How to Relocate Your Household & Pets to Japan

Jump right in:

• Moving and shipping household goods
• What to pack when moving to Japan
• Customs regulations for Japan
• Prohibited and restricted items in Japan
• Bringing a car to Japan
• Vaccinations and health requirements for Japan
• Moving to Japan with pets

Moving and shipping household goods

Given its geographical location as an island, Japan can only be reached by two means of transportation — air freight or cargo ship. Air freight, though more costly, is a faster means considering your belongings can arrive the same day you do. Cargo ships are cheaper but take several months.

Before arrival to Japan, prepare detailed paperwork itemizing everything you’ve packed. Include purchase receipts of your belongings, for example expensive electronics like laptops and televisions. This proves the items are for personal use rather than resale.

What to Pack when Moving to Japan Japan is a highly developed nation with many modern conveniences and international goods. With a growing population of foreigners, it’s becoming increasingly easier to find some of your favorite brands from around the globe, especially in Japan’s major cities.

That being said, there are a few items you might want to bring to Japan with you, especially if you use them often:

• aspirin
• Tums (or similar type of antacid)
• over-the-counter cold medicine

Other items you may want to bring are favorite lotions or sun cream. It’s not that Japan doesn’t have these, but finding ones without skin whitening agents may be difficult. Likewise, significantly tall expats may want to bring extra pants and shoes as these will also be a bit harder to find in Japan.

Customs regulations for Japan

Because Japan is a small, crowded island nation, expats will face stricter customs regulations than they would if moving to Europe or North America. This is because infectious diseases can spread easily throughout the country, and the Japanese government takes every step to avoid this.

When importing your goods and belongings into Japan, you must declare them to the Japan Customs Office. You can easily declare your belongings electronically through the following steps:

1. Create a detailed personal list of ALL items
2. Prepare purchase receipts
3. Visit Japan Web
4. Register your information
5. Fill out the customs declaration form C5360-B
6. A QR code is created and should be scanned at the customs inspection gate
7. Wait for goods to be cleared by customs

Note that the detailed list should contain both belongings that are with you and items that are shipped unaccompanied. If the goods are traveling separately from you, you must be physically present to claim the items and clear the goods from customs.

Remember to have proof that the goods have been in your possession for at least six months. It should be clear that they are not for sale. This declaration process of personal effects is duty free.

See more about customs regulations in Japan.

Prohibited and restricted items in Japan

Some of Japan’s strictly prohibited items will not come as much of a surprise. Such items include:

• narcotics and related instruments;
• firearms;
• ammunition;
• explosive devices and gunpowder;
• counterfeit goods and money;
• medicines containing pseudoephedrine (like nasal decongestants);
• obscene materials.

Items that are restricted by Japanese customs include:

• certain agricultural and meat products (as there are heavy restrictions and inspections required)
• no more than one month’s supply of medicines that are prescription drugs
• no more than two-month’s supply of medicines that are non-prescription drugs (this may even include items such as shampoos, hair dye, toothpaste, and other toiletries)
• no more than 24 units of cosmetic products
• up to three bottles of alcoholic beverages (up to 760 ml per bottle)
• 200 cigarettes
• 2 oz. of perfume
• any single item whose price exceeds 200,000 JPY (approx. 1,300 USD)

Keep in mind that any false declarations can incur substantial punishment. In addition to your customs form, you’ll need the following documents in order to claim your goods:

• your passport
• Japanese visa
• waybill
• purchase receipt
• an itemized list in English (a Japanese version is also helpful)

Bringing a car to Japan

Before you start the process of shipping your car to Japan, keep in mind that Japanese drivers drive on the left side of the road. If you have a car meant for right-side driving, then you may want to reconsider bringing it.

When a vehicle arrives in Japan, the shipping company notifies customs. Your car will be imported duty free if you can prove the following:

• the vehicle belongs to your household effects
• you’ve owned the car for at least 12 months prior to your move
• you possess Japanese residency or intend to get Japanese residency

Once the car arrives in Japan, it may not be sold for two years.

As Japan is a country strongly dedicated to improving its air quality, all cars must meet Japanese emissions and safety regulations. If a car does not meet these regulations, you’ll be obligated to cover the costs to alter the car.

To claim your car, you must present the following documents:

• passport
• customs form C 5360-2 or 5360
• Japanese residence card
• driver’s license
• vehicle identification number
• purchase deed
• vehicle registration number

Home goods storage

Depending on the circumstances of your move to Japan, you should know the long- and short-term storage options in the country. Long-term storage is ideal for those who do not intend on being in Japan long enough to move all of their belongings into their new Japanese home, but they also don’t want to sell all that they have accumulated over time.

