![]() ![]() Be sure to put “JAPAN” in big letters at the top of the address if mailing to Japan from overseas. If you’re using a horizontal envelope, you can write the address in Japanese or English. Your address then goes on the reverse side (the same side as the flap). The address is written vertically, right to left, with the recipient’s name at the very end. If you’re using a vertical envelope to address a letter within Japan, the address of the recipient goes on the front in the vertical box, with the postal code on the top. How to Write a Japanese Address Vertical Envelopes For your convenience, we have marked it with a star symbol. As shown on the map below, the first step is to locate the district, which in our case is "Azabudai." Then search for "1 chome," "9 banchi." Please note that the building number "12 go" is not displayed on the map below. This makes it easy for postal workers and delivery services to find your home without extraneous information. If you look at the map below, you will be able to find our office by using your understanding of Japanese address format. Often, to simplify the address in writing, the suffixes (丁目, 番地, and 号) are omitted and the numbers are written in order with a hyphen in between each. Then, each block in the district is numbered 番地, pronounced “banchi.” Finally, each building in the block is numbered 号, pronounced “go.” ![]() With the “chome” system, cities are divided into districts 丁目 (chome). Tokyo and other Japanese cities were not always built in tidy rows. The most difficult part of Japanese addresses is understanding the district name and block numbering system. The floor number will always follow the building name. However, for floor numbers, you will either need to use the suffix 階, pronounced “kai,” or an abbreviated “F” following the floor number (e.g., 2F for second floor). Since the building name is usually not needed for apartments, many people skip that part and simply write the apartment number as an additional number following the district name and block number. The final part of a Japanese address is the building name and floor number or the apartment name and residence number. If you live in Tokyo, you’ll see this information on plaques lining almost every city block, usually paired with the symbol 丁目, pronounced “chome.” This number tells you the district name and block number. Please note that “cho” is not the same as “chome” described below. If you live in Tokyo, this part won’t be necessary, but rural areas will have a further suffix of either 町, pronounced “machi” or “cho,” or 村, pronounced “son” or “mura.” This is used with the “gun” suffix to often help further pinpoint the location. The suffix 市, pronounced “shi,” is mostly used for other large cities (e.g., Kobe-shi, Sapporo-Shi, Hiroshima-shi) but also can be used for some concentrated population areas in Tokyo (e.g., Hachioji-shi, Arakawa-shi, Tama-shi).įor more rural areas, Japanese addresses use the suffix 郡, pronounced “gun,” as a county denotation, since multiple townships could be needed to reach the population quota. These 23 wards of Tokyo are considered special cities unto themselves with high populations in concentrated areas. Municipality:įor most Tokyo residents, this is what ends in the suffix 区, pronounced “ku” (e.g., Minato-ku, Nerima-ku, Shibuya-ku). Notable exceptions are Tokyo with the suffix都, pronounced “to,” to denote the nation’s capital (i.e., Tokyo-to), Osaka and Kyoto with the suffix府, pronounced “fu,” to show their more significant political and economic role (i.e., Osaka-fu and Kyoto-fu), and Hokkaido which has no suffix. Most prefectures are denoted by the suffix 県 pronounced “ken” (e.g., Kanagawa-ken, Ehime-ken, Gunma-ken). Prefecture:Ī prefecture is the largest division possible in Japanese geography (similar to a state in the United States). ![]() Japanese postal codes are seven-digit numbers hyphenated between the third and fourth digit (000-0000), usually preceded by a postal code mark (〒). If you don't know your postal code, or if you do but don't know the address and want to search for it, please check Japan Postal Code Directory. The usual order of operations is as follows: Postal Code: Rather than starting with the house number and ending with the postal code, it goes the other way. It’s important to understand that the overall order of a Japanese address is reversed from what is typically used in the West. ![]() Understanding the Japanese Address Format Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about addresses in Japan. While Japan does have names for streets, they are never used in addresses (except for some occasions in Kyoto). Japan’s numbering system can be quite difficult for those from Western countries, where streets are clearly labeled with names or numbers. ![]()
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