What time do post offices close in Japan? Most of them at 5pm. Are they open on weekends? Most of them are not.
Those two answers only apply to the small neighbourhood branches, which is what you will find on most street corners. The large branches near major stations run until 7pm or 9pm on weekdays, and they also house a separate counter called the Yu-Yu Madoguchi / Yuyu counter that opens at 7am and stays open on weekends and public holidays. Same word, roughly double the usable hours.
The short version: small post offices open 9:00–17:00 on weekdays and close on weekends and public holidays. Large branches run 9:00–19:00 or 9:00–21:00 on weekdays, and usually 9:00–18:00 at weekends.
The Yu-Yu Madoguchi (after-hours counter) at large branches is typically 7:00–21:00 on weekdays and 7:00–18:00 at weekends and on holidays, open every day of the year. There are no 24-hour post offices left anywhere in Japan.
Japan post office hours at a glance
A Japanese post office contains four separate service points, each with its own hours. That is why the opening times you find online often contradict each other.
| Counter | Weekdays | Sat, Sun & public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Postal counter small branches | 9:00–17:00 | Closed |
| Postal counter large branches | 9:00–19:00 or 9:00–21:00 | Usually 9:00–18:00 |
| Yu-Yu Madoguchi large branches only | Usually 7:00–21:00 | Usually 7:00–18:00 |
| Savings & insurance | 9:00–16:00 | Closed |
| ATM large branches | Usually 7:00–23:00 | Sat until 23:00, Sun until 21:00 is typical |
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As a traveller you will only ever use two of those rows: the postal counter during the day, and the Yu-Yu Madoguchi once it closes.
Of the roughly 24,000 post offices in Japan, the overwhelming majority are small branches with a postal counter only. Longer hours are a feature of the big station-area branches.
The four counters, and what each one does
Postal counter (yubin madoguchi)
Stamps, domestic and international mail, Yu-Pack parcels, and collection of packages held for you. Small branches run 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays with no lunch break at most locations.
How far the large branches extend varies. Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Central and Yokohama Central stay open until 21:00 on weekdays. Kyoto Central, Nagoya Central, Osaka Central and Fukuoka Central close at 19:00.
Is it worth walking ten extra minutes to reach one of the big branches? If something has to go out the same day, yes. If you just need stamps or want to send a postcard, use whichever small branch is closest.
Yu-Yu Madoguchi (the after-hours counter)
The Yu-Yu Madoguchi opens two hours before the main counter and closes two hours after it, and it also operates on weekends and public holidays. You can post letters and parcels, buy stamps, and collect items that were delivered while you were out.
The entrance is usually on the side or at the back of the building, through a door with very little signage. The shutter is often down, with a call button beside it. Press it and a staff member will come. First-time visitors frequently assume the place is closed and walk away.
Savings and insurance counters, and the ATM
The savings counter (Japan Post Bank) runs 9:00 to 16:00 on weekdays, an hour shorter than the postal counter, and closes at weekends. Most travellers never need it.
The ATM has the longest hours of anything in the building. At large branches it usually runs 7:00 to 23:00 on weekdays and past 21:00 at weekends. Japan Post Bank ATMs accept foreign-issued cards for yen withdrawals, which makes them one of the more reliable ways to top up mid-trip. For how much you should be carrying in the first place, see how much cash to bring to Japan.
How to find a post office near you
Searching “post office near me” in Japan will give you pins, but rarely the opening hours you actually need. Three methods, most accurate first.
1. The official Japan Post locator. Enter an area name or postcode at Japan Post’s branch and ATM search, open a branch page, and switch between the tabs at the top. Each tab shows the hours for one counter: postal, Yu-Yu, savings, ATM. The interface is Japanese only, but the times are laid out as a table and the numbers speak for themselves.
2. The after-hours filter. If all you want is a branch that is open late or on a Sunday, use Japan Post’s Yu-Yu Madoguchi search instead. It filters to branches with an after-hours counter directly, which beats checking the map one pin at a time.
3. Google Maps. Search the Japanese word 郵便局 rather than “post office” and you will get far better coverage of small branches. Bear in mind that the hours Google shows are the postal counter’s, not the Yu-Yu Madoguchi’s. A branch marked “Closed” at 8pm may still be taking parcels round the side.
