Tax refund for tourist

Hi All

I read from the news, now as a tourist can direct get tax refund from the shop immediately, right?

Last year i went to japan, not all the shopping mall can do the tax refund.

How much we should spend in order to get the tax refund?

Do we still need to go to the airport do the tax refund?

Thanks :)

From http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2450_how.html:

Tax free shopping is available to foreign tourists only at a small number of licensed stores (typically major electronics and department stores in large cities) when making purchases of over 10,000 yen at a given store on one calendar day. In case of consumable goods, such as foods, medicines and cosmetics, the consumption tax is waived for purchases of over 5000 yen, but the package of such goods must be kept unbroken until after departure from Japan. A passport is required when shopping tax free. Note that at some shops, it is necessary to first pay the full price at the cashier and then obtain a refund at a customer service desk.

So make sure you get the refund before you go to the airport! Consumption tax is currently set at 8%, but will rise to 10% in October next year.

I read from the news, now as a tourist can direct get tax refund from the shop immediately, right?

That's the way the system has always been. The refund is done at the point of sale rather than latter at the airport. The new rules basically say that consumables over 5000 yen are now also considered tax free. More details on the procedures here:

http://tax-freeshop.jnto.go.jp/eng/index.php

Last year i went to japan, not all the shopping mall can do the tax refund.

It's still that way. Only authorized shops can sell tax free. That generally means it's restricted to major stores in areas well frequented by tourists.

How much we should spend in order to get the tax refund?

5000 yen before tax price on consumables, 10,000 yen before tax price on general goods.

Do we still need to go to the airport do the tax refund?

No, there is no (and has never been) a mechanism to get a tax refund at the airport.

Tax refund shops are limited.
http://tax-freeshop.jnto.go.jp/eng/index.php