Algemill3

As most of us know, @kamenamerica is growing in Japan and showing no signs of slowing down. Congrats to Tim, Mark, and the Iconic Comics team for such a major accomplishment! Naturally, this means there are now Kamen America products being made in Japan. But what do you do if the websites don’t ship to the USA? Allow me to give you what little help I can to remedy the situation. Take that first step. (Some Japanese websites will have an English translation option, but keep a translating program or app ready just in case.) A common problem people have run into is that some of the doujinshi websites, and I’m guessing most websites in Japan, won’t ship to the USA. To receive these items, you need to get a shipping address in Japan. Think of these websites like a Japanese PO Box that will ship to your USA address. I’ve used Tenso.com since the beginning, although there are other sites out there. Tenso is easy to navigate and I haven’t had any problems whatsoever. This site also has quick customer service that is always accommodating. Just remember there is a time difference between Japan and the USA when interacting with customer service. Who are you...really? I’m not sure about other shipping websites, but Tenso will ask for personal info that some may be hesitant to give out. What they ask for is needed to move forward unless you find a different shipping option out there in cyberspace. Regarding this personal info, I keep a keen eye on my online information and how it is used. Ever since giving said info to Tenso, I can positively say I have not seen any causes for concern throughout the years. In the end, this is your decision to make. Oh hi, address! (in Tommy Wiseau voice) (I’ll be proceeding from now on as if you have chosen Tenso even though I think other shipping websites operate in a similar way.) Once you are logged onto the website, it should go through the usual of asking for your credit card and USA shipping info. The key part is what the website gives you by means of Japanese address info. Tenso provides your name in English, your name in Kana translation (depending on doujinshi or other product websites, you may need to use an actual Kana and Kanji website translator for your first and last name.), postal code, prefecture, city/town/village island, street number/subsequent address, subsequent address, and telephone number. This will allow you to fill in the proper Japanese address info. Depending on the store website, you may be contacted by Tenso to provide receipts of your product to make sure the item is yours. This outreach may be due to how other websites present your info in shipping, so you may need to do a little fine tuning. After that, your shipping process to Tenso should be as smooth as butter. A to B and then B to C Keep an eye on your email for when Tenso says your product has arrived at their shipping center. Tenso will then want you to give the monetary value of the product, possible consolidation, shipping options, and payment process. Tenso is good at answering questions for these steps and your receipts should have all the info you need to complete this. Bear in mind that by using this service you’ll be paying for 2 shipping processes. One for getting the product to Tenso and the other for getting the product to your USA shipping address. All the shipping can add up fast, which is why you should take advantage of the consolidation service if you have different products from different sites. Tracking...tracking... Once you get your shipping info, sit back and keep an eye on the tracking number. It's safe to say I never had a problem during this part. USPS is what I have always used, but you may be able to change the shipping service if you look into it. This particular part can also take a bit of time since it has to go through customs. After that, enjoy the item that traveled so far for you! I know this seems like a bare bones quick way of explaining things, but at least you know the gist of it now. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or need some help!