Counter hours differ branch by branch and Japan Post keeps adjusting them, so looking one up from the street is a normal part of the errand. CDJapan Rental’s eSIM runs on the docomo network, which holds signal from station districts to small country towns. Setup takes two minutes before you fly, and the Japan Post locator works the moment you land.
Are post offices open on weekends and holidays?
Small branches, no. Large branches, the postal counter usually is, and the Yu-Yu Madoguchi always is.
Weekend hours are shorter across the board. A Tokyo branch running to 21:00 on a Tuesday will close at 18:00 on Saturday and Sunday, and its Yu-Yu Madoguchi drops from 21:00 to 18:00 as well. Budget for roughly three hours less.
Can you send EMS or an international parcel on a Sunday? Yes, at any large branch with a Yu-Yu Madoguchi. Weekend lodgements do not begin moving until the next working day though, so allow an extra day or two on the delivery estimate. If timing matters, post on a weekday.
One more thing worth planning around: ordinary mail in Japan is not delivered on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays (1 January excepted). Only express, registered and Yu-Pack items move at weekends. If you are waiting on a package at your hotel, a weekend arrival is unlikely.
24-hour post offices no longer exist
Japan Post began phasing out round-the-clock Yu-Yu Madoguchi service in April 2021. No post office anywhere in Japan is open 24 hours today. The latest any counter runs is 21:00 on a weekday.
Plenty of older pages still list Tokyo Central and others as 24-hour branches. Ignore them. For anything that has to be sent after 9pm, your only option is a convenience store that accepts courier parcels, which most Japanese konbini do.
Major post office hours by city
These are the large branches with a Yu-Yu Madoguchi, which is to say the ones that used to run 24 hours. Addresses are included so you can copy them straight across when sending a kyokudome package. Hours verified August 2026; Japan Post has been trimming counter hours steadily, so check once more before you go.
| Branch | Postal counter | Yu-Yu Madoguchi |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | ||
| Sapporo Central 1-2-1 Kita6JoHigashi, Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–20:00 Sat 9:00–18:00 / Sun & hol 9:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Hakodate Central 1-6 Shinkawa-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Otaru 1-8-1 Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00 Weekends & hol closed | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Kushiro Central 13-2-1 Saiwai-cho, Kushiro, Hokkaido 085-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–17:00 / Sun & hol closed | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Miyagi | ||
| Sendai Central 1-7 Kitamemachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Chiba | ||
| Chiba Central 1-14-1 Chuoko, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–17:00 / Sun & hol 9:00–12:30 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Tokyo | ||
| Tokyo Central Tokyo Station Marunouchi South Exit, inside KITTE 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8994 | Mon–Fri 9:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Shinjuku 8 min walk from Shinjuku Station west exit 1-8-8 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Shibuya 4 min walk from Shibuya Station 1-12-13 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Asakusa near Tawaramachi Station 1-1-1 Nishiasakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–15:00 / Sun & hol closed | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Ginza 3 min walk from Tsukiji-shijo Station 8-20-26 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 100-8799 | No daytime postal counter | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Nakano 2-27-1 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–17:00 / Sun & hol 9:00–12:30 | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Shinagawa 5-23-34 Higashi-Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–15:00 / Sun & hol closed | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Meguro 1-15-16 Megurohon-cho, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Arakawa 3-2-1 Arakawa, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–15:00 / Sun & hol closed | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Kanagawa | ||
| Yokohama Central beside Yokohama Station south exit 2-14-2 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Aichi | ||
| Nagoya Central Nagoya Station, JP Tower Nagoya 1-1-1 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 450-8998 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Kyoto | ||
| Kyoto Central directly opposite Kyoto Station central exit 843-12 Higashishiokoji-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Hyogo | ||
| Kobe Central 3 min walk from Nishi-Motomachi Station 6-2-1 Sakaemachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Osaka | ||
| Osaka Central Osaka Station west exit, JP Tower Osaka 1F 3-2-2 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–18:00 | None |
| Osaka Kita 6 min walk from Nakatsu Station 1-1-52 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8799 | No daytime postal counter | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Shin-Osaka 3 min from Ajikawaguchi Station, unrelated to Shin-Osaka Station 4-1-18 Shimaya, Konohana-ku, Osaka 539-8799 | No daytime postal counter | Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Hiroshima | ||
| Hiroshima Central 2 min walk from Shiyakusho-mae tram stop 1-4-1 Kokutaijimachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–17:00 / Sun & hol 9:00–12:30 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Fukuoka | ||
| Fukuoka Central 3 min walk from Tenjin Station 4-3-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Sat 9:00–17:00 / Sun & hol 9:00–12:30 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Hakata Kita, Hakata Ekimae Annex near Hakata Station; replaces the former Hakata branch counter 8-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0012 | No daytime postal counter | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
| Okinawa | ||
| Naha Central 5 min walk from Tsubogawa Station 3-3-8 Tsubogawa, Naha, Okinawa 900-8799 | Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 Weekends & hol 9:00–17:00 | Mon–Fri 7:00–21:00 Weekends & hol 7:00–18:00 |
A few of these trip people up. Osaka Central moved into JP Tower Osaka at the station’s west exit in July 2024 and is the easiest daytime option in the city, but it has no Yu-Yu Madoguchi. For evenings and weekends you need Osaka Kita, a short way north.
