JAPAN HAS CHANGED! 5 Updates Tourists NEED TO KNOW!
Japan is changing and full of updates. In this video we will explore crucial Japan travel information that Tourists need to know including Airport UPDATES! ESTA information and Awesome Gift ideas!
00:00 Japan is Changing FAST
00:24 Airport Upgrades
02:17 ESTA Date for Japan
03:49 TAX Free ending?
05:24 Fuji sales open
07:11 My biggest TIP
07:33 Limited unique Items!
09:31 Japan Continues to Change
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25 Comments
Tourism pay the consumption tax on most everyday purchases anyway. I usually only claim the tax free part on large purchases. This seems like a good balance.
On a side note, falling population in Asia broadly, and Japan specifically means it's a time to have a conversation on foreign residency permits/Golden visas and CBI in Japan. I'd live in this beautiful country in a flash, and make it my mission to assimilate too.
Not much that specifically applies to or interests me, in this particular update. The only real change is the Vat change from a system that works to one that will be an organizational mess. This system at airports is only more bureaucracy that never works as governments say it will. The UK Vat refund at airports either doesn't work or says it worked but no refund ever arrives. It takes time, effort, frustration, and I ultimately give up as a waste of time. So if Japan goes with the just pay the tax like everybody else system, I can make my purchase decision knowing that I don't have to deal with a rigmarole that may or my not save me money in the long run. If Japanese businesses lose sales, they can deal with their government internally .
We never shopped tax free. We paid the taxes as our gift to Japan and its amazing people and infrastructure. ❤️
Great video!! 😊
Thank you for the updates! 🙂
If they eliminated the tax free shopping, I would no longer consider any large purchases in the future (mainly electronics)
Having vacationed in Japan three times in the last year and a half, my wife and I are excited to be passing through again this July for 2 weeks from Kuala Lumpur. The only operational change we've noticed across our trips has been the shift from needing two QR codes to just one.
Wish they made vat tax for foreigners instead and spent that money entirely on tourist related spending and infrastructure. Instead of wasting on pensions and paying down the enormous debt. Happy about Narita expansion hopefully that makes flying into Haneda even better.
How much Japanese does a traveler need to know when interacting with the current system ?
I did tax free for the first time this past trip. I bought a bunch of CDs at the cash register, then went to another counter for the refund. I don't see anything wrong with it, because you need to spend 5000yen first. It makes more sense to do it earlier than bottleneck everything at the airport.
Some percent of that almost 40 million tourists are resellers who stays in Japan for 7-15 days (up to 4x a year) paying for hotel food transportation to shop during their stay. They travel in groups too so they have plenty of baggage going home. Each reseller tourist spends around $2000 to $10000+ USD for the Tax Free goods. Making them pay Japanese tax might rake in so much money, but the consequence is Japan will lose majority of these resellers. Instead of making money they lose such big money spenders as these entrepreneurs will just stop coming to Japan and choose another country that has better prices than Japan for the Branded Goods they resell. There are plenty of other countries that has cheaper priced products even with tax like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand Etc. Is Japan really thinking properly? I think punishing tourists they previously baited with the "Tax Free" will just stop going and it will have big effect on their economy…
This dude knows his stuff … certainly worth subscribing.
BTW my preferred entry into Japan is without a doubt through KIX Airport Osaka.
Japan can even get 100 Million tourists annually by 2030. They have to just invite around 1000 influencers to promote Japan.
IMO, they should make the sales tax regiona and on a sliding scale – so, use tax free as.something to make certain areas more attractive to tourists and spread them out more. Then, going by levels of tourism with the full rate being charged in places swamped with tourists
Funfact. Kansai airport is sinking approx. 1feet per year 😮
Yes, you can spin this how ever you want but tax free shopping does beenfit local business, what it doesnt benefit is every japanese citizen as it has no tax, yet the shop selling items will pay tax so its just less tax than usuall.
Now that tax free shopping would go away, i have no more insentive to buy items in japan so i'll ( not speaking for everyone here) stop buying items, and many will stop buying. will it hurt the overall business, yes.
Problem with the japanese goverment is like many other, i want you to feel welcome enough but i want you to tax you to the brink of where you dont feel welcome anymore.
That's amazing always something new, it's about time I landed in Kansai I can't even remember anything about it , great stuff Ninja
I've been 3 times now (my 4th trip next week!) I breezed through security instantly each time. Maybe I got lucky (a friend said it took 60mins on his arrival)… I fly into Fukuoka this time, so expecting zero queue as it's not a major airport. I've probably cursed it now 😉
Our arrival in Jan 2025 at Narita, was our fastest ever! Although they could still improve the baggage times 🙂
why talk about things havent happen and wont happen in few months? talk about far future is nonsense. they may change or war too. the baths, toys, all useless.
So many important updates, thank you for keeping us informed! 🇯🇵✈ Always excited to learn what's new in Japan!
GODZILLA HAMMAR!!!!!
OK.. I am going in May.. I have seen a few of these videos.. all of them pretty much the same.. Somewhat confusing how its all the same info.. makes me think that they are changing policy really fast lol.
I bought a grand seiko watch in Nagasaki, I love that thing. A fellow passenger on the flight home said just wear it through customs, they won't search your bag for the box anyway. So I asked the chatGPT, does US Customs search bags and the answer was you might get randomly searched and if you get caught, the fine is greater than the tax you would pay for declaring it (which was a really small amount, considering). But I got the feeling the custom agent was like "really, why are you wasting my time with a watch" with the look on his face.
Already made my reservation for Yoshida trial, August. Hope for the best weather on the trail that day 😅