What is “The Black Cat?”

Black Cat, or Kuroneko Yamato is the biggest courier company in Japan and very handy for traveller. Couriers in Japan are cheap, efficient, and very handy if you are doing a ski holiday and want to travel light!

Black Cat will be your best friend if:

1. You are not planning on hitting the slopes as soon as you arrive in Japan, and will be doing some sightseeing first.
2. You are planning to do some sightseeing after skiing and before you fly out.
3. You are skiing at more than one resort, and don’t want to drag your luggage between them (especially if you are going Nozawa – Hakuba/Myoko and want to do some sightseeing using your JR East Pass).

Send your gear and save the hassle of lugging large bags around!

Cost and Service

You can send a large bag anywhere within Japan from between ¥1500 – ¥3000. It costs just ¥2000 to send your luggage to or from the airport – Nagano ski resorts. Added to this the courier company will hold your gear at the airport for up to a week, making the service even more convenient and useful. Generally you can expect your gear to arrive within 24 hours, although it may take a couple of days if you are sending it up to Hokkaido from Nagano. Also when sending gear back to the airport you will need to ensure it is sent at least 48 hours before the scheduled departure of your flight.

Procedure

You can send gear from the black cat courier desk at Narita airport, from almost any convenience store in Japan, or from your lodge (your hosts should arrange pick up). Just make sure you have destination address and phone number or your flight details if you are sending to the airport. When sending to the airport you will need to arrange pickup at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure (aim to have someone call the courier company for you at least 3 days before your departure).