https://refund-japan.com/Japan's tax refund from November 1, 2026. An independent reference: every figure traces to a primary source.enTue, 22 Sep 2026 00:36:37 GMThttps://refund-japan.com/articles/akihabarahttps://refund-japan.com/articles/akihabaraMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA day in Akihabara is read through 3 labels: 1 buyer, 1 shop, 1 trading date, with each shop measured on its own against ¥5,000 before tax. From November 1, 2026 everything 1 buyer pays 1 shop for on a single date forms one figure. What is treated as 1 shop — an annex, a floor let to another trader, 2 counters inside 1 operator — is not written into the published conditions as of August 19, 2026, so the question belongs at the till before paying.https://refund-japan.com/articles/baby-and-kidshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/baby-and-kidsMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDiapers and formula bought in quantity are counted as 1 total: everything 1 buyer pays 1 shop for on 1 trading date, measured against ¥5,000 before tax. From November 1, 2026 the 2 former categories are counted together, so packs, tins and the rest of the basket form a single figure. The unit doing the counting is the buyer in the passport, which makes a purchase for a baby the purchase of whichever adult paid for it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/beauty-deviceshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/beauty-devicesMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA dryer or facial device is general goods: the line is ¥5,000 before tax for 1 buyer, 1 shop, 1 trading date, and from November 1, 2026 spare heads join it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmeticshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmeticsMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTCosmetics gain the most from the November 1, 2026 change. The ¥500,000 daily cap goes, the sealed bag goes, and cosmetics are counted together with everything else bought in the same shop on the same day.https://refund-japan.com/articles/customs-terminalhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/customs-terminalMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 the refund is settled at departure, not at the register. You read your passport at a terminal and get one of two outcomes. Here is what each one means and how to be ready for both.https://refund-japan.com/articles/not-eligible-itemshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/not-eligible-itemsMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMost purchases that miss out are not blocked by what you bought. They miss the ¥5,000 minimum, split across two shops, or never clear customs. Here are the six boundaries, and what is still unannounced.https://refund-japan.com/articles/used-it-all-uphttps://refund-japan.com/articles/used-it-all-upMon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 you can open and use what you bought. But a Red judgment at customs means showing the goods, so an empty bottle is the one case the new freedom creates. Here is how to handle it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/anime-figureshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/anime-figuresSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA boxed figure is measured by the amount the shop charged, which has to reach ¥5,000 or more before tax for one buyer at one shop on one trading date. The box is part of what that amount paid for, so a shelf tag of ¥5,500 is the tag that converts to ¥5,000 before tax. From November 1, 2026 the two former categories stop being told apart and the tax returns after a customs confirmation at departure.https://refund-japan.com/articles/apparelhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/apparelSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTPutting a purchase on before the flight does not sit against the published condition, because that condition names the buyer as the person the goods leave Japan with, within 90 days of the purchase date. The amount was settled at the till — ¥5,000 or more before tax at one shop on one trading date — and the single thing wearing the item changes is where it sits when a Red result asks for the goods.https://refund-japan.com/articles/bought-oct30-left-nov5https://refund-japan.com/articles/bought-oct30-left-nov5Sun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe date you buy decides which handling applies, not the date you fly. Anything bought up to October 31, 2026 follows the old handling and anything bought from November 1, 2026 follows the new one, with no transition period in between.https://refund-japan.com/articles/counting-90-dayshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/counting-90-daysSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe 90 days run from the date you buy, not from the date you arrive, and what has to happen inside them is leaving Japan and clearing the customs confirmation. From November 1, 2026 that confirmation is the step that releases the refund.https://refund-japan.com/articles/green-or-redhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/green-or-redSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTAt the customs terminal your passport is read and the screen gives one of 2 results. Green lets you walk on, Red asks to see the goods. What each one requires is published; the screen, the timing and the layout of each airport are not, as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/new-year-fukubukurohttps://refund-japan.com/articles/new-year-fukubukuroSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA fukubukuro is paid for before anyone sees inside, and the arrangement does not look inside either: it reads the amount charged, which has to reach ¥5,000 or more before tax for one buyer at one shop on one trading date. Japanese tags carry the tax-included figure, so a bag tagged at ¥5,500 is the one that lands on ¥5,000 before tax, and from November 1, 2026 