Key Takeaways
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Shopping in Japan runs from Tokyo’s Ginza and Akihabara to Osaka’s Shinsaibashi-suji and Kyoto’s Nishiki Market, and how tax-free shopping works depends on the purchase date: up to 2026-10-31, eligible visitors buy tax-free at the counter; from 2026-11-01, you pay the full price and the consumption tax is refunded after customs confirms at departure that the goods are leaving Japan (JNTO, Japan’s Tax Exemption, japan.travel ; Japan Tourism Agency, Refund Method, mlit.go.jp ; both accessed 2026-09-17).
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group.
Last verified: 2026-09-17.
Indian passport holders need a Japanese visa before they fly: there is no visa on arrival, and applications from India go in through the Japan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) for your state, with single-entry tourist visas issued electronically. See our guide to the Japan visa for Indians and check the Embassy of Japan in India’s website ( in.emb-japan.go.jp ) before you book.
Where to shop in Japan, by city
A few districts in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto cover most shopping needs; the cities’ official tourism guides describe them as below (accessed 2026-09-17).
City and district | Known for | Source |
Tokyo: Ginza | Department stores such as Ginza Mitsukoshi, Matsuya Ginza and Wako, and the Ginza Six complex | GO TOKYO |
Tokyo: Akihabara | Electronics, computers, anime, manga, games and figures | GO TOKYO |
Tokyo: Shibuya, Harajuku, Omotesando | Fashion, from SHIBUYA109 to Omotesando’s international labels; Takeshita Street has a four-storey Daiso 100-yen shop | GO TOKYO |
Tokyo: Nakamise, Asakusa | About 90 stalls of souvenirs, traditional goods and snacks leading to Sensoji temple | GO TOKYO |
Tokyo: Kappabashi | About 160 kitchenware shops, including Japanese knives, near Sensoji | GO TOKYO |
Osaka: Shinsaibashi-suji | A 600 m covered arcade with 380 years of history: clothing, footwear, jewellers | OSAKA-INFO |
Osaka: Den Den Town, Nipponbashi | Electronics and computer stores, “much like Tokyo’s Akihabara” | OSAKA-INFO |
Kyoto: Shijo Kawaramachi | Teramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades and Nishiki Market, for souvenirs | Kyoto City Tourism Association |
Kyoto: Nishiki Market | A 400 m food market: dried foods, side dishes, yuba (tofu skin) and Kyoto vegetables; no eating while walking | Kyoto City Official Travel Guide |
JNTO adds Osaka’s Dotonbori and Amerikamura, more than 30 outlet malls, and electronics megastores such as Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera and Yamada Denki (JNTO, Japan Shopping Guide; JNTO, electronics).
What Indian visitors buy in Japan
Sweets and snacks lead: in 2025, 66.1% of Indian visitors to Japan bought confectionery and 48.1% bought clothing, according to the Japan Tourism Agency’s visitor survey. Indian visitors spent an average of JPY 44,265 each on shopping (about INR 27,312 at 1 JPY = INR 0.617 on 2026-09-17), 17.7% of their total trip spending (Japan Tourism Agency, 2025 annual report, in Japanese, accessed 2026-09-17). Everything bought by more than one in ten:
What they bought | Share of Indian visitors who bought it | Average spend per buyer |
Confectionery | 66.1% | JPY 9,743 (about INR 6,011) |
Clothing | 48.1% | JPY 19,296 (about INR 11,906) |
Other food, drinks and tobacco | 38.7% | JPY 8,306 (about INR 5,125) |
Shoes, bags and leather goods | 31.7% | JPY 26,995 (about INR 16,656) |
Cosmetics and perfume | 25.7% | JPY 12,170 (about INR 7,509) |
Alcohol | 18.9% | JPY 10,643 (about INR 6,567) |
Electrical goods (digital cameras, PCs, appliances) | 10.3% | JPY 36,491 (about INR 22,515) |
They shopped most at convenience stores (74.9%), department stores (54.5%) and supermarkets (50.7%). For the full budget, see Japan trip cost from India .
Before the bigger buys:
· Electronics. Japan runs on 100 V (JNTO, Plugs & Electricity) and India on 230 V (Wikipedia), so buy appliances whose label reads 100 to 240 V, or plan on a transformer at home.
· Knives. Kitchen knives cannot go in cabin baggage, so they travel in your checked bag; for a knife bought tax-free from 2026-11-01, complete the airport tax-free step, which needs the goods with you, before you check it in.
· Fixed prices. JNTO says most shops will not haggle, and the big sales come in early January and in July (JNTO, Japan Shopping Q&A).
Travelling to Japan? Get covered before you fly. Travel insurance for Japan is not an entry requirement, but a lost passport, a stolen bag or a hospital bill mid-trip is yours to sort out without it.
Tax-free shopping for purchases up to 2026-10-31
For purchases up to 2026-10-31, a foreign visitor who entered Japan within the past six months can buy tax-free by showing a passport at a tax-free shop, if the spend there that day is at least JPY 5,000 excluding tax (Japan Tourism Agency, Japan Tax-free Shop, mlit.go.jp , accessed 2026-09-17). Japan’s consumption tax is 10%, or 8% on food and non-alcoholic drinks other than dining out (National Tax Agency).