Shin-Osaka is not at Shin-Osaka Station. It sits near Ajikawaguchi Station in Konohana ward, functions as a western Japan sorting hub, and offers the after-hours counter only. In Fukuoka, the old Hakata branch counter has moved to the Hakata Ekimae Annex, so navigate to the annex rather than the original address.
What travellers actually use a post office for
Having a parcel held for you (kyokudome)
If you have ordered something online but have no fixed address in Japan, or your hotel will not accept deliveries, you can have a package sent to a post office and hold it there. The service is called kyokudome (局留め).
There is no form to fill in and no need to register in advance. Address the parcel to the post office, write the branch name, add the words 局留め, and put your own name as the recipient. That name has to match your passport exactly or the counter will not release the package. Post offices hold items for 10 days from arrival, then return them to sender.
Bring your passport to collect. Note that kyokudome pickups normally happen at the daytime postal counter. The Yu-Yu Madoguchi handles items that were attempted for delivery and brought back, which is a different thing, so plan your timing around the daytime hours.
Stamps, postcards and sending things home
An airmail postcard costs a flat ¥100 to anywhere in the world. Letter rates depend on the destination zone, so check Japan Post’s rate finder rather than guessing. Domestic standard letters are ¥110 up to 50g. Stamps are sold at both the postal counter and the Yu-Yu Madoguchi, and posting is unrestricted: the red street boxes take mail at any hour.
Sending luggage or shopping home goes through international parcel post or EMS, and that has to be done at the daytime postal counter. You will need to complete a customs declaration listing the contents in English, and a first-time booking realistically takes 15 to 20 minutes. Do not walk in ten minutes before closing.
If your problem is a heavy bag for the day rather than a shipment home, a coin locker is usually the faster and cheaper answer.
FAQ
Do Japanese post offices close for lunch?
Nearly all of them stay open through the middle of the day. Japan Post has introduced a lunchtime suspension at a small number of understaffed rural branches, usually an hour, posted on a notice at the door. It is not common, but if you are heading to a countryside branch, avoid the hour either side of noon.
Are post offices open over New Year (31 December to 3 January)?
Postal counters treat this period as a holiday and mostly close. The Yu-Yu Madoguchi runs year-round in principle, including 1 January, but on reduced hours that vary by branch. Check the individual branch page on the Japan Post locator for this period rather than assuming normal times apply.
Can I pay by card or mobile payment at a post office?
Yes at most branches, which accept credit cards, transport IC cards such as Suica, and the main QR payment apps. Small branches can still be cash-only, so carry some coins for low-value transactions. The Yu-Yu Madoguchi may also accept a different set of payment methods from the daytime counter.
Can I withdraw yen from a post office ATM with a foreign card?
Yes. Japan Post Bank ATMs accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay and American Express cards for yen withdrawals, with English and Chinese menus. ATMs at large branches typically run until 23:00 on weekdays, well past the counters, which makes them a practical evening option.
Can I send luggage from a post office to the airport or my next hotel?
Yes, using Yu-Pack, which has a dedicated airport delivery option alongside its ski and golf services. Airport receiving desks keep their own hours and holding rules, so confirm the terminal counter before you send and allow two to three days rather than shipping the day before your flight. Yu-Pack rates rise by roughly 10% on average from 1 October 2026.
Hours verified August 2026 against Japan Post’s official listings. Individual branches adjust their counter hours and temporary suspensions do happen, so confirm before travelling.
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