the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure.https://refund-japan.com/articles/same-day-definitionhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/same-day-definitionSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe ¥5,000 minimum is counted at one shop on one day, so a basket that straddles a change of date arrives as two purchases instead of one. How the boundary between one date and the next is handled has not been published as of August 19, 2026, so this page keeps to what is settled.https://refund-japan.com/articles/same-store-definitionhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/same-store-definitionSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe ¥5,000 minimum is counted at one shop on one day, and what counts as one shop inside one building has not been published as of August 19, 2026. Here is the question to ask before you start buying under the November 1, 2026 system.https://refund-japan.com/articles/buying-for-someonehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/buying-for-someoneFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA friend asks you to pick something up in Japan. The tax-free record is made from the passport at the register and from whether the goods leave Japan with that person, and neither of those reads who asked or who paid.https://refund-japan.com/articles/buying-for-someone-elsehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/buying-for-someone-elseFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. The published condition names the buyer carrying the goods out of Japan within 90 days of the purchase date, which is where an errand for someone who is not travelling with you runs into trouble.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cash-refundhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cash-refundFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTCash appears on the published list of refund methods, next to credit card, smartphone payment apps and approved sending and receiving operators. Whether cash remains a method a traveller can actually receive is unannounced as of August 19, 2026, and this page holds the place where that answer will go.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cherry-blossomhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cherry-blossomFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. A cherry blossom trip does not move the ¥5,000 line, the one buyer at one shop on one day count, or the 90 days.https://refund-japan.com/articles/christmas-shoppinghttps://refund-japan.com/articles/christmas-shoppingFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA December present is counted like anything else in Japan: ¥5,000 or more before tax, at 1 shop, on 1 date, against 1 passport. What gift shopping changes is the other end of the trip, because from November 1, 2026 the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure, and a present already handed over inside Japan is one the buyer cannot produce there.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-1000000-linehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-1000000-lineFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA purchase of ¥1,000,000 or more carries a registration — a serial number or similar identifying information typed in beside the sale. Whether a basket of cosmetics and beauty devices reaches that figure item by item or across one receipt is not set out, so the till that enters the sale is where it is settled.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-mall-tenantshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-mall-tenantsFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe tax-free line is ¥5,000 before tax for one buyer at one shop on one day, and receipts from different shops do not combine. One building can hold cosmetics in three places, so a list split between them can leave three totals that each fall short.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-oct31-nov1-cashhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-oct31-nov1-cashFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA cosmetics purchase up to October 31, 2026 is paid without the tax at the register. The same purchase from November 1, 2026 is paid with the tax included, and the tax comes back after the customs confirmation, so the amount you need on hand at the counter is larger.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-refund-arithmetichttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-refund-arithmeticFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA cosmetics tag in Japan already holds the tax, and one eleventh of it is the tax inside: ¥909 within ¥10,000, ¥1,000 within ¥11,000.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-samples-and-giftshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-samples-and-giftsFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA cosmetics purchase is counted at ¥5,000 before tax per buyer, per shop, per day, and that total is built from what was paid. Sachets and novelties handed over at no charge carry no price.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-sets-and-bundleshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-sets-and-bundlesFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA cosmetics purchase is counted at ¥5,000 before tax per buyer, per shop, per day, and the total is built from what was actually paid. A set discount lowers that total, so tags that add up above the line can end below it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/departure-day-timelinehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/departure-day-timelineFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 the tax on a tax-free purchase in Japan comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. 