How to Contact a Japanese Factory (When You Don't Speak Japanese)

You found the perfect factory in Seki or Imabari. You sent a friendly English email. Weeks pass — nothing. This is the single most common failure point for overseas founders sourcing from Japan, and it's almost never about your product. Here's what's actually happening and how to fix it.

Why your English email went unanswered

Most Japanese craft factories are small, family-run operations. They are exceptional at making things — and they typically have no English-speaking staff. When your English email arrives:

• Nobody can confidently read it, so nobody owns it
• Replying in English feels impossible, so replying feels impossible
• The safest action, culturally, is no action

Silence doesn't mean "no." It usually means "we couldn't process this."

The fix: write in Japanese

An inquiry written in polite business Japanese changes everything. The factory can read it, route it, and reply to it. You don't need to speak Japanese to do this — every factory page on this site has an inquiry builder that generates a properly formatted Japanese business email from a short English form. It includes:

• The standard polite openings and closings Japanese business email requires
• A note explaining you're contacting from overseas and used a writing tool — honesty that factories appreciate
• Your product details, quantity, and timeline in a scannable format
• Your original English text attached for reference

What to include (the four things factories need)

Japanese factories evaluate inquiries on four points. Cover all four and you're ahead of 90% of inquiries they receive:

1. What you want to make — product type, approximate size/spec, reference images if you have them
2. How many — your realistic first order. Small is fine; hiding it is not
3. When — your timeline. "No rush" is a feature, not a weakness
4. Who you are — your name, brand concept in one line, and country

Etiquette that matters (and what doesn't)

Matters:

• Patience. One to two weeks for a reply is normal. A polite follow-up after two weeks is fine; pressure is counterproductive
• Consistency. Japanese business culture values reliable, consistent communication over charisma
• Starting with a sample order. It shows seriousness and builds the relationship gradually — the Japanese way

Doesn't matter:

• Perfect Japanese. A machine-assisted message with an honest note is completely acceptable
• Formal titles and ceremony beyond the standard template. The inquiry builder handles the necessary level

Handling the reply

Replies usually come in Japanese. Don't panic:

• Machine translation works well for Japanese business email — the writing is structured and unambiguous. DeepL and Google Translate both handle it reliably
• Keep your replies short and structured (bullet points translate better than prose)
• If the factory says 「要相談」(yō-sōdan, "let's discuss") on quantities or specs, that's an invitation — engage

Payment and logistics basics

• Bank wire transfer is the standard payment method; expect a deposit for production
• Most factories quote EXW or FOB Japan — you handle international shipping, or use a freight forwarder for anything beyond parcel-size orders
• For samples, factories often ship via EMS or DHL directly

Try it

Find a factory in the directory, open its page, and click "Write an inquiry in Japanese." Three minutes of form-filling replaces the language barrier that stops everyone else.