Can You Still Shop Tax-Freein Japan After November 1?

Still 5,000 yen before tax, per shop, per day. At the till that is 5,500 yen for most goods and 5,400 yen for food. From November 1, goods and consumables count together toward it with no special packing, and the 500,000 yen cap and the sealed bags on consumables end.

Yes, and that is the trap. A toy at 3,000 yen and snacks at 2,000 yen before tax (3,300 and 2,160 yen at the till) from one shop on one day reach the minimum together. On one receipt, a snack box eaten before the flight loses the toy’s refund as well, because a receipt is refunded only when every item on it is in hand at departure. Ask for the children’s snacks, sweets, medicine and cosmetics on a separate receipt from gifts.

Yes. Toys, clothes and gear may be used in Japan and still qualify if they leave with you. Keep the box or the bag with the model number until the airport.

In the international departure lobby or a similar area, in front of security and bag drop, and it has to be finished before check-in. Bring every item in hand. The passport goes into the terminal, the screen reads Green or Red within a few seconds, and Red means showing the goods to Customs. How long Red takes is not published, and neither the airline nor Customs pays for a missed flight, so allow time.

At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha, the check can also be done on a phone through Visit Japan Web in the lobby’s dedicated Wi-Fi area, up to security, once registered.

Skip the terminal and tell the Customs officer at the counter.

At the last airport in Japan.

The shop or its refund company pays it. Methods differ from shop to shop and include bank transfer, card, app, or cash at the departure port. The refund is set up at the time of purchase, so ask then whether a fee comes off it. At the 10% rate, a 5,500 yen purchase carries 500 yen of tax and an 11,000 yen purchase carries 1,000 yen. That is the most a family can get back on each.

Not if you want the tax back. Goods bought from April 1, 2025 and mailed home by the traveler already lose the tax break, and from November 1 they get no refund. Ask whether the shop ships abroad.

No rule says either way. Our advice is to buy everything under one adult’s passport, which keeps one passport and one set of receipts at the terminal; that is a practical choice, not a stated rule. Everything bought must then leave Japan with that adult, in hand at the terminal.