Search “buy matcha direct from Japan” and most of what you find is Japanese matcha that was shipped to the US in bulk months ago, repacked, and sent to you from a warehouse in Georgia or Washington. That is a perfectly good way to buy matcha. It is just not what you searched for.
We run a matcha stand in Asakusa, Tokyo, and since October 2026 we have been shipping our own matcha from Tokyo to customers in the US. Here is how buying direct from Japan actually works in 2026: what has to happen on the Japanese side, what happens at the US border, how long it takes, and what it costs beyond the price of the tea.
First, what “direct” usually means
There are three ways matcha gets from a Japanese grinder to a café in, say, Austin:
- Importer or distributor model. A US company imports pallets, clears customs once, warehouses the tea, and sells it to you domestically. Fast delivery, no paperwork for you, one more margin in the price, and when Japan rations supply the distributor rations you.
- Japanese brand with a US hub. Several Japanese tea companies ship container loads to their own US warehouse and fulfil US orders from there. This is what most “ships from Japan” search results turn out to be. Again: fine, but the tea may have been ground six months before it reaches you.
- Direct parcel from Japan. A Japanese seller packs your order in Japan and sends it to your door by EMS or courier. This is the only model where you know exactly when the tea left the source, and it is the one small cafés have been using to get around supplier caps during the 2025–26 shortage.
This article is about the third one.
What has to happen in Japan before your parcel leaves
The seller files an FDA Prior Notice
Any food entering the US for commercial sale needs a Prior Notice filed with the FDA before it arrives (21 CFR 1.279). This is done online through the FDA’s Prior Notice System Interface. It is the seller’s job, not yours, but it is worth knowing what it involves, because a seller who cannot describe it to you has probably never done it.
The notice names the manufacturer (the facility that packed the tea, which must have an FDA food facility registration number), the shipper, the product code, the net weight and package count, the carrier, and the tracking number. The FDA returns a 12-digit confirmation number. That number has to travel with the parcel, written on the customs declaration, so that US Customs can match the physical box to the filing.
Two practical details we learned on our first US order:
- The Prior Notice is tied to the tracking number. If the shipping label is re-issued for any reason, the tracking number changes and the Prior Notice has to be refiled.
- The confirmation number is not printed automatically on the EMS paperwork. It goes on by hand, on the customs declaration, before the parcel is handed over.
The tea has to come from a registered facility
The FDA filing needs the packer’s facility registration number. For small sellers this is usually the OEM or co-packer that fills the tins. Ours is a Japanese tea processor with an FDA registration. If you are buying from a stand or a small brand, ask who packs the tea and whether that facility is FDA-registered. It is a quick way to separate sellers who are set up to export from sellers who are improvising.
Paperwork on the parcel
The parcel carries the EMS label, a customs declaration (CN23) listing the contents as green tea powder with weight and value, a commercial invoice for business orders, and the FDA Prior Notice confirmation number. Japan Post’s international mail system generates most of this from the label registration.
What happens at the US border
Shipping time
EMS from Tokyo to the US mainland typically takes about a week door to door, including customs. Tracking is end to end. Courier services (DHL, FedEx) are faster and more expensive; for a few kilograms, EMS is the usual choice.
Duty and who pays it
Green tea falls under HS heading 0902. The most consistently reported base US duty on green tea from Japan in 2026 is 6.4% of the declared value, though the exact tariff line depends on packaging and whether the tea is flavoured, and additional tariff measures have changed several times in 2025–26. Treat any number you read online, including this one, as a starting point and confirm with a customs broker or the current US tariff schedule before you build it into your cost.
The important part for buying direct: the recipient pays the duty, usually to the carrier or the postal service on delivery. EMS does not offer a reliable “sender pays duties” option for the US, so almost every Japanese seller ships duties-unpaid. Budget for it.
Will Customs open it?
Sometimes. A correctly filed Prior Notice and an accurate customs declaration are what keep a parcel moving. Mismatches between the filing and the label (wrong weight, missing confirmation number, a tracking number that does not match) are what cause holds.
How to vet a Japanese seller in five questions
- Who packs the tea, and is that facility FDA-registered? If they do not know, move on.
- Do you file the FDA Prior Notice, and have you done it before? Ask for the gist of the process. A seller who has done it will mention the confirmation number.
- What is the minimum order, and do you sell a trial size? In a tight market, a seller who will send three tins is more useful than one who only quotes by the pallet.
- When was this batch ground? Matcha is at its best within a few months of milling. A direct seller should be able to tell you.
- Who pays duty, and how is it collected? The honest answer is “you, on delivery.”
What it costs beyond the tea
For a small direct order, the all-in cost is the tea price, plus shipping if not included, plus US duty on the declared value, plus any carrier handling fee for collecting the duty. There is no broker fee at parcel sizes. One thing to be aware of: a business that imports food for resale is an “importer” under the FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Very small importers have modified requirements, but it is worth a five-minute read on the FDA site before you make direct imports a regular part of your sourcing. For a café ordering a few kilograms at a time, skipping the distributor margin often makes direct shipping competitive with domestic pricing for the same grade, but the main advantage is not price. It is control: you know the origin, the grind date and the supplier.
How we do it
WOW!CHA is a kitchen-car matcha stand at Asakusa Rokku Broadway and Tokyo Dome City. We have poured over 5,000 matcha lattes since June 2026, mostly for overseas visitors, and the single most common question at the counter is “can I buy this at home?” So we now ship the matcha we use, from Tokyo, to the US and ten other countries.
- 30 g tins, minimum three per order, shipping included.
- 1 kg bags for cafés, minimum three per order, shipped direct from our packer in Japan.
- We file the FDA Prior Notice on every US shipment. Duty, if any, is paid by the recipient.
- Payment in US dollars.
We are small on purpose. If you run a café and want to test matcha from Japan before committing a menu to it, this is the lowest-friction way we know of to do it.
See the matcha powder and shipping countries →
FAQ
Can I legally import matcha from Japan to the US for my café?
Yes. The seller files an FDA Prior Notice before shipment, the parcel carries a customs declaration, and you pay any duty on arrival. No import licence is needed for tea, but a business importing food for resale is an “importer” under the FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), which has reduced requirements for very small importers. Check your obligations with the FDA or a broker.
How long does matcha take to ship from Japan to the US?
About one week by EMS, including customs clearance. Couriers are faster but cost more for small parcels.
Who pays import duty on matcha from Japan?
The recipient, on delivery. Base duty on green tea is widely reported at 6.4% in 2026, but additional tariff measures change frequently, so confirm the current rate before ordering in volume.
What is an FDA Prior Notice?
A filing the shipper makes with the FDA before any commercial food enters the US. It identifies the packer, the product and the shipment, and returns a confirmation number that must accompany the parcel.
Is matcha shipped direct from Japan fresher?
Usually. A direct seller packs and ships from Japan on order, so the tea has not spent months in a warehouse. Ask for the grind date.
Process described as of October 2026 from our own shipments. Tariff and FDA rules change; confirm current requirements before importing.