3 points about that confirmation are published — a terminal reads the passport, a Green result means passing through, a Red result means the goods themselves are shown — while where the steps sit inside an airport is not published as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/elderly-without-smartphonehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/elderly-without-smartphoneFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT2 steps are published on the buyer's side of a Japanese tax-free purchase, and both are described around one object: the passport is shown at the register, and at departure a terminal reads that same passport. Whether anything beyond it is asked of a buyer is not published as of August 19, 2026, so this page says neither that a device is required nor that paper alone finishes the job.https://refund-japan.com/articles/end-of-season-saleshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/end-of-season-salesFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTStock cleared at a change of season is measured on the amount the register actually charges: ¥5,000 or more before tax, for 1 buyer at 1 shop on 1 date. Shelf tags in Japan carry the tax-included figure, so a reduced tag of ¥5,500 including tax stands on that line rather than below it, and from November 1, 2026 the tax returns after a customs confirmation at departure.https://refund-japan.com/articles/exchange-studentshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/exchange-studentsFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA study stay of six months or longer sits outside the wording Japan uses for tax-free buyers: non-residents, foreign travellers staying under six months. From November 1, 2026 the tax is paid inside the price at the register and comes back after a confirmation at departure. This page sorts what the published condition settles for a student from what it leaves open as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/family-supplementary-cardhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/family-supplementary-cardFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is recorded against the passport presented at the register. A supplementary family card carries the name of the person who uses it while the charge lands on the main cardholder, so one purchase can carry two names — and how a mismatch between them is treated is not published as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/group-tourhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/group-tourFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA tour leader can interpret, hurry the schedule and choose the stops. What decides whose purchase it is stays the passport handed across the counter at ¥5,000 before tax.https://refund-japan.com/articles/how-early-to-arrivehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/how-early-to-arriveFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThis page cannot give you a number, and it explains why rather than inventing one. How long the confirmation takes, how long anyone waits for it, where the terminals stand and how many a building holds are not published as of August 19, 2026, so the only clock you can actually read on departure day is your own airline’s.https://refund-japan.com/articles/international-transithttps://refund-japan.com/articles/international-transitFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTChanging planes between 2 international flights does not by itself put a traveller inside the arrangement that starts on November 1, 2026. What decides it is a purchase of ¥5,000 or more before tax at one shop in Japan, not the route an itinerary takes. This page is for passengers whose whole time in Japan sits between two boarding passes, and for the ones unsure which side of that line they are on.https://refund-japan.com/articles/leave-and-returnhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/leave-and-returnFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. A trip that flies out to Seoul and returns holds 2 departures, and the ¥5,000 count stays per buyer, per shop, per day.https://refund-japan.com/articles/name-mismatchhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/name-mismatchFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. How a payment made in a name other than the passport name is treated is not published as of August 19, 2026, so the useful moves are the ones made at the register.https://refund-japan.com/articles/new-year-closureshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/new-year-closuresFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA date on which a shop does not trade changes nothing inside the count: a purchase still needs ¥5,000 or more before tax, at 1 shop, on 1 date, against 1 passport, and the goods still leave Japan with the buyer within 90 days of the purchase date. What a closing day reduces is the supply of dates an itinerary can put a purchase on, and from November 1, 2026 the tax returns after a customs confirmation at departure.https://refund-japan.com/articles/one-person-for-the-familyhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/one-person-for-the-familyFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhat is published is the unit of counting: the buyer, identified by the passport presented at the register. Whether one traveller may act for another at the terminal is not published as of August 19, 2026, which is why the part a family can actually decide is which passport each purchase goes onto.https://refund-japan.com/articles/otc-medicinehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/otc-medicineFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a drugstore purchase of ¥5,000 before tax no longer travels sealed. The open question is what a departure terminal accepts once a box has been opened.https://refund-japan.com/articles/red-result-preparationhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/red-result-preparationFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a terminal reads the passport at departure, a Green result means passing through and a Red result means the goods are presented. What is asked at that point