Shipping policy

All pieces are made in Japan and ship from Japan. We currently ship to Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Shipping is charged separately

Shipping is paid by the customer and is not included in the price of the piece. The rate is calculated from the weight of your order and your country, and is shown at checkout before you pay.

Lead times

Every piece is turned to order, and normally ships within about 4 weeks. If one was finished and waiting in the workshop, it can leave the same day. We email you a tracking number the moment it ships.

You may cancel within 24 hours of ordering for a full refund, unless it has already shipped. If we have not shipped within 30 days, you may cancel whatever the reason — see Returns & Refunds.

Shipping method

Within Japan — Japan Post Yu-Pack, flat ¥1,200. Normally 2–4 days after dispatch.
Outside Japan — Japan Post EMS, with tracking and insurance. Normally 6–12 business days after dispatch (2–4 to Hong Kong). Customs can add time.

What we can send to Canada

Canadian plant-health rules (CFIA directive D-02-12) require heat treatment for wooden items thicker than 1.5 cm. Our pieces are air-dried and are not heat treated, so only pieces at or under 1.5 cm can be sent to Canada. Those pieces can be added to a Canadian order as normal; the others cannot.

Where delivery takes place

For orders shipped outside Japan, delivery takes place in Japan, at the point the piece is handed to the carrier (FOB shipping point), and you are the importer of record in your country. This does not change what we cover: if a piece arrives damaged and your photographs show it, or if it does not arrive at all, we refund you in full — see Returns & Refunds.

Duties and import taxes

Orders within Japan are domestic. No import taxes or customs duty apply, and Japanese consumption tax is already included in the price shown.

Except for the United States (see below), for orders shipped outside Japan, import taxes and any customs duty are set by your country. They are not included in the price you pay us. Your country collects them when the parcel arrives, and the carrier may charge a handling fee.

Canada — GST/HST and, in some provinces, PST. Japanese-made goods qualify for duty-free treatment under the CPTPP, so no customs duty applies.
United States — US import duty is included in the price you pay us and is paid before the parcel ships (the label reads "DDP"). Nothing further is due to customs on delivery. The postal service may charge a small delivery fee in some cases.
Australia — local import taxes apply, and customs duty may apply. Australia inspects wooden goods arriving by post. Pagodas and ornaments are not on Australia's list of wooden products exempt from treatment, so they may be treated on arrival; the treatment fee is set and charged by the Australian authorities (currently about A$100), in the same way as import taxes. Treatment can mark or crack finely turned wood; damage caused by it — shown by the treatment notice or fee you receive from the authorities — is not covered by this policy.
Hong Kong — Hong Kong charges no customs duty and no sales tax on these goods, so nothing is due on delivery. If a parcel is worth more than HK$4,000, Hong Kong Customs requires the recipient to lodge an import declaration within 14 days; this applies to very few of our pieces.
New Zealand — New Zealand collects no customs duty or GST on a parcel worth NZ$1,000 or less including shipping, which every single piece in the shop falls under, so nothing is due on delivery. An order of several pieces can exceed NZ$1,000; GST (15%) and a NZ Post fee are then collected from you on delivery. Wooden goods may be inspected by New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries on arrival. Our pieces are bark-free and air-dried, which is what the rules ask for; if MPI charges an inspection fee, it is charged to you by MPI in the same way as import taxes.
Switzerland — Switzerland charges no customs duty on these goods. Swiss VAT (8.1%) is charged on the piece plus shipping, and Swiss Post adds a customs-clearance fee (currently CHF 16 plus 3% of the value). Both are collected from you on delivery; they are not included in the price you pay us.