeline with the quote.

Our service ends at the port of discharge. Inland delivery is arranged by your Japanese customs broker, who is also handling clearance. Tell us the final destination anyway, since it decides which port makes sense for the ocean leg.

We handle the US side, including the filing in the Automated Export System, known as AES or EEI. You provide the commercial invoice, packing list and ownership documents as applicable. Japanese import duty, consumption tax and clearance are handled at destination by your customs broker.

No. Clearance is handled by a licensed customs broker in Japan. We are the ocean carrier, we deliver to the port of discharge, and we provide the documentation your broker needs. For relocations in particular, a broker who knows the household effects regime is worth having.

We are the NVOCC. Cassandra Logistics is a federally licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary under FMC license OTI No. 025125NF, legally Royal Port Container Lines, Inc. DBA Cassandra Logistics. The licence number is public and verifiable with the Federal Maritime Commission before you send anyone money.