Air mail to the US

For the couple of months, my post office has said that if I want to ship bubble envelopes (whether it has just documents or actual goods), I must use air mail and I must have my labels printed using their online "International Mail My Page Service". This was no problem.

However, last week a new clerk helped me. She said that the US was no longer receiving packages with goods by air mail and only by surface mail. But then she also told me that because my bubble envelopes only contained documents (letters, post cards, birthday cards) and not goods, I can send them by standard mail without using the printed labels. It's faster than surface mail, but there's no tracking. This is perfect!

Yesterday I tried to mail another bubble envelope with documents using standard mail and was denied... Am I missing something? What should I be asking for?

Your a big vague on information. But spend something in bubble wrap might make it wide enough to become a parcel. Not just a letter.

Parcels to USA and other countries have been effected when using Japan Post services. You know covid and lack of planes in the sky.

I'd go back and ask why there. Better than us guessing here.

I have been sending letters, greeting cards, and postcards without any problem via air mail to the US.

Some post offices might consider that �gbubble wrapped�h contents might be more than letters – would you consider just sending in a regular business envelope, maybe place the documents in a clear plastic folder (to protect against moisture), and sending it in air mail?

By the way, by now they started accepting EMS (Express Mail Service) to the US as well, so if you want it fast, you could go that way too (and they have a decent-looking document envelope at the post office you can buy too).

Also, �gsmall packet�h with no tracking/insurance to the US is accepted too by now.

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2021/1101_01_en.html

Small air packet to USA was suspended again on November 2nd. Above poster may not be aware of this.

Whoops, sorry, H and OP, i was not aware of the change (the last time I sent was at the end of Oct.)

The page I use to check for postage rules is https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/overview.html and I am aware that they made changes during 2020 occasionally, but interesting that they are still making changes currently.
For most of the locations I am interested in it is full price air mail only (no economy air or EMS options, and definitely no surface option) and as I am wanting to send something to arrive before the end of December with a three week delivery time (yes, for full price air mail) I had better get on to that in the next week. This is not exclusive to Japan - In the other direction, I have someone sending me a parcel, again, full air mail and it is stuck in Auckland waiting for space on a flight - I might get it in a couple of weeks.

Been using DHL since middle of 2020 due to JPost issues.