Has anyone had trouble transporting habu saki in their checked in luggage without messing up the habu? The bottle had to be upright so habu won’t move

Question

I have to transport my bottle of habu saki in my checked in luggage and wonder if anyone has any experience to share ie. If their habu was messed up, additional packaging ideas/tips, their overall experience.

Answer 1

Habushu aka "habu sake" (sic) is Okinawan liquor (awamori) containing an entire Okinawan pit viper (habu) in the bottle.

(by Scott R, Wikimedia Commons)

If you check in your bag, there's no way to guarantee it will stay upright; in fact I can pretty much guarantee the bag will be thrown around and jostled by machinery and human handlers. Wrapping it with bubble wrap, clothes etc will reduce the odds of the bottle breaking but won't stop the contents from being banged up.

You cannot bring a bottle of the stuff as carry-on, because it's far larger than the 100 ml limit. Good news is that it is available at Naha airport, at least in domestic section. Whether it will be allowed through any connecting airports you have is another story.

Finally, on arrival to the US, remember that you have to declare it. The good news is that Protobothrops flavoviridis is not an endangered species, so once Customs is convinced of this, you should be free to go.