Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Online only

Plantains Japan is based in Minato-ku, Tokyo. We operate online only and do not have a physical walk-in store.

Website orders

You can order through our website shopping cart:

https://platanosjapon.com/

Please follow the on-screen instructions and provide accurate information when placing your order. Your order details will be confirmed by email or WhatsApp.

WhatsApp orders

You can also submit an order request through our WhatsApp shop pages and forms.

Your order is confirmed only after we confirm stock availability, price and delivery details in the WhatsApp conversation.

Please keep a record of your confirmed order.

Need help placing an order?

If you are having difficulty using our website, we can take your order manually by WhatsApp or SMS text message.

Please check the product details on our website first, then send us:

1. Product requested
2. Requested delivery date
3. Requested delivery time
4. Customer name
5. Telephone number
6. Prefecture
7. Postal code
8. Complete and correct delivery address

Once we receive this information, we will process and confirm your order.

Minimum order

The minimum order is one box.

The smallest available box for both green and ripe plantains is 5 kilos. Please check the individual product page for current sizes and availability.

Plantain availability

Our plantains are imported from Central and South America. Availability depends on harvest conditions, vessel schedules, port operations and other international shipping conditions.

Our goal is to receive approximately one container per month whenever conditions allow.

After a container arrives in Japan, sales do not begin immediately. The shipment must first complete customs clearance, quarantine and inspection procedures, followed by warehouse quality checks.

Once the shipment is cleared and ready for sale, we open orders and notify registered customers.

Arrival notifications

You can request an arrival notification from the product page or our out-of-stock notification form.

Notifications may be sent by SMS text message and/or WhatsApp.

Please make sure your Japanese mobile number is registered correctly.

Stock is limited, so we recommend placing your order as soon as possible after receiving a notification.

Ripe plantains are particularly limited and may sell out quickly.

Notification delivery

Notification delivery cannot be guaranteed.

Messages may be delayed, blocked or not delivered because of carrier filtering, network conditions, roaming, device settings or an incorrect telephone number.

WhatsApp settings such as Disappearing Messages may also remove messages before you see them.

If you are expecting a notification but have not received one, please contact us for the latest stock information.

Shipping conditions

Plantains are shipped at room temperature to reduce the risk of chilling damage.

Delivery timing

The earliest available delivery date is shown on the product page.

Same-day dispatch and same-day delivery are not available.

During checkout, you can select a requested delivery date and time slot.

Please be available during your selected delivery period. Delivery may be delayed because of traffic, weather, address problems, carrier conditions or other unexpected circumstances.

Delivery time slots

Available delivery time slots include:

• 08:00–12:00
• 14:00–16:00
• 16:00–18:00
• 18:00–20:00
• 20:00–21:00

Some regions may not support every time slot.

For example, some Kansai areas such as Kobe, Kyoto and Nara may not offer the 08:00–12:00 time slot.

Shipping companies

Yamato Kuroneko is normally used for green plantain deliveries.

Yamato Kuroneko and/or Japan Post may be used for ripe plantain deliveries.

Areas requiring additional delivery time

Some regions require air transport, ferry connections or other additional transport arrangements.

• Okayama may experience ferry-related delays.
• Okinawa, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Hokkaido and remote islands require air transport.

These areas may experience delays because of weather, flight cancellations, missed connections or other transport conditions.

Regions marked (+2 days) in your order information require additional delivery time after dispatch.

When we become aware of a significant delivery delay, we will try to notify the affected customer by SMS text message.

Shipping is included at no additional charge for most customers in the Kanto, Chubu and Kansai regions.

Other regions require an additional shipping charge because of distance, air transport and/or ferry requirements.

Free shipping — ¥0 per box

• Aichi 愛知県
• Chiba 千葉県
• Fukui 福井県
• Gifu 岐阜県
• Gunma 群馬県
• Hyogo 兵庫県
• Ibaraki 茨城県
• Ishikawa 石川県
• Kanagawa 神奈川県
• Kyoto 京都府
• Mie 三重県
• Nagano 長野県
• Nara 奈良県
• Niigata 新潟県
• Osaka 大阪府
• Saitama 埼玉県
• Shiga 滋賀県
• Shizuoka 静岡県
• Tochigi 栃木県
• Tokyo 東京都
• Toyama 富山県
• Wakayama 和歌山県
• Yamanashi 山梨県

¥500 per box

• Akita 秋田県
• Aomori 青森県
• Fukushima 福島県
• Iwate 岩手県
• Miyagi 宮城県
• Yamagata 山形県

¥700 per box

• Ehime 愛媛県
• Fukuoka 福岡県
• Hiroshima 広島県
• Kagawa 香川県
• Kagoshima 鹿児島県
• Kochi 高知県
• Kumamoto 熊本県
• Miyazaki 宮崎県
• Nagasaki 長崎県
• Oita 大分県
• Okayama 岡山県
• Saga 佐賀県
• Shimane 島根県
• Tokushima 徳島県
• Tottori 鳥取県
• Yamaguchi 山口県

Hokkaido — ¥1,000 per box

Delivery to Hokkaido is available from September through July only.

