Japan Airport Customs
Hi
Can someone explain why I cannot unbox items bought in Japan when leaving? I am planning on buying a rice cooker and to carry it in a small duffle in the plane cabin and was told by the shop staff that I cannot take it out of the box.
Am also going to buy Zojirushi thermos for my family as souvenirs.
Appreciate if you can explain to me like a child to understand.
Thank you!
17 comments
If you buy it tax free it has to stay in tax free bag. As soon as you open it they view it as used and they will charge you tax on it. They did check us when leaving japan.
I guess from their perspective you’re buying the products to take back to your home country rather than to use them in Japan. If something is in a box I’m sure you could carry it into the airport go through customs and then unbox it in the terminal and put it in the carry on bag after you’ve passed customs.
I bought a Nintendo Switch tax free. Unboxed it so I could pack better in the suitcase / carry on. They never checked on me.
The staff are wrong. You can unbox and use non-consumables in Japan as long as you take it out of the country with you. It’s the consumables (food, makeup, etc) that you have to leave in the sealed bag. If you buy a mix of consumables and non-consumables, some shops annoyingly seal them together.
As to whether you are checked as you leave, it’s all luck. I’ve never been asked about my tax free purchases over a half dozen trips including just last week.
They often don’t check, but you might not want to rely on that with possible tax backpay for expensive items. Last time I outright went and told them that I do have tax free items and asked whether they wanted to check. They checked my passport and waved me through.
Agreeing with other that they dont really check. But the staff is wrong.. only consumables aren’t allowed to be opened in Japan. Non-consumables can pe used/repackaged as long as you take them out of Japan within 6mos
never been checked for anything, been in and out of Japan more than 10 times
Doesn’t the rice cooker now use the same voltage as US?
The staff are being overly prescriptive.
Customs will only (maybe) check you have the item in your possession.
At one point I made a trip to Yodobashi and after paying, the put all my items in a huge plastic bag, sealed it securely, and gave me a note warning me I could not open it until I left the country.
Even if I wanted to follow that guideline there was no way this cumbersome bag would fit in my luggage so I opened it and packed everything in separately, in some cases unboxing items to save space.
No one cared.
None of mine got checked when I left Japan. I asked the staff at the check in desk if I could put it in my checked bag as I didn’t want to carry it and she said it was fine. When I went through all the stuff before the plane, nothing was physically checked
Never been checked in 6 trips. But also never bought consumables duty free. I pay full tax on my wasabi Kit-Kats like a real baka gaijin.
you must have bought it tax free.
which tax does that even mean? I understand it as VAT – its not income tax or anything else
so, that VAT is being waived for tourists at certain places and for certain items and or price ranges.
it is not uncommon the waive this tax if the item is being sold outside of the country asking for that tax in the first place.
the why and who and where gets muddy. maybe because its tax or finance or because its just a mess. it does not really matter. at the core however is the idea that there is a “loophole” even if it is intentional, and rarely applies, that the tax need not be paid if you can prove that the item is not being used inside the country.
that is the basis of tax free shopping. you get it cheaper, but you do not get to use the item. or else people could just buy anything tax free and eat all the kit kats and wear all the kimonos.
the shop just seals it in a way that customs can determine if the item was used. as in, put everything in a bag and seal it, or tape the box closed or what have you. then they make a note in the passport (staple the receipt in it or similar)
customs sees the receipt and will check for the item. they may even open the bag or box. see if was unopened, unused, all the kit kats on the receipt still there. and then you are good to go
so use all the tax free shopping for gifts, just, dont open sht up, take it back home, and be happy
Very common practice in Japan, passport holders can buy tax free items but can only unpack after departed fron Japan.
This is also kind of a system to avoid people buy tax free items then selling in Japan to earn money back.
But when you come back home you will have to pay customs/VAT for certain categories of items, right?
It’s called consumption tax – if you consume the goods in Japan then you must pay the tax. They get sealed in a bag because you’re not supposed to use anything until you exit the country. Don’t go tax free if you intend to use the items in the country.
I bought a camera lens in Japan, tax free (2017; $1600AusD approx.). Used it throughout the holiday. Reported to the customs desk at the airport on departure, They sighted the receipts etc and let me through.