# Tarantulas and moving to Japan



## xgrafcorex (Mar 8, 2011)

I searched and found old threads with more speculation than anything.  

Does anyone know what tarantula availability is like in Japan?  I'm moving there later in the summer and have two T's that I'd rather not sell.  I'm in contact with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and so far it seems that I can export them to Japan.  They asked for the scientific names (or at least common names) to verify if they were protected species or not.  

Anyone moved there, from there, or still live there?  

Thanks in advance.


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## Mojo Jojo (Mar 9, 2011)

I couldn't find anything on google, but this would be my best guess about the type of tarantulas that you might find in Japan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny-AKUIQr9c


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## Pulk (Mar 9, 2011)

I doubt the US will care about exporting them - importing into Japan would be the issue.

I received a swift and useful response from sodankan@tokyo-customs.go.jp about a very similar question. Also, this page might have some useful information: http://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/customsanswer_e.htm


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## Introvertebrate (Mar 9, 2011)

xgrafcorex said:


> .............Does anyone know what tarantula availability is like in Japan?............


I suspect that they pursue all the same hobbies we do, only better.  It might be easier to sell your Ts, and start fresh with new ones in Japan.


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## xgrafcorex (Mar 9, 2011)

Pulk said:


> I doubt the US will care about exporting them - importing into Japan would be the issue.
> 
> I received a swift and useful response from sodankan@tokyo-customs.go.jp about a very similar question. Also, this page might have some useful information: http://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/customsanswer_e.htm


Thanks, I'll poke around there and see what's what.  

I thought of the idea of just restarting once I got there or asking someone to spider sit for a year and a half or so.  Still not sure.  The thing about it is that I will be very busy when I'm there and will need to find someone that can take care of them from time to time.  So it might not be the best idea to even take them.


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## Scolopeon (Mar 10, 2011)

http://s.blog.bandao.cn/archive/46129/blogs-497320.aspx I would imagine so?

That is Chinese however, my lack of knowledge allows me some degree of ignorance,


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## JRsmallz (Mar 14, 2011)

I have a friend from Japan and until seeing mine, she had never seen a tarantula in person. She said they don't have any wild T's where she lived but that doesn't sum up the whole country. Never know who you may find who's in the hobby. Considering it costs about $400 for a round of golf over there, I could only imagine what you'd have to pay for a tarantula if the hobby isn't as popular there.


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## Rob1985 (Mar 14, 2011)

In light of whats going on, I'd reconsider moving to Japan... :?

(I know your navy, lol)


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## Bill S (Mar 15, 2011)

JRsmallz said:


> Considering it costs about $400 for a round of golf over there, I could only imagine what you'd have to pay for a tarantula ....


Apples and oranges.  Golf is expensive because they have a massive population and very little land available for golf courses.  Real estate in Tokyo is incredibly expensive.  People rent parking spaces for more than we pay to rent houses.  Driving ranges are multi-story so they can fit more people into the available space.  By comparison, pets and plants (bonsai) that occupy little space are popular.  Don't know how much a tarantula would cost there and if they are available, but the price would not compare to anything that required open land space.


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## pocock1899 (Mar 15, 2011)

The USFWS will care about them as you leave the country with them. 

Regardless of whether they are with you, or shipped seperately, you need to declare them on the USFWS 3-177 form you can get off the fws.gov website.

If you don't declare them, it makes it an illegal export. Japanese customs could use this as a reason to deny entry to your spiders, or seize and destroy them if they like.


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## gmrpnk21 (Mar 15, 2011)

What species do you have? I wouldn't mind spider sitting!


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## xgrafcorex (Mar 16, 2011)

Hah yea, even if I didn't have a choice about going, I'm not sure I'd pass up an opportunity to move out there.  Yokosuka is fairly distant from the immediate trouble.  They are experiencing planned power outages twice a day though.  



pocock1899 said:


> The USFWS will care about them as you leave the country with them.
> 
> Regardless of whether they are with you, or shipped seperately, you need to declare them on the USFWS 3-177 form you can get off the fws.gov website.
> 
> If you don't declare them, it makes it an illegal export. Japanese customs could use this as a reason to deny entry to your spiders, or seize and destroy them if they like.