is not published as of August 19, 2026, so the preparation that fits every version of the answer is to keep the goods and the passport within reach.https://refund-japan.com/articles/refund-dayshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/refund-daysFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe length between the departure confirmation and the refund is not published as of August 19, 2026. What the published material fixes is an order, plus one written length that belongs to the traveller rather than to the money: the 90 days within which departure has to happen.https://refund-japan.com/articles/shinsaibashihttps://refund-japan.com/articles/shinsaibashiFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne arcade, one roof, and a row of separate counts underneath it. The line is ¥5,000 before tax for one buyer in one shop on one day, and what is treated as one shop is not set out in the published conditions as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/shipping-luggage-aheadhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/shipping-luggage-aheadFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. When a suitcase travels to the airport ahead of its owner, the purchases have 2 places to ride, and only 1 of them is still within reach if a Red result asks for the goods.https://refund-japan.com/articles/shopping-on-departure-dayhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/shopping-on-departure-dayFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA purchase made on the morning of your flight carries that date like any other, so it joins everything else bought at the same shop that day toward the ¥5,000 before-tax line for 1 buyer. From November 1, 2026 the tax is handed back after a customs confirmation at departure, and the flight time plays no part in the arithmetic.https://refund-japan.com/articles/skincare-setshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/skincare-setsFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA cleanser, a toner and a cream picked off three shelves are measured as one pre-tax figure at one shop on one date. The arrangement counts money rather than pieces, so one item can qualify and five can fall short.https://refund-japan.com/articles/tax-free-signhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/tax-free-signFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe shopfront display and one sentence at the counter are the only two things that answer this question before you pay, because no product, price tag or receipt carries the answer. Whether the form or the wording of the display changes from November 1, 2026 is not published as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/tax-free-vs-duty-free-wordshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/tax-free-vs-duty-free-wordsFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTJapanese shopfronts say 免税 and print TAX FREE underneath, while travellers arrive carrying the word duty-free. The two land on different systems. This page reads the Japanese labels a shopper actually sees — 税抜, 税込, 非居住者, Green and Red — for the consumption tax on shopping in ordinary shops.https://refund-japan.com/articles/tour-groupshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/tour-groupsFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. A party of 40 on one coach is still counted 1 buyer at a time.https://refund-japan.com/articles/what-the-terminal-askshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/what-the-terminal-asksFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 the tax on a tax-free purchase in Japan comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. Two things about that terminal are published — it reads the passport, and the result decides whether the goods are shown — while the items and wording a traveller meets there are not published as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/whose-accounthttps://refund-japan.com/articles/whose-accountFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe buying side is settled — a purchase attaches to the passport put on the counter — while the receiving side is published as a list of four methods with nothing assigning one of them to a purchase. How a payment name differing from the passport is treated is not published as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/why-the-rule-changedhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/why-the-rule-changedFri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTOn November 1, 2026 the till in a Japanese shop starts asking for the figure printed on the shelf tag, tax included, and the tax portion reaches the traveller after a terminal has read the passport at departure. A sale entered on October 31, 2026 is still priced the older way, so the difference lands on the budget rather than on the entitlement.https://refund-japan.com/articles/black-fridayhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/black-fridayWed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. In a Black Friday sale the ¥5,000 line is read on the reduced amount before tax, which reads as ¥5,500 on a tax-included tag.https://refund-japan.com/articles/what-the-store-keepshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/what-the-store-keepsSun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase in Japan is paid at the tax-included price and the tax comes back after a customs confirmation at departure. The purchase is recorded against the passport shown at the register, and what a shop holds of that record, in what form and for how long, is not published as of August 19, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/paper-vs-digital-receipthttps://refund-japan.com/articles/paper-vs-digital-receiptWed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 a tax-free purchase is recorded against the passport shown at the register, and a terminal reads that same passport at departure. Which record a traveller produces on the day is not published as of August 19, 2026, so the workable plan is to keep the paper, the app entry and the email copy until the flight.https://refund-japan.com/articles/security-screening-liquidshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/security-screening-liquidsWed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuying cosmetics tax-free in Japan does not change what airport screening allows in a cabin bag. From November 1, 2026 the tax-free side fixes two things only: the goods leave Japan with the buyer, and a terminal reads the passport at departure. That is why the order of checking a bag is worth deciding first.