Im a Tourist, As soon I leave Japan I can have the 5% Tax Refund of my Shopping Stuff..?

Question

Where and How can I do it..?

Answer 1

You will need make purchases at special shops that off "duty free" or "tax free" services.

Almost any shop located at any of Japan's International Airports offer this kind of service, but you can also find them at quite a few places in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. You will have a much harder time finding these kinds of shops in the countryside.

If you're in Tokyo and looking for electronics then go to Akihabara or any one of the big electronic stores located throughout the city. If you're in Osaka, go to Nipponbashi (Den Den Town) for electronics. Both Den Den Town and Akihabara are filled with Tax Free Stores.

Sometimes, an entire store is tax free so whatever you buy will not include tax. Other times, only a certain section/counter of a shop offers tax free stuff. I guess it depends on the store.

You will probably have to provide proof that you are not a resident of Japan and will not be using your purchase in Japan, so you should bring your passport with you when you go to make a purchase. You probably should bring you bring your plane ticket home too just in case.

Once you've bought something, the store will either give you a special receipt or attach something to your passport stating that your purchase is tax free and for use outside of Japan. I'm not sure but there may be some restrictions on using whatever you by. I know in some cases that stuff purchased at duty free shops in airports is delivered to your boarding gate and you pick it up right before you get on the plane or on the plane.

The consumption tax in Japan is only 5%. That's not really all that much unless your going to be buying something really expensive. Even if you buy something for 50,000 yen, you will only be paying 2,500 yen in tax. It's seems like alot but if you're staying far away from any of these shops, it could cost you way more than that just to get to one.

Also, you might not find the exact model, color, size of what you want in these duty free shops. And then, you may want to play around with your new purchase and try it out before you leave Japan. You might not be able to do this if you buy tax free stuff.

Answer 2

There is NO tax refund in Japan. But tourist can buy products in tax exempt.

If you go to a store with "tax free" statement, show your passport or return air ticket and you can buy in tax exempt.