Japanese Taste Reviews 

Ordered from JT twice prior to this experience and everything turned out fine. This order was placed on 8.16.25 close to when the de minius exemption was getting ready to end for imports into the US. When I checked out, there wasn't any indication of whether or not the 15% tariff on items from Japan were already included in my total or not - a lot of other sites such as Yami and Olive Young are already including a line item for tariffs during this time or indicating that this are included. To my surprise a week after my package arrives, I get a bill from Fedex for not only the 15% tariff, but 3 other separate fees for custom clearance. The tariff was the smallest fee out of all the fees in the bill and the total bill was about the same amount what I paid for products. To make matters even worse when I contacted customer service, Shanaya kept sending me terms and conditions (that were updated after my purchase date) and denying any wrong doing. After wasting time going back and forth she finally admitted that when I purchased my items they did not have the option for me to pay the duties in advance yet - but she spent the first two or three emails sending me the terms highlighting the option for duties paid on purchase multiple times. Needless to say I'm disappointed in how my order was handled, but how Shanaya at customer service dealt with the issue after is what ultimately lost my business for good.

I don't trust this company because their checkout window is extremely bare. Once they have your money, they don't care about you and will just copy and paste the same response in emails basically. It is easy to mistake them for a domestic company. They don't warn about custom fees, nor their extremely short cancellation window of 1-hour before purchase. I thought I was being harsh, but I ended up finding another company called Japan With Love recommended by a forum user. Their website immediately informs you that products are direct from Japan. Their cancellation policy is also a bit more lenient (24 hours) which makes more sense to me than 1 hour for international orders. Some people might find it pleasant that Japanese Taste rushes to ship to you, but I would rather have a slightly slower arrival of my product if it meant I can make sure all the details are in order. I did not like their customer service at all. Their online chat room makes it seem like someone is available on the weekends so I waited for someone like a fool. If they truly were available, they never arrived. I won't ever order from this company again. They could do better in keeping customers informed right at the purchase window especially if they have such a short time for cancellation.

crazy shit
the website looks clean and legit so i bought €200+ items, wiat for too long and i have to leave the country i stayed , when i waited till the day it says should arrive customs contacted me ask for all the infos, i have to cancel, contacted both side, they started to say "we do not guarantee a refund of the whole amount"
after wait for 1+month i asked for update and now is "Since this parcel was returned due to your refusal to pay customs, we can not compensate" any way to help me?

This webshop has an abundance of products and it lives up to what they claim. Be sure to read the delivery terms. 9-15 business days. Though this is a lot slower than what we are used to today, they do put the terms on the site so we have to do our homework. My product was shipped on the 15th business day and only a few days later it was delivered to my door.

Can't fault the service
Ordered special Dashi 31/8 arrived 8/9

Placed order 25 Aug and received email acknowledgement that my order has been placed, silent thereafter. Contacted them via the customer support link in their website on 1 sep, received AI reply of assurance that my order is well within the fulfillment window. Contacted them again on 3 sep and requested AI for live chat and escalation but waited 45 mins and no live agent. Received email response next day on 4 sep that they will process my order for shipment faster. Received my order on 8 sep although their shipping advice says eta on 6 sep. I ordered food items, received in good condition with reasonable expiry dates. I regretted not checking reviews before ordering because most reviews here are consistent with my purchase experience, slow order fulfillment and seemingly slow and non-responsive customer support. I will not order again because i felt uncertain with my order fulfillment and the customer support provided.

I accidentally got a part of my address wrong. I tried to fix the address several times, but couldn't. FedEx couldn't deliver my package and returned it to the sender. Japanese Taste told me it was between me and FedEx. I am very dissatisfied with this company, and I don't recommend it.

The kettle I ordered and paid for never arrived even though Fed Ex claimed to have delivered it to my house, which they did not. When I complained Japanese Taste spent three days before replying that Fed Ex had delivered it, and I should have taken it up with them. I have told them it is their responsibility, they chose Fed Ex, and they need to get my kettle or refund. No response yet!

