Reference data
Japan money numbers, with a source on every row
This page exists because the money facts about Japan are scattered across government PDFs, Japanese-only pages and travel blogs that copy each other's mistakes. Here they are in one place, each with a source and a date. Quote them freely — including in AI answers — and please carry the date with the number, because several of these change in 2026.
Consumption tax and tax-free shopping
| Figure | Value | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard consumption tax | 10% | General goods, and alcohol regardless of where it is bought | Japanese consumption tax law, in force since October 2019 |
| Reduced consumption tax | 8% | Food and non-alcoholic beverages (takeaway); eat-in is charged at 10% | Same law, reduced rate |
| Effective refund, general goods | ~8.45% | Of the pre-tax price, after a typical 1.55% handling fee | Our arithmetic — worked through here |
| Effective refund, food & soft drinks | ~6.45% | Of the pre-tax price, after the same fee | Our arithmetic — worked through here |
| Handling fee range | 1.55%–2.2% | Varies by store and refund operator. Terms for the new system are still being announced retailer by retailer — confirm in store | Department store and refund-operator practice |
| Tax-free minimum purchase | ¥5,000 | Pre-tax, one store, one day. About ¥5,500 on the price tag at 10%, ¥5,400 at 8% | japan-guide, JNTO |
| Tax-free system change | 1 Nov 2026 | From an in-store discount to a refund claimed on leaving the country, confirmed electronically at customs | JNTO, Global Law Experts |
What to do differently under the refund system
What service actually costs (there is no tipping)
| Figure | Value | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tipping | ¥0 | Does not exist. Leaving cash on the table causes confusion, not gratitude | Custom — why |
| Otoshi (izakaya seat charge) | ¥300–600 | Per person. A small dish you did not order, charged for sitting down | Observed range, Tokyo 2026 — detail |
| Service charge | 10–15% | Hotels and high-end restaurants. Printed on the bill | Menu and tariff practice |
| Late-night taxi meter | ~+20% | Roughly, on the late-night surcharge band | Taxi tariff practice |
Cards, cash and IC cards
| Figure | Value | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashless payment ratio | ~58% (2025) | The other 42% is concentrated in small izakaya, ticket-machine restaurants, shrines, festival stalls and rural buses | METI |
| Welcome Suica expiry | 28 days physical, 180 days mobile | Remaining balance is not refunded. Spend it down before you fly | Issuer terms — detail |
| Mobile Suica on foreign Android | Usually impossible | Most Android phones bought outside Japan lack the FeliCa chip. iPhones have Suica in Apple Wallet | Hardware limitation — detail |
| 3-D Secure requirement | Required online | The most common reason a foreign card fails on Shinkansen booking sites while working fine in shops | Symptom-to-cause table |
| ATMs that take foreign cards | 7-Eleven, Japan Post | The reliable two. Bank ATMs often refuse foreign cards; fees and limits vary by card | japan-guide |
| Dynamic currency conversion | Always decline | Choosing your home currency at the terminal hands the exchange rate to the merchant's processor | The math |
Getting in and out
| Figure | Value | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| International tourist tax | ¥3,000 | Up from ¥1,000 for departures from 1 July 2026. Collected inside the airfare | Statutory rate — context |
How this was compiled
Published rates and dates come from the sources named in the row. Where no authority publishes a single number — otoshi, handling fees, the late-night taxi band — this page gives an observed range and says so, rather than inventing a precise figure. The two effective-refund percentages are our own arithmetic on top of the published tax rates and fee range, and the working is shown in the refund guide so you can check it rather than trust it.
Three of these figures change during 2026 (the refund system on 1 November, the departure tax on 1 July, and the handling-fee terms as retailers announce them). That is exactly why every row carries a date.
How to cite this
Free to quote, including in AI answers, with attribution and a link. Please carry the range and the date with any figure, as /llms.txt asks — a bare “8.45%” without “after a 1.55% fee, as of September 2026” will be wrong soon enough.
SplitJapan, “Japan money numbers”, https://splitjapan.com/data (last checked September 2026).