Short-term storage is best for those who intend on staying in the country for at least a few years but want to spend their first month or two finding the perfect accommodation.

In Japan, there are many storage options. No matter if you’re moving to one of the major cities such as Tokyo or Kyoto, or out in the rural countryside, there are a variety of storage solutions ranging from small lockers to units that can fit a multi-bedroom home. You will find that many self-storage facilities may be operated by real estate companies.

One aspect that may be surprising about storage units in Japan is that the majority are unmanned. You’ll also need to book most of them through their online website. Prices will vary depending on your needs and location. Average prices range from 500 JPY per day to nearly 5,000 JPY per month (approx. 3–33 USD) for the cheapest units to upwards of 20,000 JPY per month (approx. 130 USD) for a medium-sized unit.

Vaccinations and health requirements for Japan

The vaccinations required for Japan are standard throughout most developed countries. On average, the country is very medically safe for foreigners and there are no health requirements for immigration into Japan other than not being a carrier of a hugely infectious disease such as Ebola or tuberculosis.

Expats should be aware that although health standards in the country are high, Japan does experience outbreaks of illness from time to time. Whooping cough outbreaks have occurred during summer months. Other illnesses include SFTS (severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome) and norovirus.

What vaccinations do you need for Japan?

While Japan has no mandatory vaccination requirements for immigrants, the following vaccines are recommended:

• hepatitis A and B
• rabies
• measles, mumps, and rubella
• tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis
• chickenpox
• shingles
• polio
• Japanese encephalitis.

Although the Japanese encephalitis vaccine is mostly recommended for those living in rural areas, it is nonetheless an advisable vaccine for expats to have if they plan on living in the country for a year or longer. Japanese encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease that can be found throughout many Asian countries.

Moving to Japan with pets

Relocating to Japan with your pets is possible, but it will take a lot of advanced planning. Japan has strict import regulations to protect animal health, and the process requires several steps including microchipping, rabies vaccinations, and blood tests.

Dogs and Cats

The requirements for taking your dog or your cat to Japan are as follows:

Step 1: Microchip implantation

To bring either, they must first be microchipped. Be sure to have the microchipped number with you as you’ll need this for official customs regulation forms. You’ll also need to provide proof of your pet’s residence since birth and list where it has been living for the past 180 days prior to coming to Japan.

Step 2: Rabies vaccination by an accredited laboratory

Step 3: Rabies antibodies test

Before your dog leaves its previous country, it will need to have a full health check-up. You’ll need to acquire a health certificate certifying this check and a record of the animal’s most recent rabies vaccination. Both dogs and cats must undergo a titer test for rabies before they start the 180 days quarantine.

Step 4: 180-day quarantine

After the tests, your pets need to observe a 180-day quarantine period before traveling to Japan.

This can be done in your own home or a care facility in your previous country. But note that if the 180-day quarantine is not completed before your travel, it would have to be observed in a care facility in Japan at your expense.

Step 5: Advance notification

You will need to alert the Animal Quarantine Service at least 40 days before your pet arrives in Japan. You can submit your notification online via the NACCS platform.

Step 6: Clinical inspection and departure

In the days before your scheduled departure, your dog or cat must undergo one final inspection by a veterinarian. When your pet is officially ready to leave its previous country, you’ll be required to place an official seal on the carrier. This seal can only be broken by an official customs agent. If it’s broken before arrival in Japan, your pet may be subject to a longer quarantine period. You can read more about this on the Japanese Animal Quarantine Service’s website.

Step 7: Your Pet arrives in Japan

Once your pet arrives in Japan, it will be held in quarantine for twelve hours for inspection. After clearing the health check, you can take your pet home.

The good news is that if your pets meet all the requirements in advance, they will face only a brief 12-hour inspection upon arrival. However, pets that don't fulfil the requirements must undergo up to 180 days of quarantine at a government facility.

Beyond the emotional difficulty of being separated from your pet for months, this can be expensive — quarantine costs can reach 100,000 JPY (approx. 650 USD) or more. The key to a smooth pet relocation is starting early and ensuring all documentation is complete before departure.

It’s important to know that dogs and cats may only enter through designated airports and seaports.

• Airports: New Chitose, Narita International, Haneda, Chubu International, Kansai International, Kitakyusyu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Naha

• Seaports: Tomakomai, Keihin (Tokyo, Yokohama), Nagoya, Hanshin (Osaka, Hyogo), Kanmon, Hakata, Kagoshima, and Naha

Bringing other animals

Taking your bird to Japan requires them to be quarantined before they travel. Birds must be kept in isolation for at least 21 days before their arrival in Japan. This can be in your own home, but your home will need to have all windows and doors kept shut except for the purposes of entry and exit. Horses will be quarantined a minimum of seven days upon entry to Japan.