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-fee-unknownhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-fee-unknownTue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhether a handling fee is deducted from a cosmetics refund is not published as of August 19, 2026. What is settled is the ceiling: one eleventh of the tax-included price, ¥909 on ¥10,000.https://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-two-shopshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/cosmetics-two-shopsTue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA toner from a drugstore and a serum from a department store counter do not land on one receipt. The ¥5,000 before-tax line is counted per buyer, per shop, per day, and from November 1, 2026 the tax comes back after the customs confirmation.https://refund-japan.com/articles/bought-at-airport-landsidehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/bought-at-airport-landsideMon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA shop on the landside of an airport — the arrival lobby, the departure lobby, the floors attached to the terminal — is read by the permission it holds, not by its address. If it is a permitted tax-free shop, the purchase runs on the same route as a purchase made in a city.https://refund-japan.com/articles/handling-feehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/handling-feeSun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe tax inside a Japanese price tag is one eleventh of the tax-included price, and that is the ceiling on what a refund can return. Whether anything is deducted from that ceiling is unannounced as of August 19, 2026, and this page is written to be replaced on the day it is published.https://refund-japan.com/articles/in-osaka-out-tokyohttps://refund-japan.com/articles/in-osaka-out-tokyoSun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA trip that lands in Osaka and flies home from Tokyo has one customs confirmation, taken at departure from Japan. The city where the shopping happened is not part of what is read, and receipts are counted for each shop on each day.https://refund-japan.com/articles/opening-the-package-before-departurehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/opening-the-package-before-departureSun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 the special sealed packaging leaves the tax-free system in Japan, so a purchase can be opened during the trip. What the departure check reads is the passport and whether the goods leave Japan with the buyer.https://refund-japan.com/articles/shinjukuhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/shinjukuSun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTShinjuku puts many shops within a short walk, but the tax-free count stays per buyer, per shop, per day. How a building holding many shops is divided into shops is not written into the published conditions as of August 19, 2026, so it is asked at the shop.https://refund-japan.com/articles/snacks-and-sweetshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/snacks-and-sweetsSun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSnacks, sweets and soft drinks are food, and food in Japan carries the reduced 8% consumption tax. How reduced-rate goods are handled under the refund is unannounced as of August 19, 2026, so this page separates what is settled from what is not.https://refund-japan.com/articles/airport-terminalshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/airport-terminalsSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom November 1, 2026 the refund is released by a check made where you leave Japan. What that check involves is published. Where inside an airport it sits is not, and this page does not invent it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/announcement-trackerhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/announcement-trackerSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe structure of the November 1, 2026 system is settled, but six of the questions travellers ask most are still unanswered. Here is the line between the two, and where the missing answers would appear.https://refund-japan.com/articles/budgeting-refundhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/budgeting-refundSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne eleventh of the tax-included price is a ceiling for a travel budget, not a promise. Here is how much to enter, and the point at which the money can be relied on.https://refund-japan.com/articles/camerashttps://refund-japan.com/articles/camerasSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA camera basket is a body, a lens and accessories that add up in one shop. From November 1, 2026 they count as one total, and a purchase of ¥1,000,000 or more adds a registration step. Here is the sequence.https://refund-japan.com/articles/checked-bag-before-terminalhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/checked-bag-before-terminalSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA Red result at departure asks for the goods themselves, and goods inside a checked bag cannot be shown. This page separates what is published about the confirmation from what is unannounced about where the terminals stand.https://refund-japan.com/articles/clothing-and-shoeshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/clothing-and-shoesSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTClothes