Receipts in Japan

How common is getting a receipt in Japan after making a purchase (at a store, when paying for a hotel, at a restaurant). If I don't get one, can I ask for one?

Is there any kind of receipt that I can get for the Suica cards used in the subway?

I would like to keep a receipt for every single purchase I make in Japan.

As long as its not a very small used private shop I always get a reciept with my change or credit card.

I think you get a reciept when you load your suica aswell...

/Johan

It is very common to get receipts. Exceptions are small restaurants with an old-fashioned cashier and some tourist sites. In the latter case it is not unusual to get a ticket that may not include both, date and price.

If you don't get a receipt, it is okay to ask for a receipt if you don't get one. It is commonly done by business people who travel on business expense. I can think of cases where you will cause troubles by asking for a receipt, e.g. at a small temple that charges a 100 yen admission fee, but if you really need a receipt for everything, I believe it is your right to ask for one.

Note that in some cases, a business will issue a "ryoshusho" instead of a "receipt", which only states the total amount together with the names of business and customer.

Is there any kind of receipt that I can get for the Suica cards used in the subway?

You can get a receipt for the money you charge onto the Suica card. And there are ways to get a print out of your Suica use.

A bigger challenge are short bus, tram or train rides for which you cannot use Suica. In such cases, it can be impossible to get a receipt, unless you buy the tickets through a manned ticket window, which is sometimes not possible.

Another challenge are coin lockers. These days, there are more and more Suica powered lockers, but in many places you will still just find coin powered coin lockers that do not issue receipts.

You get receipts for every purchase in Japan, at least I have received one every time. Ad for the SUICA machines, you can print a receipt and also an itemized list of your recent uses of the card (train, pop machine, station kiosk, etc.)