USA
Japan trade laneSouthern California is home to one of the largest communities of Japanese nationals living abroad, and every year families return to Japan after an assignment while Americans move there for work. Used personal effects you owned before the move generally enter Japan duty-free — but only if you declare them correctly when you land, and only if the shipment arrives within six months.
AGF arranges the move from the US end: packing and loading through partner crews in Southern California, a full or shared container, and the export documents. In Japan, our WCA partner agent clears the shipment with Japanese customs and delivers to your new home; AGF has no office in Japan.
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Shipping Household Goods from USA to Japan
As a rough guide, a 20ft container holds the contents of a one- or two-bedroom apartment and a 40ft a larger house; smaller moves travel as shared container or LCL, billed by volume. From Los Angeles/Long Beach, direct services typically reach Tokyo or Yokohama in roughly 12–18 days port to port, and clearance can only start once you are in Japan.
Delivery is often the delicate part. Many Japanese residential streets are too narrow for a container chassis, so goods are commonly unloaded at a warehouse and shuttled in smaller trucks, and apartment buildings may need elevator bookings. Our partner agent plans this with you before the ship arrives.
- 20ft for an apartment, 40ft for a house; shared container or LCL for smaller moves
- Roughly 12–18 days port to port from Los Angeles/Long Beach to Tokyo or Yokohama
- Form C5360 declared in two copies when you land
- Shuttle delivery in smaller trucks where streets are narrow
What Drives the Cost
- Volume: full container or shared space by the cubic meter
- Packing and crating in the US, including fragile and high-value items
- Delivery conditions in Japan: shuttle trucks, stairs, elevator bookings
- Storage if the goods arrive before you do — clearance waits for the owner
- Duty and consumption tax on new items or anything beyond personal-effects treatment
- Insurance for the household goods in transit
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ch. 94 | Furniture, mattresses and furnishings | Declared as personal effects on form C5360 rather than line by line; used items you owned before the move are generally duty-free. Items bought new for the move can attract duty and consumption tax. |
| 8418 / 8450 / 8516 | Refrigerators, washers, dryers and other appliances | Personal-effects treatment applies to used appliances you owned before the move. Japan runs 100 volts at 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west, so US 120-volt appliances can run poorly or need transformers — large ones are often worth selling before you leave. |
| 8703 / 8711 | Cars and motorcycles | Not household goods: they are imported separately and must pass Japanese inspection — see our guide to shipping cars to Japan. |
Regulations and Compliance
Form C5360 — declare on arrival, in two copies
Anyone with unaccompanied belongings arriving later must declare them on Japanese customs form C5360, the declaration of personal effects and unaccompanied articles, submitted in two copies when they land. Customs stamps them and returns one, which is needed to clear the shipment. Miss the declaration at the airport and the duty-free treatment for your shipment is at risk.
The six-month window
Unaccompanied belongings receive personal-effects treatment when they are imported within six months of your arrival in Japan. Ship close to your move, and keep the stamped C5360 and your passport for clearance; the owner must be in Japan before customs will clear the goods.
Restricted items
Some American prescription medicines are prohibited in Japan — amphetamine-based ADHD drugs among them — and larger quantities of permitted medicines need advance approval. Meat products are restricted under animal quarantine, plants and soil under plant quarantine, and firearms and swords need permits. Alcohol and tobacco have allowances. We give you a list before packing.
US export side
Household goods and personal effects travelling with their owner generally do not need an EEI filing, but a car shipped with them does, and its title goes to CBP at least 72 hours before export. We confirm what applies to your shipment.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We survey the volume, arrange packing and loading through partner crews in Southern California — or pickup elsewhere in the US — and load a full or shared container with an itemized packing list in English or Japanese.
You declare the shipment on form C5360 when you land. Our WCA partner agent in Japan clears it with your stamped declaration and passport details, and delivers to your home, using smaller shuttle trucks where the street requires it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to ship household goods from the USA to Japan?
What is Japan customs form C5360?
Do I pay duty on household goods when moving to Japan?
How long does it take to ship household goods to Japan?
Household Goods is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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