For a domestic letter or postcard in Japan, Delivery Date Specified Mail (配達日指定) lets you request a particular delivery day, including a weekend or public holiday. The normal selection window contains ten days, starting three days after the day you hand over the item. Arrange it at the postal counter; simply writing a birthday on an ordinary envelope is not the published procedure. Japan Post: service and procedure
This guide is official-source desk research, not a report of a mailing test. It covers ordinary domestic letters and postcards using this optional service, not an international arrival guarantee.
Count from the start of the window, not from posting day
Japan Post gives a useful example: an item deposited on December 1 can normally be assigned a delivery date from December 4 through December 13. The first eligible day is also day one of the ten-day window. Japan Post: eligible dates
Here is a separate hypothetical example for an item handed over on October 9, 2026:
| Step | Date or count |
|---|---|
| Deposit date | October 9 |
| Three days later: first eligible date | October 12 |
| Tenth date, counting October 12 as day one | October 21 |
| Ordinary window in this example | October 12–21 inclusive |
October 11 is too early under that normal rule; October 22 is beyond this window. If you want October 22, arrange a later handover and have the counter confirm the resulting dates. Do not assume that an extra payment can extend the published window.
Japan Post notes exceptions for routes whose delivery takes three days or longer. Bring both postal codes and the desired date to the depositing post office before relying on this calculation. The table explains counting; it is not acceptance confirmation for an actual route.
The selected day changes the surcharge
The current Japanese service page lists these additions for letters and postcards:
| Selected delivery day | Addition to basic postage |
|---|---|
| Weekday | ¥42 |
| Saturday, Sunday or public holiday | ¥270 |
These are extra charges, not the complete postage. Calculate the basic postage from the finished item’s size and weight, then add the appropriate option charge. Yu-Mail has a different surcharge and is outside the letter comparison here. Japan Post: current charges
If two acceptable dates fall into different fee categories, the difference in the date surcharge is ¥270 − ¥42 = ¥228 per letter. For three otherwise identical letters, that is ¥684. This hypothetical comparison keeps basic postage unchanged; it does not suggest changing the date of an important occasion just to save the surcharge.
Check public-holiday status as well as the weekday name. A Monday is not automatically in the ¥42 category.
Prepare a counter request with three pieces of information
Take the addressed, prepared item to the counter and have these ready: the intended delivery date, the origin and destination postal codes, and the mailing category. Japan Post instructs customers to enter the date on its designated-date sticker, attach it to the item and submit it at the counter. Japan Post: how to use the service
A phrase prepared for this guide is:
この手紙を、○月○日の配達日指定で出したいです。
“I would like to send this letter with delivery specified for [month/day].”
The circles are fields for your date, not part of an official form. Ask the counter to confirm eligibility and the total rather than paying only the option surcharge.
A chosen date answers a different question from “as soon as possible”
A sender who needs the earliest available arrival should compare the route’s delivery options. A sender who wants a card to arrive on a particular later date is choosing a different service condition. Weekend operation alone does not select a date.
Yu-Pack has its own charge-free desired-delivery-date service; do not apply this letter surcharge table to a parcel. Japan Post: scope and Yu-Pack distinction
For a deadline, also confirm that the recipient can actually receive the item on your selected day. This guide does not establish an appointment time, a refund entitlement for delay, or acceptance for a specific route. Complete those checks before handing over an item whose timing matters.