SugoiFinds series

Can You Take It Home?

Border rules decide what actually makes it home. Knives, food, and alcohol, checked country by country.

Read the series in order

  1. Can You Bring Knives Back from Japan? 6 Countries, 2026

    Part 1

    Can You Bring Knives Back from Japan? 6 Countries, 2026

    All six countries let a kitchen knife fly home in checked baggage. Shipping one is where it breaks: Japan Post bans blades to the UK, and the cheapest courier refuses them to the US. August 2026.

  2. Can You Bring Japanese Food Home? 6 Countries, 2026

    Part 2

    Can You Bring Japanese Food Home? 6 Countries, 2026

    All six countries let most Japanese food home in your suitcase. Mailing it is where it breaks: Canada bans meat by post outright, and Japan Post's cold chain reaches none of them. August 2026.

  3. Can You Post Whisky Home From Japan? No, 2026

    Part 3

    Can You Post Whisky Home From Japan? No, 2026

    Japan Post files alcohol with perfume and lighter fuel, surface mail included. To the US it is simply prohibited. FedEx will not take it from you. So you carry it, and the limits have a catch.

  4. Japan Proxy Prohibited Items 2026: The Rules Aren't Theirs

    Part 4

    Japan Proxy Prohibited Items 2026: The Rules Aren't Theirs

    Five proxy services publish five different prohibited-item lists. The 24% alcohol line and the two-battery limit match Japan Post's rules. What differs is what happens after the post office says no.