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Tax-free at Japan’s drugstore chains from 1 November 2026

Matsumoto Kiyoshi and Cocokara Fine have their own guide. This page compares six other chains visitors use: Sundrug, Tsuruha, Daikoku Drug, Kokumin, Welcia and Sugi Pharmacy. From 1 November 2026 you pay the full price including tax and get the tax back after the customs check when you leave Japan. Checked against each chain’s own website on 28 October 2026.

By Mikako Yoshida ·Published 28 October 2026 · Updated 29 October 2026

Tax-free at Japan’s drugstore chains from 1 November 2026
Dotonbori, Osaka · Photo: Sakai Yayoi (CC0)

What each chain’s website says (as of 28 October 2026)

ChainTax-free shopsRefund method, fee and refund companyVisitor coupon
SundrugThe store finder on the Sundrug online shop has a 免税対応 (tax-free) filterNot announcedNone on its website
TsuruhaA visitor page in English, Chinese, Korean and Thai links to the tax-free shop listNot announcedNone on its website
Daikoku Drug126 shops marked 免税 in its store listNot announcedNone on its website
Kokumin103 shops on its multilingual tax-free pageNot announcedNone current; the campaign on that page ended in 2016
WelciaThe store finder has a 免税店 (tax-free shop) filterNot announcedNone on its website
Sugi PharmacyA duty-free store search and a tax-free FAQ in English, Chinese and KoreanNot announcedApp coupons are for members only, and visitors cannot join
Tax Free Shop sign at the entrance of a Matsumoto Kiyoshi (マツモトキヨシ) drugstore
A tax-free Matsumoto Kiyoshi (マツモトキヨシ) drugstore

Some pages still show the old rules

Tsuruha’s visitor page and Sugi Pharmacy’s FAQ still describe the rules that end on 31 October 2026: a ¥500,000 cap on consumables, sealed bags and export within 30 days. For purchases from 1 November 2026 there is no consumables cap and no sealed bag, and you have 90 days to leave Japan and complete the customs check.

Refund fees and refund companies

As of 28 October 2026, none of the six chains had published on its own website how the refund will be paid, which refund company it uses, or whether a fee is deducted.

News reports in Taiwan in October 2026 say Tsuruha uses J&J Tax Free’s J-TaxRefund system and pays the refund fee itself. Tsuruha has not published this on its own website.

The Japan Tourism Agency says the refund is paid by each tax-free shop or by a refund company the shop appoints, that the shop explains how to register a refund method when you buy, and that methods can include bank transfer, credit card, an app or cash at the port of departure. Ask at the till which one applies, and keep the receipt.

Chain by chain

Daikoku Drug lists 126 tax-free shops. Most are in Osaka, around Namba, Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori and Kuromon Market. Others include shops on Kokusai-dori in Naha, at Tanukikoji in Sapporo, and in Shinjuku, Ginza, Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara in Tokyo. Its Mega Shinsaibashi shop opened in August 2026. The website is in Japanese only.

Tsuruha has a visitor page in English, traditional and simplified Chinese, Korean and Thai that links to its tax-free shop list, and its store finder has a 免税 (tax-free) filter. The rules on that page are the ones that end on 31 October 2026. The page also says Tsuruha Group shops have free Wi-Fi.

Kokumin lists 103 tax-free shops, 36 of them in Osaka and 23 in Tokyo. The list includes airport shops at New Chitose, Haneda Terminals 1, 2 and 3, Narita Terminal 1, Itami and Fukuoka.

Sundrug has no visitor page on its corporate website. The store finder on its online shop lets you filter for 免税対応 (tax-free) branches.

Welcia does not publish tax-free rules or visitor offers. Its store finder, also available in English and Chinese, has a 免税店 (tax-free shop) filter.

Sugi Pharmacy runs a duty-free store search and a tax-free FAQ in English, Chinese and Korean. The FAQ says visitors cannot join the point card or use app coupons, that tax-free goods are in principle not returnable, and that you can show the Visit Japan Web tax-free QR code instead of your passport. That FAQ was written for the rules that end on 31 October 2026, so ask in the shop whether the QR code is still accepted.

Medicines and cosmetics under the refund method

  • For purchases from 1 November 2026 there is no separate consumables category, no ¥500,000 cap and no sealed bag.
  • You may buy only what you can carry out of Japan yourself when you leave.
  • The minimum is still ¥5,000 before tax at the same shop on the same day.
  • If you open and use medicines, cosmetics, food or drink in Japan, those goods lose the refund. Do not use the kiosk for that receipt; tell the customs officer at the counter.
  • Customs checks each receipt as a whole. If one item from a receipt is missing or used, nothing on that receipt is refunded.
  • You must leave Japan and complete the customs check within 90 days of purchase.

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Coupons

Purchase limits on some medicines

Daikoku Drug says medicines with designated ingredients, such as codeine, dihydrocodeine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, methylephedrine, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine and bromovalerylurea, are sold in principle one per customer, that larger or multiple packs need a talk with the pharmacist, and that under-18s cannot buy large packs. Sugi Pharmacy says it limits quantities of some medicines and that some OTC medicines needing a pharmacist’s consultation may not be sold tax-free at some shops.

Tips at the till

  • Pay for anything you will use during the trip in a separate, normal purchase, not on your tax-free receipt.
  • Ask at the till how the refund will be paid, register the way the staff explain, and keep the receipt.
  • Keep every item from one receipt together until the airport kiosk.
  • At the airport, do the kiosk check before you check in any bag.
Skincare on a Japanese drugstore shelf
Skincare on a Japanese drugstore shelf · Photo: 毒島みるく (CC0)

Questions

Has any of these chains announced a refund fee?
No. As of 28 October 2026, none of Sundrug, Tsuruha, Daikoku Drug, Kokumin, Welcia or Sugi Pharmacy had published a refund fee on its own website.
Can I combine receipts from two branches of the same chain?
No. The ¥5,000 minimum applies per shop per day, so each branch counts on its own.
Can I return a tax-free item?
Sugi Pharmacy’s FAQ says it does not accept returns of tax-free items in principle. The other chains do not cover this on their websites, so ask before you pay.
What happens if I use one sheet mask from a pack bought tax-free?
That receipt then fails the customs check, and nothing on it is refunded. Report it to the customs officer at the counter instead of using the kiosk.

Related guides

Refund methods and feesHow the money comes back, and the fees shops have announced.Common mistakesUsed items, checked bags and other ways to lose the refund.At the airportWhere the kiosks are and what green and red mean.

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