Does Japan Post typically take a long time to update tracking?

[locomrloco]

I recently bought an item being shipped from Japan here to the U.S. that looks like is being shipped through Japan Post. However, while the tracking was provided over a week ago, it has yet to be updated. The "in transit" bubble isn't even checked yet. Is this common for international purchases through Japan Post and maybe it just takes a while to update? Or has the seller just not actually shipped it yet and I should contact them?

[hellguitars]

For over the past year, Japan Post has not shipped by air to the US due to covid-19. They recently started shipping by EMS, however on June 1, they announced that some flights to the US have been suspended. The main problem in general here in Japan is air transport. We rely on commercial flights to move most of our mail and we do not allow most commercial travel due to Covid (so too few planes to service the mails). Usually Japan Post is quite reliable and updates quickly. However your parcel might be sitting in a holding area for a week or more before it starts moving again. I have shipped to Europe (which is currently better serviced than the US) by EMS and parcels have taken anywhere from a week to a month to arrive. Sometimes with 2 weeks between updates. So I would recommend that you expect delays and understand that this is the current reality in many places in the world. This is what I have to regretfully tell my customers. Good luck!