Japanese online stores sell things you will not find at home — the KitKat flavors and snacks travelers carry home, Japanese skincare and sunscreen, sneakers in your size, anime goods, a new camera. Whether you are planning a trip or already here, ordering online and picking it up at your hotel sounds easy. Then the checkout asks for a Japanese phone number, your card is declined, or you cannot tell whether the parcel will reach you before you fly home.
01What gets in the way when you order yourself
- Foreign card declined. Since 2025, most Japanese online shops use 3-D Secure — an extra identity check by your card issuer, such as a one-time code sent to your phone. If your card is not set up for it, or the code does not reach you while you are abroad, the payment can fail at the last step, and the cart can be lost.
- Japanese-only checkout. Many shops ask you to create an account with your name in katakana, a Japanese phone number and a Japanese address, and the forms are in Japanese only.
- Hidden shipping times. Marketplace sellers can take several days to ship, and the date on the product page is not always the date the box leaves. On a one-week trip, a few days decide everything.
- The hotel decides. Whether a parcel is held depends on the hotel. Parcels that arrive before check-in, or under a name that does not match the reservation, are often refused and sent back.
- Cash on delivery and store payment. Cash on delivery and convenience-store payment are common in Japan. Never choose them for a hotel parcel — the front desk will not pay on your behalf.
- Missed-delivery slip. If the courier misses you, the slip, the phone menu and the redelivery website are all in Japanese.
02Which shops can soracross buy from?
Most of what travelers ask for is sold at one of three big retailers: Amazon Japan (almost everything), Rakuten (a marketplace of thousands of individual shops) and Yodobashi (electronics, cameras, toys and everyday goods). Send us a link from any shop. If the same item is sold at one of these three, we buy it there. Smaller shops and brand sites may be possible too — your quote tells you whether we can buy there. No link at all? Describe the item or send a photo of the product name, and we find it (sourcing +¥1,000 per item).
Want it? Send it.
Free quote, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is bought until you say go.
03How it works with soracross
A product link or a description, plus your hotel name, the name on your reservation and your check-in and check-out dates. You can do this before you leave home.
Item price + our service fee (10% of the item price + ¥1,000 per order, and +5% on the part over ¥10,000) + hotel delivery ¥1,000 per parcel (a shop’s own shipping, if any, is included in the item price). Nothing to pay until you approve it — then you pay once by card through Square.
If you added front-desk pre-notice, we confirm with your hotel in Japanese after you pay and before we buy. We buy from the retailer and set delivery inside your stay, under your reservation name.
Show your room number or passport. If a delivery is missed, we arrange redelivery for you.
04Your worry, side by side
| Your worry | Doing it yourself | With soracross |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign card declined | Checkout fails and your cart is gone | Pay once by card via Square — we handle the Japanese checkout |
| Japanese phone number and katakana name | Stuck on the sign-up form | No Japanese account needed — just send the link |
| Only a photo or a product name | Searching shops in a language you cannot read | Describe it and we find it (+¥1,000 per item) |
| Not sure it arrives in time | The box lands after you have flown home | We check the real ship time and only buy what fits your dates |
| Not sure the hotel will accept it | You find out at the front desk | We ask your hotel in Japanese before buying (+¥1,000) |
| Missed-delivery slip in Japanese | A phone menu you cannot follow | We track the parcel and arrange redelivery |
05The easy way: send the link, collect at your hotel
soracross is a personal-shopping service for travelers in Japan. We buy on your behalf — the purchase contract is between you and the retailer — and items are bought new and delivered unopened in their original box. Send a link or a description, get one all-in quote, and pay only after you approve it. Add front-desk pre-notice (+¥1,000) and we confirm with your hotel before we buy.
06See a rough estimate first
Estimate your total
Enter the item's retail price to get a rough total. This is only a guide — we confirm the exact amount in your quote before you pay.
| Item price | — |
| Service fee (10% + ¥1,000) | — |
| Delivery | — |
| Estimated total | — |
Estimate only. Your actual quote depends on the items and is confirmed by us before payment.
Items from different shops arrive as separate parcels, and the hotel delivery fee (¥1,000, our charge for arranging and tracking each delivery) applies per parcel. Any shipping fee a shop charges is included in the item price. No need to work it out here — we confirm the full total in your quote before you pay.
If you don't enter a product URL yourself, a +¥1,000 item sourcing fee applies per item.
Want it? Send it.
Free quote, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is bought until you say go.
07FAQ
I am not in Japan yet. Can I order before my trip?
Can you buy from any Japanese online shop?
I only have a photo or a product name. Is that enough?
What if my hotel refuses the parcel?
Can I get it tax-free?
Is there anything you cannot buy?
08Related guides
soracross is an independent purchasing agent and is not affiliated with Amazon, Rakuten or Yodobashi. Your purchase contract for the goods is with the retailer. Details are correct as of each guide's update date.