Tourists to Japan can take advantage of tax free shopping at over 5,000 shops in Japan.

If you are coming to Japan on a tourist visa (or if the stamp in your passport says “temporary visitor”) and in Japan less than six months, you can take advantage of Japan’s tax free system. Save 8% on Everything from electronics, alcohol, clothes, and more. Just for tourists.

Currently, Japan has over 5,800 “export sales” stores (tax free shops) with most being located in the larger cities; however, the government is looking to expand the number to 10,000 with a push on regional areas to increase the sales of local specialty goods.

From Oct 1, the tax-free system will be expanded from general goods such as home electrical appliances, clothing (kimonos) and handbags to include ALL ITEMS such as consumables including groceries, beverages (sake, alcohol), medicine, cosmetics, etc.

The monetary range for consumables falls between 5,001 yen and 500,000 yen purchased on the same day in the same store for one non-resident. So if you are buying things with the family, pool all the receipts together.

What is difference between “tax free” and “duty free”?
Being from the United States, I only knew of “duty free” and was confused. While they are both designed for travelers to remove various taxes on goods to be taken out of the country, Duty Free takes away the custom (boarder) taxes while Tax Free just takes away the sales tax.

If you are going to be buying luxury or famous brand tobacco, alcohol or cosmetics, you’re best off buying them at the airport’s duty free section, but the Tax Free shopping is more wide ranging and many department stores and shops will offer this service which essentially saves you 8%. This isn’t a refund that you have to apply for, they don’t charge you the tax at the point of purchase or refunds it onsite at the store (some stores just make one section to refund the money as having all staff know about this and speak different languages is just too much ).

The stores should have a large sticker saying “Tax Free Shop” in the window and will probably be a more major store (procedures for stores to get this status is difficult and smaller shops usually can’t qualify for all the regulations).

What happens you buy “Tax Free”
The shop will put the goods in a sealed clear plastic bag with two stickers on it. One is the contents of the bag and the other is a “seiyakusho” which is basically something that you sign saying that you are taking the goods out of Japan. They will staple a document to your passport listing up the contents. This is to keep things as honest as possible and to prevent you from using tax free shopping for your consumables while in Japan.

————-

Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Deep Japan: Japan’s Expanded “Tax Free” system for Tourists appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Football season has officially begun. If catching up on the latest scores online, or watching games on cable television aren’t enough to satisfy your fix there is good news. It is possible to watch live games here in Japan. “Live” as in, actually being able to attend games in person.

“Football?” “Do you mean soccer?” Are the most common responses I get when I begin to talk to people about football here in Japan. Better known as “American Football” in most countries, and “Gridiron” Down Under, the sport is alive and well here in the Land of the Rising Sun. Football, just “Football” as we Americans like to call it has a suprisingly long and decorated history here in Japan. The first game was played between two university teams in 1934. Today, the sport is played nationwide at 114 high schools, 220 universities, and 61 corporately sponsored club/company teams in the X-League.

Game rules are based on, and mirror those of the NCAA in the United States. The regular season usually starts the last week of August and culminates in the national championship game on January 3rd.

The top level of play in Japan, the X League, enjoys a pretty solid following. Some of the top teams in the league feature former NCAA stars and class Japanese players with experience in the now defunct NFL Europe, and various Arena Football leagues stateside. This year’s league is wide open and should feature plenty of interesting match-ups. Both the X league and collegiate league titles will be defended by two teams that have amassed impressive records over the last few seasons. The Obic Seagulls of the X league will look to defend their national title for a fifth consecutive season, and Kwansei Gakuin University will hope to repeat as collegiate national champions for a fourth straight season. You can follow the X league at www.xleague.com. Team information along with schedules, times, tickets, and stadium directions can all be found on the site.

————-

Deep Japan – Experienced Senpais living in and enjoying Japan offer inside-knowledge on how to make your trip real, interesting and above all, unforgettable.

Join the Deep Japan Senpai Team – Anyone currently living in Japan for a year or more who can write tips for visitors in English is welcome to register on Deep Japan as a writer.

The post Deep Japan: Football? appeared first on Jarman International KK.

Though there’s certainly no shame in it, no one likes to feel like a tourist. Unless you are with a local, it can be hard to unearth the hidden sites and  lesser-known haunts of a given city. Our Deep Japan site puts visitors on the inside track to the best food, historic sites and culture in Japan.

Here is one great example.

Asakusa is one of the best places you should visit during your stay in Tokyo. Do you know the third oldest underground passage in Japan is at Asakusa Station? Do you know a very famous very strong alcohol in Asakusa called “Denki-Bran”? Another drink recommendation. Many bars line up along the Hoppy Street in Asakusa area. What is “Hoppy”? Our Senpai writer, Keiko’s article will tell you the answers.

Places to feel like locals in Asakusa

If you are looking for suggestions of places and advices that are a little different from what you might find in conventional travel guides, take a look on the Deep Japan Website. There are so many choices and it’s extremely helpful to learn from someone who actually lives here. We have a lof of wonderful Deep Japan Senpai writers who are willing to share their favorite haunts and hideaway spots!

You can find her other fun articles about Asakusa on Deep Japan:
“Nakamise, the main street of Asakusa between Kaminarimon and Hozomon”
“Kimono Experience in Asakusa”
“What makes you feel cooler in Asakusa”

Keiko is also authoring facebook page “Old Town Tokyo“, which shares the secret places or current events around “Shitamachi,” the eastern part of Tokyo, e.g., Asakusa, Ueno or Ryogoku. Great info with intersting pictures! Check out here

The post Deep Japan : Inside track to the best food and culture in Japan appeared first on Jarman International KK.