How it works in a department store
Pay on each floor
Pay the full price including tax at each shop or floor, and keep every receipt.
Go to the tax-free counter the same day
Bring your passport, all the receipts, the goods and the card you paid with to the store’s tax-free counter before it closes that day. Purchases from all floors of one store on one day count together towards the ¥5,000 minimum before tax.
Choose how to be refunded
Usually a credit card in your name, Alipay or WeChat Pay. Some stores also offer cash at certain airports, for an extra fee.
Customs check when you leave
Within 90 days, do the kiosk check at the airport before you check in your bags. After a green result, the tax minus the store’s fee is paid back.
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What each store says (as of 21 October 2026)
| Store | New-system notice | Fee | Refund to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takashimaya | Yes: register at the tax-free counter on the day of purchase | A system handling fee; rate not published (1.55% under the old system) | Not stated for the new system |
| Isetan Mitsukoshi | Yes: tax-free counter on the day of purchase | A processing fee; rate not published | Credit card in your name, Alipay or WeChat Pay; no cash |
| Hankyu Hanshin | Yes: the refund company is Global Blue | Global Blue system fee; rate not published (1.55% until 31 October) | Credit card in your name, Alipay or WeChat Pay; cash at some airports for an extra fee |
| Daimaru Matsuzakaya | Not yet; its pages describe the old system | 1.55% under the old system | — |
| Kintetsu (Abeno Harukas) | Not yet | Not published | — |
| Seibu Sogo | Not yet; its pages describe the old system | 1.55% under the old system | — |
About the fee
Refund fees are not set by law. Under the old system most department stores deducted 1.55% of the price. Global Blue, which handles refunds for several department stores, told a Japanese business newspaper in April 2026 that under the new system it will deduct up to about 3%. None of the stores had published its new rate by 21 October 2026.
Hankyu Hanshin adds that foreign cards, Alipay and WeChat Pay may charge their own currency conversion fee, and that the refund fee is not returned if you return the goods.
Visitor discounts
| Store | Discount | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Takashimaya | Shopper’s Card: 5% off purchases of ¥3,000 or more before tax | Show your passport at the tax refund counter. Not valid for watches, jewellery, luxury brands or JR Nagoya Takashimaya. |
| Isetan Mitsukoshi | REWARDS in the MITSUKOSHI ISETAN JAPAN app: 5% off | Set it up in the app and activate it at a tax-free counter with your passport. Sale items, food and many luxury brands are excluded. The old Guest Card is no longer issued. |
| Hankyu Hanshin | Guest coupon: 5% off, valid for 7 days | Show your passport at the overseas customer counter or the information desk. It can be used together with tax-free. |
| Daimaru Matsuzakaya | 5% coupon on purchases of ¥3,000 or more including tax | Show your passport at the store’s service counter. Not valid for food, sale items or luxury boutiques. At Daimaru Tokyo it covers cosmetics only. |
| Kintetsu | 5% coupon on purchases of ¥2,200 or more including tax | Show the coupon at checkout and again at the tax-free counter. |
Useful before you fly
Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags
Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight
Tax-free counters in major stores
| Store | Counter |
|---|---|
| Isetan Shinjuku | Main Building 6F |
| Nihombashi Mitsukoshi | Main Store 7F, International Customer Service |
| Hankyu Umeda | B1, Overseas Customer Counter |
| Daimaru Shinsaibashi | Main Building 9F and South Building 4F |
| Daimaru Tokyo | 12F |
| Abeno Harukas Kintetsu | Wing Building 3.5F, Overseas Customer Salon |
| Seibu Ikebukuro | Annex 2F |
Tips
- Do the counter procedure on the day of purchase, before the counter closes. It cannot be done the next day.
- Purchases in two different stores of the same chain do not add up.
- The person who bought the goods must come in person with the original passport.
- For a single item of ¥1,000,000 or more, the store records extra details such as the serial number.
For your departure day
- Getting to Narita Airport: airport trains, buses and luggage delivery: Skyliner · Klook · KKday
- Getting to Haneda Airport: airport trains, buses and luggage delivery: Tokyo Monorail · Klook · KKday
- Getting to Kansai Airport: airport trains, buses and luggage delivery: HARUKA · Klook · KKday
- Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight: Radical Storage
- Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags: Klook · Trip.com · Welcome Pickups