What each chain’s website says (as of 28 October 2026)
| Chain | Tax-free shops | Refund method, fee and refund company | Visitor coupon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundrug | The store finder on the Sundrug online shop has a 免税対応 (tax-free) filter | Not announced | None on its website |
| Tsuruha | A visitor page in English, Chinese, Korean and Thai links to the tax-free shop list | Not announced | None on its website |
| Daikoku Drug | 126 shops marked 免税 in its store list | Not announced | None on its website |
| Kokumin | 103 shops on its multilingual tax-free page | Not announced | None current; the campaign on that page ended in 2016 |
| Welcia | The store finder has a 免税店 (tax-free shop) filter | Not announced | None on its website |
| Sugi Pharmacy | A duty-free store search and a tax-free FAQ in English, Chinese and Korean | Not announced | App coupons are for members only, and visitors cannot join |
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.
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
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.
