"Scam"

Scam. Wish I had checked this before using them. Tracking doesn’t work. Item is gone/missing somewhere in Shenzhen China.

Spent over £100 on this fraud site. Someone is laughing on the other side

"Good quality and price of Japanese goods but needs to be aware of the import tax "

I received the parcel in good condition in 12 days after I had made my order, except one pack of cookies will be expired in less than two weeks that I can’t send it out as a Christmas gift. It will be better if the seller could show us the expiry date of the food. Most bad reviews are about the unexpected custom/import tax. My purchase amount does not exceed the related limit in my country and I did not need to make any extra payment upon receipt of the parcel. Maybe the seller could advise the customers to be aware of the import tax limit at the checkout page.

"Avoid this company!"

Avoid this company!! Wish I had read the trust pilot reviews before ordering a Chitose Kettle, but I was sucked in by their 2 x 5 star reviews on their website.

We were after a fast boiling stainless steel kettle for our induction hob, having ruined our Le Creuset stove top kettle as the ceramic coating broke down and became rusty. We contacted Japanese Taste by email and they were really helpful at first advising which of their products had coating inside versus which were pure stainless steel.

Unfortunately we then purchased the Chitose kettle and when it arrived it was very lightweight and cheap feeling. It felt the same as those cheap camping kettles which cost an eighth of the price. We used Google translate on the Japanese instructions which clearly showed that the kettle could only be used on a medium or low heat (the same as our original kettle).
Whilst this was frustrating we still believed that JT were a legit company and contacted them about the discrepancy between their website description versus the actual product description. They took weeks to respond and were really rude and dismissive. They said that they did not accept that 'low to medium' heat doesn't equal a fast boil. We have timed it and it takes 10 minutes to boil enough water for 2 cups of tea, not fast in my opinion!!!!
In the end they said we could pay to ship it back to Japan, but as other Trust Pilot reviews have stated they might then say they can't refund due to 'import taxes'. They also referenced their 2 x 5 star reviews as proof that the kettle is of high quality. I pointed out that I had submitted a 1 star review which hadn't been published, so how could we be sure the 5 star reviews are genuine?

So now we are stuck with a very expensive and useless kettle, and £88 out of pocket. I've never dealt with such terrible customer services, and the non publishing of genuine reviews on their website is a farce.

"Japanese Taste has excellent customer service!"

They have always been very helpful and knowledgeable providing excellent customer support and service!

"They combined two orders I made"

I wish I could give zero stars. I made two separate orders on different days, intentionally keeping each under $75 to avoid customs fees. I paid shipping twice, but Japanese Taste combined the orders into one package without my consent, listing them under a single receipt. This caused me to be hit with customs and FedEx fees, totaling $63 on a $141 order. When I reached out, they apologized but refused to cover the fees they had essentially created. Beware before buying from this site they show little to no regard for their customers.

"JAPAN -> EU: When you have a delivery issue, check your junk emails for a phishing email or otherwise your package will be destroyed"

Japanese Taste really needs to improve its process when problems occur by offering a redelivery if no response. This review could have been avoided if they had contacted me via the same email address I'd made the order from and/or had the package company contact me for redelivery or had them update their tracking chain to say 'message vendors' or something. Now I am down ~ 100 euros with nothing to show for it. I've felt like such a Karen through this process and I apologise to Simon who had to deal with my frustration but regardless, the outcome is the same. They did not prioritise a fair solution. I have now contacted EU trading standards.

Below is a summary of my experience with the company:
Payment made: 6th September
Package Sent: The package was dispatched and scheduled for delivery on 20th September.
Delivery Attempt: FedEx attempted first delivery a few days later (22/23rd?), but I was not home.
Notification Email: I received an email from an unidentifiable address, which appeared to be phishing and ended up in my junk folder. This email requested a response within three days, failing which the product would be destroyed. During this period, the FedEx status remained " running late", which I was using to track the package so I assumed the package was still en route. I did not see the notification email until I reached out on the 15th October to find out where the package was.
Invoice Received from delivery: On 1st October, I received and paid an invoice from FedEx.
Contact Attempts: On 15th October, I contacted the company to inquire about the package status. I also reached out to FedEx the same day and was informed that the company had requested the package be destroyed rather than stored or re-delivered.
Resolution Offered: The company offered store credit as the only recourse, which I have declined in favor of a monetary refund. This request was denied.
Confirmation: FedEx confirmed today (23/10/2024) that the package has indeed been destroyed.

"I bought a pan"

I bought a pan, Chitose Japanese Iron Non-Stick Frying Pan (IH Compatible) 26cm. It supposed to be made of high quality iron. However after using once, the surface of pan covered with rust. I am a housekeeper for more than 20yrs, have been using numerous pans, but I never seen any rust in any other pan. The customer service told me wash it well. They did not think it is serious issue and sent a cleaning instruction. The company did not offer any refund. OMG. I wish I can attach photos here

"You will need to pay custom duties"

You will need to pay custom duties! CRAZY!

"Great products and smooth delivery…"

Great products and smooth delivery right to my door :) Highly recommend! Especially I like their aodjiru goods.

"Never use this shop!"

Import duties and VAT tax on the order over the taxable amount, and the way shop dealt with it post factum is a disgrace, never use this shop, there are plenty of decent good shops around that are clear and honest on those things. I wish I would never order from this shop. All one needs is tax warning from the moment it attracts taxes. Better use RAKUTEN (Japanese Amazon) and use some services of the Japanese assisting company for that. Half cheaper and NO taxes. This shop prices as if the UK tax inclusive retail prices are comparable!