Rule | Purchases up to 2026-10-31 |
What to show | Your passport, or the Visit Japan Web tax-free QR code where the shop accepts it; the code cannot be a screenshot and does not replace your passport (Digital Agency) |
General goods | At least JPY 5,000 (about INR 3,085), excluding tax, per store per day |
Consumables (food, cosmetics and similar) | JPY 5,000 to JPY 500,000 (about INR 3,08,500), excluding tax, per store per day, in sealed packaging; open it in Japan and tax may be charged at departure |
Posting goods home yourself | Not eligible since 2025-04-01; a retailer shipping directly still qualifies |
At departure | Show your passport at customs, and the goods if asked, then take them out of Japan |
Japan Customs warns that transferring tax-free goods before departure can be punished by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to JPY 500,000 (Japan Customs).
Tax-free shopping for purchases from 2026-11-01: the refund method
For purchases made on or after 2026-11-01, you pay the tax-inclusive price at a tax-free shop, and the tax is refunded after customs confirms at departure that the goods are leaving Japan (Japan Tourism Agency, Refund Method, accessed 2026-09-17). If your trip spans the date, keep the two sets of receipts apart.
1. At the shop. Pay the full price. The minimum stays JPY 5,000, excluding tax, per store per day.
2. Before airport check-in. Within 90 days of purchase, scan your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal in the international departure lobby, with all the goods from each purchase, before checking in any bags.
3. Green or red. Green means you are done; red means taking the goods to the customs inspection area.
4. The refund. The shop, or a refund service provider it appoints, pays it; ask the shop for details when you buy.
At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha, the customs step can instead be done on Visit Japan Web, in designated departure-lobby areas before security.
Rule | Purchases from 2026-11-01 |
Consumables | No separate cap and no sealed packaging |
Excluded goods | Gold and platinum bullion and coins, and items already exempt from consumption tax |
Who | Foreign non-residents who have been in Japan less than six months since entry |
A missing item | None of that receipt’s items qualify |
Items used up in Japan | Report them to a customs officer |
Domestic flight first | Complete the step at your final departure airport |
Timing | Finish before boarding; neither Customs nor the airline compensates a missed flight |
Goods not exported | The refunded tax is collected and penalties apply |
Tax-free is not duty-free: customs at both ends
Tax-free shopping only removes Japan’s consumption tax; it is not a customs allowance in Japan or in India. Japan’s duty-free allowances for what you bring in, and its customs declaration, are in our guide to Japan customs and duty-free rules . On the way home, India’s Baggage Rules, 2026 give a returning resident a general duty-free allowance of INR 75,000, with none for arrivals by land, and one laptop duty-free for passengers above 18 (Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance, 2026-02-02, accessed 2026-09-17).
Your passport, your purchases, and where travel insurance fits
Your passport is your tax-free pass as well as your travel document, so losing it on a shopping day disrupts both. Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plans cover Japan under the Asia geography: Excel, with sum insured up to USD 100,000, and Prime, up to USD 500,000, with passport loss, baggage and trip delay covered up to plan limits alongside emergency medical treatment. Loss of Personal Belongings, an optional cover you can add to a Smart Travel policy, extends to mobiles, laptops, tablets, e-readers and cameras lost to theft or robbery, at depreciated value and with a cap where bills cannot be produced. The Asia plans accept travellers up to age 70, with no Senior Citizen plan on this geography; travellers aged 71 or over can read about travel insurance for senior citizens .
Insurance is not required to enter Japan, but its Foreign Ministry calls it “highly recommended” (MOFA, VISA), and for bills arising on or after 2026-04-01, Japan’s health ministry shares details of visitors who leave JPY 10,000 (about INR 6,170) or more unpaid with the Immigration Services Agency, for strict screening on a later visit (MHLW notice). Most claims from Japan run on reimbursement and are settled within 15 days of complete documents. See travel insurance for Japan once your dates are fixed.
FAQs
Q: Is shopping tax-free in Japan for Indian tourists? A: Yes, at tax-free shops, if you spend at least JPY 5,000, excluding tax, in one store on one day. For purchases up to 2026-10-31, the tax comes off at the counter when you show your passport. For purchases from 2026-11-01, you pay the full price and claim the tax back at departure.
Q: How does Japan’s tax-free refund work for purchases from 2026-11-01? A: Pay the tax-inclusive price at a tax-free shop. Within 90 days, scan your passport at a tax-free terminal in the departure lobby before checking in bags, with all the goods. Green completes the step; red means showing the goods to customs. The shop or its refund service provider pays the refund.
Q: What is the minimum spend for tax-free shopping in Japan? A: JPY 5,000 (about INR 3,085), excluding tax, per store per day, both before and after the 2026-11-01 change. For purchases up to 2026-10-31, consumables such as food and cosmetics are also capped at JPY 500,000 per store per day.
Q: What do Indian tourists buy in Japan? A: Mostly sweets and snacks, clothing, and shoes and bags. The Japan Tourism Agency’s 2025 survey found that 66.1% of Indian visitors bought confectionery, 48.1% clothing and 31.7% shoes, bags or leather goods.
Q: Is tax-free shopping the same as a duty-free allowance? A: No. Tax-free shopping removes Japan’s consumption tax on goods you take out of the country. Customs allowances are separate: Japan sets its own for what you bring in, and India’s Baggage Rules, 2026 give a returning resident a general duty-free allowance of INR 75,000.
