- Home
- About
About this guide
An independent, free guide to Japan’s tax refund system for visitors, written in Japan.
- Refund method from
- 1 November 2026
- Customs check within
- 90 days of purchase
- Minimum spend
- ¥5,000 before tax, per shop per day
We are not the Japanese government, Japan Customs, a tax-free shop or a refund company, and we do not process refunds. If your refund is late or missing, contact the shop or the refund company named on your receipt.
Every page is checked against the official guidance published by the Japan Tourism Agency and the Visit Japan Web service. The date of the last check is shown at the bottom of each page. Each shop chooses its own refund methods and fees, so details there can differ from what we describe.
Found a mistake or have a question that is not covered? Email mucharmglobal@gmail.com.
Photo credits
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized. Each is used under the licence shown.
- Haneda Airport, Tokyo: Daniel L. Lu (user:dllu), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shinsaibashi, Osaka: Mr.ちゅらさん, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tax-free counter, Naha: Naha Mama Pavilionz, CC0
- Haneda Airport, Tokyo: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Mt Fuji from the air: Douglas Perkins, CC BY 4.0
- Haneda Airport Terminal 3: MaedaAkihiko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tax-free sign, Okinawa: Naha Mama Pavilionz, CC0
- Ginza, Tokyo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Check-in counters, Narita Airport: N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dotonbori, Osaka: Sakai Yayoi, CC0
- Shibuya, Tokyo: Syced, CC0
- Nakamise-dori, Asakusa: Maarten Heerlien from Voorschoten, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0