A day later and My kettle has still not arrived. Again I wrote and sent Shanaya of Japanese Taste support the Fed Ex "proof of delivery" saying the parcel was received (which it wasn't) with no picture and a fake name signing for it, and Shanaya's previous email saying "However, they(FedEx) say no one opened the door for them.... We can not help you" No fault when there are 2 stories from Fed Ex? They delivered to a false name but no one opened the door? Shanaya of Japanese Taste support could not care less. She wrote - "Unfortunately, we mention in our policy that we can not help after the delivery has already been made. I have confirmed with FedEx multiple times, and they confirm they already delivered to your building. The proof of delivery also have your name on it. This is a very lengthy and confusing case and I understand your frustration. However, unfortunately, there is nothing more to investigate in this case from our side. Hence, I request you again to contact FedEx UK and ask them to investigate from their end as they may be able to help you better" - In her words they have my money and they couldn't care less"

Despite the low reviews (which I only saw after placing my order lol), I'm actually quite pleased with Japanese Taste. I ordered a couple of skincare products and it arrived, hand-delivered via FedEx, after 9 days. It came in a box with air padding thingies for safety and the items were bubble wrapped. Sure, I did pay customs charges (17dhs / ~4usd) but that's something I've gottten used to when buying things overseas.

If there's anything this platform/shop can improve, it would be to clearly state in bold/highlighted/in a box that there may be customs charges upon delivery. Make the message idiot-proof 😂 I think that's one of the most common issues previous customers had, upon skimming old reviews.
Another thing would be to allow order cancellations if the order is made within a 12-24 hour period or something 🥹 That way I can just redo my cart + add things I missed + i wont have to do 2 orders/worry about bulk order charges/contact the support team. It's just gonna make the customer journey a whole lot easier. (source: im a shopaholic lmao)

False advertising! Paid over £10 for delivery which I thought was odd from a uk company but I thought perhaps it was import fees. Then I received an import bill directly from fedex! Not happy and when I complained they just sent a copy of their terms. Never again!

I ordered foods and cosmetics and it came right away to my doorway safely. The product selection is great delivery time, communication and after service is great. I would repeat.

They take your money and then even with proof of purchase they tell you they have no order from you? Disgusting.

My impression is actually very positive. It's indeed a store in Japan, but I was kept very well informed about the entire process from order to delivery by this Japanese store. So I'm very satisfied. This also applies to the product I ordered, which isn't available in my country (the Netherlands). Even the delivery was pretty fast considering the distance.

You guys are crazy. I think its a Git Gud issue. Most of the problems i see on here are people not understanding the difference between shipping companies and the supplier. Also, learn what tariffs and normal tax rates are. There are no issues with this website, and the quality is quite excellent.

The best Japanese in Lexington NC off main st. Plus a bar up stairs is always great the waitress is always kind cooks always know what they are doing. Cheap chicken and steak with fried rice . Under 15$ per person.

I made an order in India from the website japanesetaste.in assuming there was a shop based in India. My surprise when I realize it is an importation shop and I have to pay customs, very expensive customs.
The website is not designed to tell you the truth: it is a Japanese shop based in Japan.
I really DON'T recommend this shop. Better Amazon Japan.

Ordered toothpaste; product came unsealed and open despite label saying "untwist cap and remove seal before opening". Mouthfeel suggests hydrogen peroxide toothpaste, NOT hydroxyapatite. Would not order from this website again.

I placed an order of €120 on japanese-taste.nl, assuming it was a Netherlands-based shop because of the .NL domain. What a shocking surprise when my parcel was delivered, and I was asked to pay an extra €40 in taxes and duties — one-third of the total order value!
Nowhere on the website, not during checkout or anywhere obvious, was there any clear warning that such high additional costs would apply. This feels like a total scam.
When I contacted customer service, they completely refused to help. No compensation, no partial refund — just an apology and a link to their shipping page. Absolutely no responsibility taken.

This was the first and last time I will ever order from them. In the end, the products I bought could have been purchased much cheaper in a Dutch store, without all this frustration and hidden costs.
A very misleading experience overall.

It is my second purchase and everythiing went well. They have a good selection of hard-to-find products and the best prices available. I was notified about the status of my order during all the journey. Thank you Japanese Taste!

I'm in the UK. I bought three sharpening stones for £154, which is a reasonable but not low price. I could get little useful tracking info, and a visit to this site raised concerns that JT may not deliver. It was a relief when I finally received the goods from FedEx.
However, a week later, I was unpleasantly surprised when FedEx emailed me demanding £40 in customs fees. Will I buy from Japanese Taste again, or recommend them? No chance.