The Japanese Summer continues and through the heat and humidity we hear the chirping of cicadas and the occasional "Atsui nee" from people on the street. Salarymen have loosened their neckties and tradespeople & Ojiisan alike have towels tucked into their T-shirts as they seek some relief from the weather.
As everyone clocks off from work, they smile in anticipation of the cool, air-conditioned home that awaits them as the holidays draw closer.
I am, of course, talking about Obon Yasumi.
💡 Also read: 8 Things you must know about Obon!
Obon Yasumi is one of three major holidays in Japan, alongside Oshougatsu (New Year's) and Golden Week. Almost every worker in Japan will be able to take at least some time off during these three holidays, with many workers heading home for up to 9 days (if the weekends are timed well that year).
How will Obon Yasumi affect my ZenMarket order? [2026]
As you could expect, with so many workers taking time off, there will be personnel shortages in many industries, and logistics & shipping companies are no exception.
This almost always leads to delays when it comes to processing and delivering parcels and unfortunately, ZenMarket will also be affected by this.
While we will do our absolute best to pack and ship your parcels as fast as we can with the staff we have available this week, please note that there will be some delays as a result of Obon Yasumi.
Please also note that Obon will cause similar delays for other Japanese businesses, including online stores, and Japan Post, so it may take slightly longer for items to be ordered, placed orders to be confirmed, and for confirmed orders to arrive at our warehouse.
Once we organize for parcels to be picked up from our warehouse, there may be some minor delays depending on the days that the shipping method you have chosen.
| |
10.8. |
11.8. |
12.8. |
13.8. |
14.8. |
15.8. |
16.8. |
17.8. |
18.8. |
19.8. |
| Japan Post |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Fedex |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
| DHL |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
| UPS |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
| SF Express |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
| ECMS |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
❌ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ = pickups will occur on this day. ❌ = pickups will not occur on this day
We expect Obon to primarily affect processing and shipping times between August 10th and 18th. Depending on the shipping service, individual delays may extend until August 20th .
Please do not panic if your parcel arrives to our warehouse a few days later than anticipated - this is normal at this time of the year in Japan.
We thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.