Terms and Conditions

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 our products through our website shopping cart:

https://platanosjapon.com/

Please follow the on-screen instructions and provide accurate information when placing your order.

WhatsApp orders

You can also submit an order request through our WhatsApp shop page.

A WhatsApp message is treated as an order request. Your order is confirmed only after we confirm the product, 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 first check the product details on our website and 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, prices and availability.

Plantain availability

Our plantains are imported from Central and South America, so availability can vary depending on harvest conditions, vessel schedules, port operations, customs procedures 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.

Arrival notifications

When a product is out of stock, 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.

SMS arrival notifications require a Japanese mobile telephone number beginning with:

• 070
• 080
• 090

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 is not guaranteed

SMS or WhatsApp messages may be delayed, blocked or not delivered because of carrier filtering, network conditions, roaming, device settings, incorrect telephone numbers or other technical issues.

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 dates

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

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

Delivery dates and time slots are requests and cannot be guaranteed.

Delivery time slots

Depending on the region and carrier, available time slots may include:

• 08:00–12:00
• 12:00–14:00
• 14:00–16:00
• 16:00–18:00
• 18:00–20:00
• 19:00–21:00
• 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 early morning 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.

Regions requiring additional delivery time

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

Examples include Okinawa, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Hokkaido and remote islands.

Okayama may also experience delays because of ferry connections.

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

Delays may occur because of adverse weather, flight cancellations, missed connections, traffic, carrier restrictions or other transport conditions.

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

Delivery to Hokkaido is available from September through July only.

We do not normally ship plantains to Hokkaido during August.

Additional shipping charge: ¥1,000 per box.

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

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

Okinawa

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.

Additional shipping charge: ¥1,200 per box.

Okinawa deliveries require air transport and may be delayed because of adverse weather, flight cancellations, missed connections 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.

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

Payment options

You can choose from the following payment methods:

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

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.

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 purchase 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 carrier 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, please contact us immediately and provide both order details.

Please place your order only once — either through the website or WhatsApp.

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.

Repeated duplicate ordering 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 restricted to credit card payment.

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 delivery date and time requested in the order.

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

Please keep the product and packaging until we respond because additional verification may be required.

What may be covered?

We will review claims involving:

• An incorrect product
• Missing items
• Material damage during transport
• Fruit that is clearly unusable on arrival

Depending on the circumstances, we may offer:

• Replacement, subject to stock availability
• Credit toward a future order
• Full or partial refund

What is not covered?

Examples include:

• Claims submitted after 48 hours
• Normal cosmetic marks or natural variation
• Quality changes caused by missed delivery
• Delayed collection or re-delivery
• Customer storage conditions
• Home-ripening results
• Ordering the wrong product, such as ordering green plantains when ripe fruit was required

Refunds

Credit card refunds will normally be processed through the original Stripe payment transaction.

For cash-on-delivery refunds, customers may be asked to provide bank or Japan Post account information so that a bank transfer can be completed.

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