Sugimoto-Hamono | Goods Japan

Despite a short history (by Japanese standard) of knife making, Sugimoto did make its name as one of the well-known knife brands in Tokyo, alongside bigger retailers like Masamoto Sohonten and Nihonbashi Kiya. And much like the other Tokyo brands, Sugimoto knives are made in Sakai near Osaka.

Being one of the pioneers of Chuka Bocho (Japanese made Chinese Cleavers), Sugimoto still produces perhaps the most professional Chinese Cleavers in the world. Visit any of the three Sugimoto shops in Tokyo, you'll find their Chinese Cleavers proudly featured in the cabinet closest to the cashier desk.

While Sugimoto uses a series of high-quality steels (they can be secretive about their carbon steels), and makes all knives by hand, they aren't exactly ultra-refined in terms of fit and finish, as their customers are mostly hard-working career chefs of Tokyo. When it comes to the quality of the cutting edge, the smoothness of cutting, Sugimoto knows what their customers need.

Our Shipping Policy:

We endeavour to ship all items quickly and promptly, to as many destinations around the world as possible, and our dedicated team, while taking health and safety precautions, are still able to ship orders within one business day in most cases.

However, we’re very sorry to report as the Covid-19 crisis continues, this has resulted in severely reduced air transportation, and precautions taken by authorities in all countries to reduce person-to-person contact. This has resulted in severe disruption to the global transportation network and the delaying of postal deliveries worldwide.

Sadly, we regret to report, Japan Post has announced that they have ceased accepting all Economy Airmail (also known as SAL) and ceased airmail and EMS to some countries altogether.

Fortunately, we have introduced Japan Post’s Sea Mail, as well as DHL and UPS delivery to almost all destinations worldwide, while still offering Japan Post Airmail Service and EMS Courier service where available. All shipping fees are calculated based on weight.

Please see the table below for more information:

Shipping type	Estimated Delivery time	Coverage	Tracking	Cost
Sea Mail	1-3 months, some delays are expected	Most countries	Unavailable	Low
Priority Airmail	Unknown, possibly weeks or months, severe delays expected due to limited air transport available	Limited countries	Optional	Medium
EMS Courier	Unknown, possibly weeks or months, severe delays expected due to limited air transport available, higher priority is given compared to Airmail	Limited countries	Included	Medium
DHL and UPS Courier*	3-8 days guaranteed,	Almost all countries	Included	High

For more information regarding shipping restrictions, please visit Japan Post’s official website. As always, should your order be lost in the post or returned to us, we will be happy to issue you your choice of a replacement or a refund.

Please note we generally combine orders wherever possible, however, orders of more than one item that exceeds two kilograms(4.41lbs) are usually sent in separate packages owing to postal restrictions. This does not apply to a product purchased as a single item that exceeds two kilogrammes.

We will do our best to entertain shipping requests, however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to act on requests made once an order has been placed and paid for, as orders that are ready to ship may be dispatched before we receive or can act upon your request.

Regardless of where you are from, we wish you and your loved ones all the best during this terrible pandemic.

*Please note that owing to the high cost DHL and UPS charges for packages they return to us, we cannot refund DHL and UPS packages where acceptance is refused and the DHL and UPS package is returned to sender. Should you wish to return an order delivered via DHL or UPS, please ensure you do not refuse acceptance and contact us for more information.

Important note for DHL and UPS shipping: DHL and UPS delivery charges do not include the cost of return shipping. Should you refuse to accept packages shipped via DHL and UPS your packages will not be returned to us, and are typically destroyed by DHL and UPS after 90 days. Should your order be destroyed by DHL and UPS due to your refusal to accept your package, we will be unable to refund you. Should you wish to return your order delivered via DHL and UPS, please ensure you do not refuse your package and return your order to us via your chosen carrier, and we will fully refund you upon receiving your order back at our address in Japan.

Please note: We are unable to pay for any customs duties, taxes or return shipping costs you incur. Deliveries to areas designated 'Remote Areas' by DHL and UPS may incur additional shipping fees.

Please note, while we will try as best as is practicable to use the shipping carrier of your choice, we reserve the right to choose the shipping carrier we deem best suited to deliver your order as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Our Payment Policy:

We’re pleased to offer a wide array of payment choices to our customers through our secure online checkout. We offer the following payment options:

Credit card payment with secure encryption and 3D Secure™
PayPal
Bank Transfer

For credit card and Paypal, simply proceed to checkout and select the checkout method of your choosing, enter your details and our secure systems, and that of our partners, will do the rest.

For bank transfer, please note that we offer bank transfer in a range of currencies, including Euros, US dollars, Australian dollars, and British pounds. We have bank accounts in Germany, the United States, Australia and the UK, so you are able to transfer locally without the expense of transferring money to Japan. Should you select this option, we will send you an invoice with instructions and how to transfer to our various bank accounts worldwide.

Our Return Policy:

Most items can be refunded provided you send your order back to us within 30 days of purchase and if the items returned to us are in an unopened, unused and original condition. Simply email us to confirm your item can be returned. If we approve your return, please return the item(s), with your invoice to our address in Japan, and write on your invoice that you'd like a refund, and the reason why. Once we recieve your approved return in an unused, unopened and original condition we will refund you the cost of the item as soon as possible.

We stand behind every product we sell, therefore, should you feel an item has been misrepresented, or is not in the condition as promised, please let us know and we will promptly replace the product, or return it to us for a full refund.

Please note, for all returns, the cost of return shipping is the buyer's responsibility.

Our Environmental Policy:

At Goods Japan we strive to be as green as possible when it comes to the environment. Our goal is, wherever possible, to:

Reduce waste,
Challenge suppliers to reduce their environmental impact,
Recycle packaging material,
Reduce our emission impact and carbon footprint,

Engage our customers in ways that are environmentally friendly.

In the interests of this we ask our suppliers not to use excessive packaging and to meet or exceed the environmental guidelines in the manufacture of their products. We also ask that items use the least possible packaging material. For our part, we endeavour to use the least amount of packaging materials and seek out recycled and unbleached paper products with the minimal amount of artificial packing material. Suppliers are asked to source humanely slaughtered and environmentally friendly animal products.

Please be assured that Japan has some of the most stringent environmental laws on the planet when it comes to waste management, emissions and manufacturing, so you can be rest easy in the knowledge that the products you buy at Goods Japan have sound environmental credentials.

Duties and Taxes:

Please note import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the price of our items. These additional costs vary depending on the destination country of the order and are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what, if any, these additional costs will be prior to making your purchase. These additional costs are usually comparable to the sales taxes and import duties you would pay for imported items in any bricks and mortar shop in your destination country. Some countries may have an import duty tax threshold, items with a value below this threshold may not be subject to tax, therefore staggering your purchases so they are shipped separately may reduce these additional costs. However, as we are unable to offer advice about duties and taxes, we cannot offer any guarantees in this regards and recommend you check with your tax office for more information.

We do not offer any service that can pre-pay customs fees, as the cost of these services often far exceed the actual cost of additional fees charged.

Please note, owing to heavy penalties for commercial fraud, we are unable to declare a lower value or mark items as 'gifts' on custom declaration forms or invoices.