Japan Shopping Guide 2018

There are many things to buy in Japan, and there is a wide variety of goods, some of which are very traditional and some are full of modern atmosphere. If you are going to Japan or are already in Japan, be sure to read the 2018 Japan Shopping Guide~

Japan Shopping Guide 2018

1. Practical information on shopping in Japan

1) Japan’s discount season

Japan's discount season is divided into two times, summer and winter. Double salary is one reason, and the other is to coincide with the change of seasons and festivals. Summer is from the end of June to mid-July, and Tokyo starts a little earlier, with big discounts mainly on summer clothes. Winter is from late December to January.

Generally, the discount starts at 30% off, and then gradually decreases to 40% off. Sometimes you can get 10% off.

2) General business hours

In Japan, businesses are open as usual on Sundays. In fact, Japanese stores are their busiest on Sundays. Department stores are generally open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and some stores have extended opening hours. Tokyo is a place where you can shop 24 hours a day.

Japanese department stores are closed one day a week, usually on Wednesday or Thursday. Therefore, you'd better not arrange shopping in these two days.

3) Tax refund

Japan's measures for overseas tourists have changed significantly again, mainly to address the confusion that occurred after the new tax refund for consumables was added... Let's first talk about the previous tax-free system: purchases of consumables over 5,000 yen can be refunded; purchases of general consumer goods over 10,001 yen can be refunded. Can you tell the difference between consumables and general consumer goods?

Consumables: daily consumables (food, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, etc.)

General items: ordinary goods (home appliances, bags, watches, clothing, etc.)

The following points have changed after the tax exemption in Japan:

a. Changes in tax exemptions

The new policy introduced by the Japan Tourism Agency is to change the 10,000 yen tax-free limit for general goods from May 1, 2016, and set the tax-free limit for consumables and general goods to 5,000 yen (300 RMB) or more. As for whether general items and consumables can be counted together for tax exemption, the document released this time does not clearly state it.

In addition to providing convenience to tourists and shop owners, it is also hoped that this will boost the sales of local specialties. Since the unit price of these local specialty products is not high, it is a bit difficult to reach the threshold of 10,000 yen or more. From May 1, 2016, the tax refund will be required to be above 5,000 yen, which is relatively easier. (That is, to let everyone see small items and buy as much as they want)

b. Simple overseas direct mailing procedures

It is a convenient procedure for purchasing duty-free items in stores and shipping them directly back to overseas or the airport. However, the details have yet to be announced and it is not clear which stores are participating. (Travel light so you can shop better)

c. Set up corresponding duty-free counters

Open and encourage local organizations to set up their own tax-free central processing system. For example, if you shop at stores in the same shopping street, you can buy goods in different stores and get a tax refund as long as the total amount is more than 5,000 yen. You don't have to be limited to a single store.

d. Further electronicization of tax exemption procedures

Many large drugstores now have electronic tax-free procedures, which is much faster than the previous method where store clerks had to manually fill in travelers' personal information when processing tax refunds. (I hope there won’t be long queues at drugstores for tax refunds in the future)

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4) Pay by credit card

When you go shopping in Japan, remember to bring a UnionPay card, because you generally don't withdraw money from ATMs in Japan. If you use VISA or MasterCard, they settle in US dollars, and when you use UnionPay cards to shop, the exchange rate is settled once a day, which reduces the loss of exchange rate conversion compared to the previous two cards. So I suggest you use it in places where UnionPay cards are covered.

5) Shopping guide for duty-free shops in Japan

Duty-free shops in Japan refer to retail stores that sell duty-free or duty-free goods. Duty-free shops are usually located in international airports, international ports, and major shopping malls and shopping streets in several popular local cities.

Among them, Japan's duty-free shops can be divided into airport duty-free shops, commercial district duty-free shops and DFS duty-free shops. One of the DFS duty-free shops in Japan is located in Okinawa.

a. Necessary documents for duty-free shopping

When you buy goods in a duty-free shop, your passport (a copy is also acceptable) and air ticket are required. The passport is used to confirm personal identity, while the ticket is used to determine the time to pick up the goods at the airport. If you can remember the flight departure location, departure time, airline and flight number, you don't have to show the ticket. (Don't forget to bring your passport and air/ship tickets)