Tokutei Kiroku, Kan'i Kakitome or Letter Pack: Which Is Cheapest? Prices by Weight and How to Choose

How the six services differ

Tokutei Kiroku, Kan'i Kakitome, general registered mail (Ippan Kakitome) and express are options added on top of the teikei or teikeigai postage. Letter Pack and Smart Letter, on the other hand, are flat-rate services: buy the special envelope and no stamps are needed, and the price doesn't change with weight. Here are their features side by side.

The express surcharge changes with weight: ¥300 up to 250 g, ¥400 up to 1 kg and ¥690 up to 4 kg. You can add only one of Tokutei Kiroku, Kan'i Kakitome and Ippan Kakitome, but any of them can be combined with express (for example, express + Kan'i Kakitome). None of these options can be added to Letter Pack or Smart Letter.

Price comparison by weight

These are the totals for each option added to teikei mail (a Nagagata 3 envelope and so on) and teikeigai mail (within limits: Kaku 2 and so on). The two right-hand columns show the price for sending the same contents by a flat-rate service.

This table makes the answer clear when you want tracking. Up to 100 g (up to 21 A4 sheets in a Kaku 2), Tokutei Kiroku is cheapest, and above 150 g Letter Pack Light at ¥430 becomes cheaper. For documents that can go in a mailbox and are within 3 cm thick, the heavier they are, the better value Letter Pack Light becomes.

Where the cheapest option changes

• You want tracking (mailbox delivery is fine): Tokutei Kiroku up to 100 g (¥320–390), Letter Pack Light (¥430) above 100 g
• You want it received in person: Kan'i Kakitome up to 100 g (¥460–530), Letter Pack Plus (¥600) above 100 g. But if you want compensation, use Kan'i Kakitome regardless of weight
• You're in a hurry: for teikei up to 50 g, express (¥410). Heavier than that, express costs ¥440 or more, and Letter Pack Light (¥430), delivered on weekends too, becomes an option
• No tracking needed, just cheap: for small items, Smart Letter (¥210) is cheaper than teikeigai from just over 100 g

Smart Letter costs ¥210 for anything up to A5 size (25 × 17 cm), 2 cm thick and 1 kg. Teikeigai within limits costs ¥270 above 100 g, so for small items or booklets that fit in A5, Smart Letter is cheaper anywhere from 101 g to 1 kg. It's an option worth remembering for things that don't need tracking or speed, as long as the size fits.

Recommendations by purpose

For application documents, sending them as ¥180 teikeigai with Tokutei Kiroku for ¥390 is the cheapest tracked option. How to estimate the weight of a full set of documents is in How much postage for a Kaku 2 envelope?, and how many sheets fit in a Nagagata 3 is calculated in How many A4 sheets fit in standard-size mail?.

Comparing with concrete examples: three cases

1. 1

   Case 1: application documents in a Kaku 2 (about 53 g), confirmation of delivery wanted

   Teikeigai within limits up to 100 g ¥180 + Tokutei Kiroku ¥210 = ¥390. That's ¥40 cheaper than Letter Pack Light (¥430). If the deadline is close and you add express too, it's 180 + 300 + 210 = ¥690, and in that case Letter Pack Light, which is also delivered on weekends, is ¥260 cheaper.

2. 2

   Case 2: two copies of a contract in a Nagagata 3 (about 30 g), handed over reliably

   Teikei ¥110 + Kan'i Kakitome ¥350 = ¥460. That's ¥140 cheaper than Letter Pack Plus (¥600) and includes compensation up to ¥50,000. Enclosing a return envelope with the same postage in stamps saves the other party effort.

3. 3

   Case 3: a bundle of materials in a Kaku 2 (about 300 g, 2 cm thick), tracking wanted

   Teikeigai within limits up to 500 g ¥510 + Tokutei Kiroku ¥210 = ¥720. Letter Pack Light costs ¥430, ¥290 cheaper. The heavier the documents, the bigger the saving from a flat-rate service.

