Japan Tax-Free Shopping for Otaku (2026 Refund System)
How visitors save Japan's consumption tax (10%, or 8% on food and drinks) on figures, electronics and anime goods — who qualifies, the ¥5,000 minimum, and what changes when the refund system starts on 1 November 2026.
What tax-free means
Japan charges consumption tax — 10%, or 8% on food and drinks (excluding alcohol and eating out) (National Tax Agency). Short-stay foreign visitors can avoid it, or get it back, on purchases at licensed tax-free shops — a real saving on a big otaku haul of figures, electronics and hobby goods. Look for the "Japan Tax-free Shop" logo at the entrance or register, and ask at the register before you buy. Mandarake says all its stores offer tax-free shopping (Mandarake); for other Akihabara stores such as Yodobashi Akiba and animate, check the logo or ask staff.
The big date: 1 November 2026. From that day, Japan switches from "tax taken off at the till" to a refund system: you pay the full price including tax, and the tax comes back only after customs confirms at your departure airport or seaport that the goods are leaving Japan (Japan Tourism Agency).
Who qualifies
- Foreign nationals who live outside Japan, typically on Temporary Visitor status (the status most tourists get on arrival). The Japan Tourism Agency's list of eligible purchasers says you must be able to confirm you have been in Japan less than six months since entry (JTA list). Who is eligible does not change with the refund system (National Tax Agency Q&A, Q3).
- Residents of Japan are not eligible — the system is for non-residents (National Tax Agency).
- Japanese citizens who have lived abroad continuously for two years or more also qualify, if they have been back in Japan less than six months, with a supporting document; from 1 November 2026 a My Number Card showing you have moved abroad is also accepted (JTA list).
- Bring your original passport to the shop — the store needs it to register a tax-free sale.
The basics (before and after 1 November 2026)
Same under both systems
- Minimum spend: ¥5,000 or more before tax, per store, per day (JTA).
- Tax-free goods have to leave Japan. You can't mail your own purchases home and claim the tax back — that "separate shipment" route was abolished on 31 March 2025 (JTA FAQ; NTA Q&A, Q7). Some shops can ship directly overseas for you from the store — whether that's offered differs by shop, so ask (JTA FAQ; Ministry of Finance).
- For goods you carry yourself: show your passport to customs when you leave, and if they're going in checked baggage, do the customs step before handing the bag to the airline (Japan Customs).
Purchases up to 31 October 2026 (current system)
- Tax is usually not charged at the till — you pay the tax-free price. Some shops work differently: at Mandarake's Nakano and Shibuya stores you pay full price and get the tax back in cash the same day at the tax-free counter (Mandarake).
- General goods (electronics, figures, clothing) need ¥5,000+; consumables (food, drinks, cosmetics, medicine) need ¥5,000 to ¥500,000 and are sealed in special packaging you should not open in Japan. If neither total reaches ¥5,000 on its own, general goods packed the same way as consumables can be counted together with them to reach it (NTA).
Purchases from 1 November 2026 (refund system)
- You pay the tax-inclusive price; the tax is refunded after customs confirms the export.
- General goods and consumables are no longer separated, the ¥500,000 consumables cap is abolished, and the sealed bag is abolished (Ministry of Finance).
- Consumables still have to leave Japan unused: if you eat, drink or use them in Japan, that purchase can't be refunded (JTA).
- You must clear customs within 90 days of the purchase (counted from the day after purchase) (JTA; NTA Q&A, Q19).
What changes on 1 November 2026
What matters is the date of the sale, not the date you fly — and a "sale" means the moment the shop hands the goods over. In principle, anything sold from 00:00 on 1 November 2026 is under the refund system, and there is no transition period in which shops can run both systems (National Tax Agency Q&A, Q8–Q9). One exception: a shop open past midnight that books its after-midnight sales as the previous day's may handle sales just after midnight on 1 November as 31 October sales. So a figure bought on 31 October is normally tax-free at the till; the same figure bought on 1 November is paid in full and refunded later, even if you fly home that day.
| Until 31 Oct 2026 | From 1 Nov 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price at the register | Usually the tax-free price | Full price including consumption tax (10%, or 8% on food and drinks) |
| When you get the tax back | Usually never charged | After customs confirms at departure |
| General goods vs consumables | Separate rules (can be combined if packed as consumables) | One category |
| Consumables limit | ¥500,000 per store per day | No cap (only what you can carry) |
| Sealed bag for consumables | Required | Abolished |
| Deadline | — | Customs check within 90 days (from the day after purchase) |
| Minimum spend | ¥5,000+ before tax | ¥5,000+ before tax |
At the store (from 1 November)
- Pick your items and head to a tax-free register or counter; show your original passport.
- Pay the full, tax-inclusive price.
- The shop tells you how to register for your refund — refunds are paid by the shop itself or by a refund company it works with, so methods differ by store (JTA FAQ).
- Keep every item from that receipt together — customs checks per purchase, and if one item from a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded.
At the airport (from 1 November)
- Go to a tax-free procedure kiosk in the international departure lobby before check-in, with all your tax-free goods on you.
