Container Shipping to and from Japan

Japan has a very much balanced trade, according to The Trade Statistics of Japan. The top 3 export commodities from Japan are Automotive, Semi-conductors and Steel Products. The majority of imports to Japan are Petroleum, Clothing and Pharmaceuticals.

In Japan, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kobe are the main ports for exports. Tokyo and Osaka are the main ports for imports to Japan.

In Japan there are three common transportation modes: Truck, Barge and Ocean Freight:

• Truck: Trucking services provide flexible end-to-end service, delivering small loads over short to long distances via various geographic areas. We offer trucking services at the Tokyo CY port which is the biggest import port in Japan. Here we serve short trucking between Tokyo and Yokohama after discharge at Yokohama for imports. We also offer local trucking services from Yokohama to short-distance locations nearby within 200km distance. The transit time takes approx. 3-5 hours.

• Barge: The Barge service is another option to transport your goods via water service in areas that are not accessible by large vessels. In Japan, our barge services cover ports around Yokohama such as Nagoya, Shimizu, Kashima, Onahama, Sendai & Tomakomai once the main vessel has discharged at the Yokohama CY port.

• Ocean Freight: We also offer ocean freight transportation via our freight ships. We not only connect your business globally, but also simplify your end-to-end logistics in the process. In Japan, this service is especially offered at the ports in West Japan such as Kobe, Osaka, Hakata and Moji on the Pacific side. Ocean freight services are also available at the Japanese Seaside such as Toyama, Niigata and Akita. We also offer services via Busan or Shanghai.

In Japan, we only offer a few Rail connections to or from the main ports.

Find more information on the different transportation modes within a country here.

Transit times can vary depending on the vessel schedule, whether containers need to be connected to other vessels on their journey and how many ports are on the route.

An approximate transit time from Europe to Japan is around 35-45 days via Shanghai. For routes from Japan to North Europe (e.g. exports), Twill offers direct services from Yokohama to Major North EU ports such as Southampton, Rotterdam & Bremerhaven within 40 days.

In Japan, there are no real peak seasons in logistics. However, there might be an impact on the vessel space around holidays such as Chinese New Year and Chinese Golden Week. We therefore strongly recommend you keep these holidays in mind and book your shipment in advance.

Cargo insurance is not required to ship to or from Japan, but cargo transportation can entail various risks. So, you should always keep in mind which Incoterms you have agreed on with your supplier.

If you're shipping your cargo overseas, you should know that you could get quickly compensated if your cargo is damaged or lost. That's why Twill offers Value Protect, giving you peace of mind as your cargo is protected while being transported with us. When you add Value Protect, it is easier and simpler to make claims compared to traditional insurance. It helps you avoid the many difficulties and annoyances businesses face when shipping cargo while protecting it from risk and damage.

When you are exporting from Japan, we suggest you add Value Protect to your booking if you are shipping goods such as machinery, automotive, and chemicals. These goods mostly have a high cargo value.

The customs clearance process can differ from country-to-country and port-to-port. In Japan, we at Twill get your goods through customs. That's why we support you all the way and handle Customs Services for you.

For this service, you will need the following documents when shipping to or from Japan:

• Commercial invoice(s)

• Packing List(s)

• Shipping Instructions

Find more information about these documents here.

You can easily add Twill's Customs Services to your booking via our platform. There are no specific restrictions on commodities for Customs in Japan

The most common ocean trade lanes are the East-West trade lanes from and to the USA as well as Intra-Asia trade lanes.

When it comes to goods, the USA are a main destination for Automotive goods from Japan. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are trade lanes for Semi-Conductors.