As these show, remember options for light documents and flat-rate services for heavy ones, and you'll rarely go wrong. When you're unsure near a boundary weight, enter the envelope and number of sheets in the Postage Calculator. It lists the price with options alongside Smart Letter, Letter Pack Light and Plus, and shows the cheapest way to send and the cheapest tracked way.

How to send, and what can go in a postbox

• Tokutei Kiroku, Kan'i Kakitome and Ippan Kakitome are handed in at a post office counter (you get a receipt with the tracking number on it)
• For express only, draw a red line along the top of the envelope (the right side if horizontal) or write "速達" (express), put on stamps for the full amount, and you can drop it in a postbox
• Letter Pack and Smart Letter can be posted in a postbox once you write the address on the special envelope (Letter Pack Light only up to the thickness that fits the slot)
• Old-rate stamps can be used as they are for the Tokutei Kiroku or registered mail surcharge

Because the Tokutei Kiroku and registered mail surcharges can also be paid in stamps, they're a chance to use up ¥84 and ¥63 stamps lying around at home. ¥320 (teikei + Tokutei Kiroku) is exactly three ¥84 stamps + one ¥63 + ¥5, and ¥390 is three ¥84 + two ¥63 + ¥10 + ¥2. The approach to combinations is in How much to add to an ¥84 stamp?.

Tokutei Kiroku or Kan'i Kakitome?

Both are handed in at a post office counter and tracked by the number on the receipt. The differences are how they're delivered and the compensation, and the price difference is ¥140.

If the recipient is often out during the day, Tokutei Kiroku reaches them faster and more reliably. For mail where you only need to know it arrived by the deadline, such as application documents and forms, Tokutei Kiroku is enough. On the other hand, use Kan'i Kakitome for things that would be a problem if lost or where you want proof of receipt, such as original contracts, seal registration certificates and gift certificates. For items worth more than ¥50,000, Ippan Kakitome (+¥480) lets you raise the compensation amount.

Points to watch when choosing

• Tokutei Kiroku is delivered to the mailbox, so it doesn't prove the recipient actually received it. If you want a record of receipt, use Kan'i Kakitome
• Ordinary mail, Tokutei Kiroku and Smart Letter aren't delivered on weekends or public holidays. Sent on a Friday, they may arrive Monday or later
• Teikeigai oversize costs more. For large or thick items, compare with Letter Pack first (Within limits vs oversize)
• All prices are from the October 2024 revision. The October 2026 revision covered Yu-Pack, Yu-Packet and Click Post, and the prices compared here didn't change

FAQ

Which is cheaper, Tokutei Kiroku or Letter Pack Light?

Up to 100 g, Tokutei Kiroku is cheaper. Teikei mail + Tokutei Kiroku is ¥320, and teikeigai (within limits) up to 100 g + Tokutei Kiroku is ¥390, both cheaper than Letter Pack Light (¥430). Above 150 g it rises to ¥480 or more and Letter Pack Light becomes cheaper.

What's the difference between Kan'i Kakitome and Letter Pack Plus?

Both are handed over in person and trackable, but Kan'i Kakitome includes compensation up to ¥50,000 and Letter Pack Plus has none. Kan'i Kakitome on teikei mail costs ¥460, and Letter Pack Plus ¥600.

How much does Tokutei Kiroku cost?

Since the October 2024 revision, the base postage plus ¥210. On teikei mail (¥110) it's ¥320, and on teikeigai within limits up to 50 g (¥140) it's ¥350.

How much does express cost?

Add ¥300 up to 250 g, ¥400 up to 1 kg and ¥690 up to 4 kg to the base postage. Express teikei mail is 110 + 300 = ¥410.

What's the cheapest tracked way to send something?

Teikei mail (up to 50 g) with Tokutei Kiroku for ¥320. Even teikeigai such as a Kaku 2 stays within ¥390 with Tokutei Kiroku up to 100 g. If heavier, Letter Pack Light (¥430) is cheaper as long as it's within 3 cm thick.