and shoes are general goods, so the sealed bag story was never really their story. Here is what actually changes for them on November 1, 2026, what was always true, and what is simply not published.https://refund-japan.com/articles/comparing-countrieshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/comparing-countriesSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTPeople judge Japan against a counter they once used somewhere else. Four axes make the comparison mean something: the floor, the timing, the share and the clock. Japan’s four are filled in here, and one of them changes on November 1, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/customs-allowance-differencehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/customs-allowance-differenceSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTwo different systems get confused constantly: the Japanese consumption tax refunded on your purchase, and whatever your own country charges when you land. Here is which is which, and which one changes on November 1, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/drugstore-checkouthttps://refund-japan.com/articles/drugstore-checkoutSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA drugstore basket mixes medicine, cosmetics, food and household items. From November 1, 2026 the split that used to sort that basket into two piles is abolished, so the whole basket is read as one total in that shop on that day.https://refund-japan.com/articles/home-applianceshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/home-appliancesSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTAn appliance is general goods, so the rule that decides it is the same ¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day. What November 1, 2026 changes is that the appliance stops being counted on its own.https://refund-japan.com/articles/infants-and-toddlershttps://refund-japan.com/articles/infants-and-toddlersSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTax free is judged per buyer, and the buyer is whoever presented the passport. A child can be that buyer, but their passport is then needed at the till and at the customs terminal. Here is what that means.https://refund-japan.com/articles/luggage-and-carry-onhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/luggage-and-carry-onSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTJapan publishes no rule that assigns a tax-free purchase to one bag or the other. What it publishes is the departure step, where the goods themselves can be asked for. Here is how that decides where to put them under the system that starts on November 1, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/malls-and-arcadeshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/malls-and-arcadesSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe ¥5,000 minimum is counted per shop, but you are standing in a building with dozens of them. Whether the building counts as one is a question for its counter, and asking before you buy is what decides it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/minimum-5000-tax-includedhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/minimum-5000-tax-includedSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe minimum is ¥5,000 before tax at one shop on one day — ¥5,500 on the price tag. Here is where people miss it, what changed on November 1, 2026, and what has no upper limit.https://refund-japan.com/articles/multi-cityhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/multi-citySat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA multi-city trip spreads spending across many shops, and the minimum is counted per shop, per day. Here is what actually adds together from November 1, 2026, and how to plan a route around it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/not-published-yethttps://refund-japan.com/articles/not-published-yetSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSix things about the November 1, 2026 system are unannounced. Here is each one, where the answer will appear first, and why we do not guess.https://refund-japan.com/articles/november-first-weekhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/november-first-weekSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe first week of the new system has no transition period behind it. Here is what is settled, what is still unannounced as of August 19, 2026, and the preparation that is worth doing for that week.https://refund-japan.com/articles/october-31-purchasehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/october-31-purchaseSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThere is no transition period. A purchase made up to October 31, 2026 follows the old system and one made from November 1, 2026 follows the new one. The date on the receipt decides it, not your flight.https://refund-japan.com/articles/old-vs-new-tablehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/old-vs-new-tableSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTEleven lines separate the old system from the one starting November 1, 2026. Four change, four stay, three are still unannounced. Here is the comparison, with the date that decides which applies to you.https://refund-japan.com/articles/one-eleventhhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/one-eleventhSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe consumption tax inside a tax-included price is one eleventh of it. Pay ¥10,000 and the tax portion is ¥909. Here is the arithmetic, the ceiling, and what is still unannounced.https://refund-japan.com/articles/order-with-immigrationhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/order-with-immigrationSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe refund is confirmed by customs when you leave Japan, and a Red result asks you to show the goods. Where that reading sits in relation to the immigration counter is unannounced as of August 19, 2026, so this page shows what can and