We do not normally ship plantains to Hokkaido during August.

Hokkaido deliveries require air transport and may be delayed because of adverse weather, flight cancellations or other transport conditions.

During colder months, plantains may also be affected by excessive cold during transport.

Okinawa — ¥1,200 per box

Delivery to Okinawa is available from October through May only.

We do not normally ship plantains to Okinawa from June through September because high temperatures during transport increase the risk of rapid ripening and deterioration.

Okinawa deliveries require air transport and may be delayed because of adverse weather, flight cancellations or other transport conditions.

U.S. military bases and facilities

We cannot deliver to U.S. military bases, installations or other restricted-access military addresses.

This includes addresses requiring base access, special entry permits, military postal handling, PSC boxes or gate delivery.

Even when an address appears to be a normal Japanese address, the carrier may be unable to complete delivery if the destination is inside a restricted area.

Please use a standard civilian address in Japan, such as a home or workplace.

If you use another person’s address, make sure they are expecting the delivery. If the order is cash on delivery, they must also be prepared to make payment.

If we cannot process your order and you paid by credit card, the payment will be refunded through Stripe.

Payment methods

You can choose from the following payment methods:

• Cash on delivery (COD) — available through the website cart and WhatsApp shop pages and forms.
• Online credit card payment — available through the website shopping cart.
• Credit card payment at delivery — available only when delivery is handled by Yamato Kuroneko. Please ask the delivery driver.

Credit card payment at delivery is not available for Japan Post deliveries.

Consumption tax

All displayed prices include 8% consumption tax.

How many plantains are in each box?

The number of plantains varies because plantains naturally differ in size depending on the season and shipment.

Boxes are sold by total weight, including the box, and not by a fixed number of pieces.

During colder months, the fruit may be smaller, so a box may contain more individual plantains.

During warmer months, the fruit may be larger, so a box may contain fewer individual plantains.

Please check the individual product page for the approximate number of pieces in each box.

Natural moisture loss

Plantains may lose a small amount of moisture during storage and transport, particularly in cold and dry conditions.

Because of this, the delivered box weight may occasionally be slightly lower than the indicated weight.

This is normal for fresh produce and does not necessarily mean that the order was short-packed.

Storage guidance

Storage life depends on temperature, humidity and seasonal conditions.

• Green plantains: consume within approximately 7 days of the displayed delivery date.
• Ripe plantains: consume within approximately 5 days of the displayed delivery date.
• Recommended storage: 10–15°C in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat.

Storing plantains for too long may reduce their quality.

In cold conditions, plantains may harden, develop dark peel marks and become difficult to peel. The pulp may also lose its best texture and flavor.

Long-term storage is therefore not recommended.

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for complete storage guidance.

Can green and ripe plantains be packed in the same box?

No. Green and ripe plantains are processed, packed and shipped from different facilities because they require different handling and storage conditions.

They are therefore always packed in separate boxes.

If you want both green and ripe plantains, you can order them separately or choose our Mixed 10kg product.

The Mixed 10kg product consists of:

• One 5kg box of green plantains
• One 5kg box of ripe or semi-ripe plantains

Because the two boxes are processed at different facilities, they may have different dispatch times, tracking numbers or delivery times.

I missed the delivery

Check your mailbox for a missed-delivery notice.

• Yamato Kuroneko normally uses a yellow notice.
• Japan Post normally uses a red notice.

Follow the instructions on the notice and request re-delivery as soon as possible.

For same-day re-delivery, the request generally needs to reach the delivery company before 17:00.

If you need assistance, contact us and provide your tracking number.

Important: Plantains are perishable. Please receive the parcel as soon as possible after the first delivery attempt.

If the parcel is held by the delivery company for too long or returned to us, we may not be able to send a replacement.

Returned boxes

Returned boxes create significant cost and food waste.

If your box is returned, future deliveries may be paused until you contact us and we approve reactivation of your account.

Future orders may also be changed from cash on delivery to credit card payment.

I accidentally ordered twice

If you believe you placed a duplicate order through the website and WhatsApp forms, please contact us immediately and provide both order details.

To avoid confusion, please place your order only once — either through the website or WhatsApp shop pages and forms.

If your first attempt contained an error and you placed a second, correct order, contact us as soon as possible so that we can cancel the incorrect order before processing.

Duplicate orders create additional handling, shipping costs and food waste.

Repeated misuse may result in cash on delivery being removed from the account. In serious cases, service may be suspended or terminated.

Refused delivery

If a customer refuses an order that was correctly dispatched according to the information provided, future orders may be changed from cash on delivery to credit card payment only.

Repeated or serious cases may result in temporary suspension or termination of service.

48-hour claims deadline

Please contact us within 48 hours of the requested delivery date and time.

Claims submitted after 48 hours are not covered.

Required photographs

Please provide clear photographs showing:

1. The shipping label
2. The outside of the box
3. The inside of the box
4. All affected plantains

What is not covered?

Quality changes caused by the following are not covered:

• Missed delivery
• Delayed collection or re-delivery
• Home storage conditions
• Home-ripening results

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for the complete claims policy.