If been in contact with the US side and the Japanese side of the whole thing...still waiting to hear the final word on what I have to do to bring them into Japan.  Neither species is protected, so I don't have to worry on that end.



gmrpnk21 said:


> What species do you have? I wouldn't mind spider sitting!


X immanis and P metallica...if I find a spider sitter, it's going to be someone I've at least met before.  :}


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## gmrpnk21 (Mar 16, 2011)

xgrafcorex said:


> Hah yea, even if I didn't have a choice about going, I'm not sure I'd pass up an opportunity to move out there.  Yokosuka is fairly distant from the immediate trouble.  They are experiencing planned power outages twice a day though.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi, nice to meet you! Gimme


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## xgrafcorex (Mar 18, 2011)

gmrpnk21 said:


> Hi, nice to meet you! Gimme


Nice to "meet" you too.  

Looks like all orders to Japan are on hold until further notice.  Depending on how it goes over there, it may be a while before I actually get on a plane.


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## esotericman (Mar 18, 2011)

And here I thought you had left years ago.  Good luck with the eventual move.


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## xgrafcorex (Mar 19, 2011)

esotericman said:


> And here I thought you had left years ago.  Good luck with the eventual move.


Hey, how's it going?  haha Nah, just lurking here and there.  Thanks, it's not looking great over there.  They still haven't canceled my orders though, so it's just a matter of time.


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## nurunuru (Apr 19, 2011)

I live in Japan and bought my only tarantula (an A. diversipes) here a couple of years ago.  The pet shops which sell tarantulas are fairly few and far between.  The best one I've come across is www.rainforest.co.jp  It's a tiny little place hidden away in Ueno.  Lots of slings and a few adults for sale.  I payed 13,000 yen for my A. diversipes, but then that was when it was very new on the scene.  More common species aren't that pricy really.  More than the US though, that's for sure.

Tarantulas are certainly very rare pets out here.  I teach at a bunch of schools and the kids are always surprised when they find out I have a spider as a pet.  You can find crickets and sometimes mealworms for sale at large pet stores though, because lizards are much more popular.

You could always get some beetles while you're here...There are no restrictions on herbivorous exotic fauna, so you can find some awesome bugs.  I had a pair of Dynastes hercules hercules which are just amazing creatures.


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## xgrafcorex (May 17, 2011)

nurunuru said:


> I live in Japan and bought my only tarantula (an A. diversipes) here a couple of years ago.  The pet shops which sell tarantulas are fairly few and far between.  The best one I've come across is www.rainforest.co.jp  It's a tiny little place hidden away in Ueno.  Lots of slings and a few adults for sale.  I payed 13,000 yen for my A. diversipes, but then that was when it was very new on the scene.  More common species aren't that pricy really.  More than the US though, that's for sure.
> 
> Tarantulas are certainly very rare pets out here.  I teach at a bunch of schools and the kids are always surprised when they find out I have a spider as a pet.  You can find crickets and sometimes mealworms for sale at large pet stores though, because lizards are much more popular.
> 
> You could always get some beetles while you're here...There are no restrictions on herbivorous exotic fauna, so you can find some awesome bugs.  I had a pair of Dynastes hercules hercules which are just amazing creatures.


Thanks for that info!  I don't feel as bad about deciding to sell my T's now heh.  Granted, they are two species I want to hang onto, but the paperwork, time, money involved is too much on top of all the other paperwork, time and money involved to just move there.  I figure I'll lighten the load a little bit. 

Never been too into beetles, but I'll see what they have over there.  I should only be there for about a year and a half, plus or minus 3 months.  If I meet a nice Japanese woman, that could change.  haha


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