cannot be said about the order.https://refund-japan.com/articles/passport-original-onlyhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/passport-original-onlySat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTA photo will not do. The purchase is recorded against the passport itself at the till, and the same passport is read at customs on the way out. Here is what that means for a ¥5,000 purchase.https://refund-japan.com/articles/passport-page-to-showhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/passport-page-to-showSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe published conditions say the passport is shown at the time of purchase and read by a terminal at departure. They do not name a page, a stamp or a way of reading, and this page says so plainly instead of filling the gap.https://refund-japan.com/articles/payment-methodhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/payment-methodSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTJapan publishes four conditions for a purchase to qualify — the buyer, the shop, the day and ¥5,000 before tax. A condition about cash, cards or phone codes is not among them. Here is what is published, and what is still open on November 1, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/price-tag-readinghttps://refund-japan.com/articles/price-tag-readingSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe tax-free line is read on the before-tax amount, so a tag printed with tax shows a different number for the same line. Here is which figure the rule uses, and what November 1, 2026 changes about it.https://refund-japan.com/articles/queue-too-long-boardinghttps://refund-japan.com/articles/queue-too-long-boardingSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTFor purchases from November 1, 2026 the customs confirmation is what releases the tax. Skipping it ends the process. Here is what to do when time is short, and how to avoid being there in the first place.https://refund-japan.com/articles/refund-methodshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/refund-methodsSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe described refund methods are published. Which one actually reaches you at departure is not. This page keeps the two apart instead of merging them into a single promise.https://refund-japan.com/articles/residence-card-holdershttps://refund-japan.com/articles/residence-card-holdersSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTax free is for non-residents, broadly people in Japan for less than six months. A residence card points the other way. Here is what the published rule says, and what it does not say about your situation.https://refund-japan.com/articles/shop-not-tax-freehttps://refund-japan.com/articles/shop-not-tax-freeSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTNot every shop in Japan puts a purchase into the tax-free system. Here is what that sentence at the register actually means, what it does to the ¥5,000 before-tax rule, and the three things worth doing instead.https://refund-japan.com/articles/stationery-goodshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/stationery-goodsSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSmall goods are decided by the total of the purchase, not by the price on each item. From November 1, 2026 stationery, small variety goods and a bag of sweets bought in one shop on one day are read as a single figure against the ¥5,000 line.https://refund-japan.com/articles/stay-extendedhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/stay-extendedSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTYour flight moved and the trip got longer. The 90 days are counted from the purchase date, not from your departure plan, so here is what moves and what does not — before and after November 1, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/supplementshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/supplementsSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhether a supplement carries 8% or 10% is decided at the register, not by you. Either way it counts toward the ¥5,000 minimum from November 1, 2026. What differs is the refund, and that part is unannounced.https://refund-japan.com/articles/trip-straddlinghttps://refund-japan.com/articles/trip-straddlingSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne trip can contain two systems. What decides which one applies is the date printed on the receipt, not your departure date and not how long you stay. Here is how a trip that crosses November 1, 2026 works.https://refund-japan.com/articles/two-trips-90-dayshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/two-trips-90-daysSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe 90 days run from each purchase date, not from the trip. Something bought in March cannot wait for a July visit. Here is how the deadline behaves across repeat trips, and what it means for shopping.https://refund-japan.com/articles/vjw-qr-at-registerhttps://refund-japan.com/articles/vjw-qr-at-registerSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe published tax-free conditions name a passport at the register and a passport read by a terminal at departure. Whether the Visit Japan Web QR code can be used for tax-free shopping is not written in them either way, and the refund side changes on November 1, 2026.https://refund-japan.com/articles/watcheshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/watchesSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWatches are the category where the upper end matters more than the ¥5,000 minimum. A purchase of ¥1,000,000 or more needs serial numbers registered at the till. Here is what that changes on the day.https://refund-japan.com/articles/who-qualifieshttps://refund-japan.com/articles/who-qualifiesSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTax free shopping is for non-residents — broadly people in Japan under six months. Japanese nationals living abroad can qualify too, but the test is different.