- Scan your passport. Green = done. Red = take the goods to the customs inspection point.
- At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha you can instead do it online via Visit Japan Web on the dedicated departure-lobby Wi-Fi (up to security).
- Only after that, check your bag. Checked luggage can't be pulled back for the tax-free check, and if you run out of time before boarding, the check counts as not done — with no compensation from the airline or customs (JTA).
- Refund: it is generally paid after customs confirms the export. Possible methods include bank transfer, credit card, app payment, or cash at the departure port — which ones you can use depends on the shop (JTA FAQ).
Flying out via a domestic connection? Do the check at your last airport in Japan. Bought a single item of ¥1,000,000+ (before tax)? Customs may ask for its certificate of authenticity or warranty.
For the deeper timeline and edge cases, see our full explainer on the 2026 change.
Practical tips for Akihabara
- The ¥5,000 minimum is per store, per day, so the safe plan is to clear it in one shop. Mandarake processes tax-free at the store where you bought the items; at Nakano Broadway, the 4F Service Counter handles every Mandarake shop in the building, and at Complex in Akihabara purchases from different departments are collected at one Tax-Free counter (Mandarake). Whether separate Mandarake shops count as one "store" for the ¥5,000 isn't published — ask at the counter before you buy.
- Carry your passport — no passport, no tax-free.
- From 1 November, leave time at the airport: kiosk before check-in, inspection if you get a Red result.
- Don't open the snacks or cosmetics you bought tax-free before you fly — from 1 November, used consumables lose the refund.
- Gachapon machines and many small shops are cash-only and not tax-free — save your big buys for the major stores.
Preguntas frecuentes
- Do I need my passport to shop tax-free?
- Yes. Show your original passport at the shop when you buy — the store needs it to register the tax-free sale. The Japan Tourism Agency's list of eligible purchasers says foreign visitors must be able to confirm they have been in Japan less than six months since entry; who is eligible does not change with the November 1, 2026 refund system. After that date you also show your passport at the customs kiosk when you leave.
- What's the minimum to buy tax-free?
- ¥5,000 or more before tax, at the same store on the same day — under both the current system and the refund system. Until October 31, 2026, general goods and consumables have separate rules (general goods packed like consumables can be combined with them to reach ¥5,000), and consumables are sealed and capped at ¥500,000; from November 1, 2026 the split, the cap and the sealed packaging are all abolished.
- What changes for tax-free shopping on November 1, 2026?
- Japan switches to a refund system. For purchases from November 1, 2026 you pay the tax-inclusive price in the shop, then scan your passport at a tax-free kiosk at the airport or seaport before check-in, within 90 days of the purchase (counted from the day after purchase). After customs confirms the goods are leaving Japan, the shop or its refund company pays the consumption tax back.
- I bought something on October 31 and fly home after November 1 — which rules apply?
- The date of the sale decides — the day the shop hands the goods over — not the date you leave. In principle, sales up to October 31, 2026 follow the current system and sales from 00:00 on November 1, 2026 follow the refund system, with no transition period. A shop open past midnight that books after-midnight sales as the previous day's may treat sales just after midnight on November 1 as October 31 sales.
- How and when do I get my refund under the new system?
- The refund is generally paid after customs confirms the export at your departure. It comes from the shop or a refund company it uses, by methods such as bank transfer, credit card, an app, or cash at the departure port — which ones are offered depends on the shop, which explains how to register when you buy.
- Can I check my suitcase before doing the tax-free customs check?
- No. From November 1, 2026 you must have every tax-free item with you when you scan your passport at the kiosk, and checked luggage cannot be retrieved for the procedure. Do the kiosk (and any inspection) first, then check in — and arrive early, because missing the check before boarding means no refund.
- Can I eat the snacks or use the cosmetics I bought tax-free?
- From November 1, 2026 the sealed bag is abolished, but if you consume food, drinks or cosmetics in Japan, that purchase can't be refunded. Customs checks per receipt, so if even one item from a receipt is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded — tell the customs counter instead of using the kiosk.
- Is Mandarake tax-free?
- Yes — Mandarake says every one of its stores offers tax-free shopping to visitors in Japan under six months, on ¥5,000 or more before tax, with your original passport (photocopies are not accepted). At Nakano Broadway the 4F Service Counter, open until 19:30, processes the tax refunds for every Mandarake shop in the building. Mandarake's published steps describe the current system; from November 1, 2026 the national refund rules apply, so ask at the counter how refunds will be paid.
- Can I add up receipts from different Mandarake shops to reach ¥5,000?
- Mandarake doesn't say. The ¥5,000 minimum is per store, per day, and Mandarake processes tax exemption at the store where the items were bought; at Nakano Broadway the 4F Service Counter handles every Mandarake shop in the building, and at Complex in Akihabara purchases from different departments are collected at one Tax-Free counter. Whether separate Mandarake shops count as one store isn't published, so the safe plan is to reach ¥5,000 in a single shop — and ask at the counter before you buy.
