HOW TO: Create an online account with Yamato (Kuroneko)

Update (April 24, 2012): You can now request a redelivery in English online or via phone without an account on the English version of the site.

In order to arrange a redelivery online with Yamato, as I’ve written how to do over here, you’ll need an account. And so, instead of writing a nice introduction that makes you laugh until your side hurts (as much as I’d like to), I’ll just jump right in:

How to create an online account with Yamato

Step 1
Go to Yamato’s website. On the right hand side, click on create a new account (the green box where the red arrow is pointing).

Step 3
Enter your e-mail address (either cell phone e-mail or regular e-mail). Choose your desired password. Then click the large green button on the bottom right.

Step 4
The next page will say to check your e-mail (and list the e-mail you entered). Check your email and click the link that is sent to you. You will be taken to the following page in Step 5.

Step 5
Enter your information as indicated in the picture below. You'll want to be careful with name, as if you use romaji you should enter them as "full width" characters, so my name would be ＴＨＯＭＰＳＯＮ　ＡＳＨＬＥＹ.

You'll also want to be careful with the address as the address numbers go in two different boxes. So if you're address was SOMETHING123-4, you'd put 123 in the first box and 4 in the second (all of this comes after you enter your postal code and click the gray button, which will automatically enter all the first part of your address for you).

Click 次へ when you're done.

Step 6 
You can change the notification options if you prefer (top box), but not necessary. The second box you can choose what type of member's card you want - choose the top option if you want a regular card.

If you don't want to receive other news mail from them, uncheck the last two boxes. Click 次へ to continue.

Step 7
Now confirm all your information (scroll down). After confirming all is correct, click the green button on the right. Click the button on the left if you have changes to make.

Step 8
That's it! The final page confirms you've finished. Now you're ready to arrange a redelivery online with Yamato (Kuroneko)

how to get something redelivered (online) from Japan Post

There it was again. That red and white notice in my mailbox letting me know I had missed a package. I'd gotten them a few times before, along with notices from other delivery companies (such as Yamato and Sagawa). Everytime they'd come before, I'd shove the notice in my backpack and pull it out at work to show the coworker next to me. She'd offer to call for me and arrange a redelivery time. After three or four times bringing her my notices, she said, "did you know you can do this online?"

That may have been her subtle way of letting me know I didn't need to keep bugging her about it. Though, when we looked online, I had to sign up for an account, and I felt I shouldn't have to do that... (This is before I realized you need to sign up for accounts to do almost anything online in Japan).

Later on at home, I pulled up the site for Japan's postal system. (There is also an english version of the website, but it is more limited as to what you can do from it). Of course, you can also bring the notice into the post office and give it to the clerk, but I was never able to make it to the post office before it closed due to work.

The Japanese site overwhelmed me - as kanji swam everywhere on the page, looking like nothing intelligible to me. My first thought was to find a way to translate the Japanese, so I could find the "redelivery" link. Now, there is a simple way to do this, especially if you use the Firefox browser. In Firefox, you can install widgets to the browser, and one particular one I use is called "FoxLingo". Now I can click "AutoTrans" (auto translation) whenever I come across a site too complex for me to decipher. (Alternatively, you can use Google Translate in the Chrome toolbar, or any preferred translation service).