TA-Q-BIN (Takkyubin): The Famously Adorable Cat House

Do you know what a “takkyubin” is? It is a high quality courier service that was developed in Japan. Yamato Transport, who are famous for their black cat logo, were the first to start this service. They handle over 1.3 billion packages annually, and are an indispensable enterprise for Japan’s delivery system.

What is high quality service?

There are already several services that have come to be expected in Japan.

Next Day Delivery
With the exception of some regions, they provide next day delivery all over Japan, and are comparable to Amazon Prime.
Re-Delivery Service
In the case where you are not home and are unable to accept your package, they will leave a slip in your mailbox indicating a delivery was attempted. With one phone call, you can arrange for re-delivery.
Time-Specific Delivery
Since you are able to specify the delivery time, you can be sure to receive the package safely.

This courier service is now expanding into Taiwan, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. They are highly regarded for their deliverymen’s friendly greetings and careful handling of the packages, which allows even the cardboard boxes to maintain pristine condition upon delivery.

The Yamato Cat House

This is what that Yamato is up to now in Japan. In honor of their black cat mascot, they have created a delivery-truck shaped cat house. This cardboard cat house became an instant hit for being too adorable, especially how the cats fit so perfectly inside. Since cats tend to like small spaces, they proactively “take a ride” in the truck lol

Sagawa in the Town of Kyoto

Sagawa Express is the rival of Yamato Transport, offering the same high-quality level of delivery service as Yamato. Within the city of Kyoto, Sagawa Express takes on this appearance. The courier people hired to transport packages were traditionally called “hikyaku” in Japan. Because of this, they now mesh perfectly into the streets of Kyoto with the “Hi” (飛) character on their delivery containers.

Hikyaku from the Edo Period

Modern Day Hikyaku

It fits in perfectly next to the Maiko girls (apprentice geisha). You may even catch a glimpse of a Sagawa deliveryman hard at work during your tour of Kyoto.