Value Village ／ Before you come to Japan

Leaving Japan: the departure tax, airport timing, tax-free checks and what visitors forget

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.

The answerBudget three hours at Narita or Kansai and two and a half at Haneda for international departures, plus the train time (Narita is 60–90 minutes from central Tokyo, and the last Narita Express leaves Tokyo around 20:00–21:00 — later flights need the Keisei line, a bus or a hotel near the airport). The ¥1,000 International Tourist Tax is already in your ticket. If you bought tax-free consumables, keep them sealed until you leave; customs can spot-check the record linked to your passport and charge the tax. Refund Suica/PASMO at a JR East or PASMO-operator station before the airport (JR East also has ticket offices at the Narita Airport stations; Haneda has no JR East counter) (¥220 fee applies to Suica; Welcome Suica is non-refundable), spend the balance, or keep it — it stays valid 10 years. Declare cash over ¥1,000,000 equivalent, don't pack knives or lighters in hand luggage, and check your home country's rules on food (meat products and many fresh items are banned almost everywhere).

The end of a Japan trip has its own small rules: a ¥1,000 departure tax you never see, a tax-free receipt check that can be enforced, a Suica balance you may not get back, and airport trains that stop earlier than you think. Here is the exit checklist.

Timing and transport

AirportGet thereLast trains from the cityRecommended arrival before departure
Narita (NRT)Narita Express (60–90 min, ¥3,070 from Tokyo), Keisei Skyliner (41 min from Ueno, ¥2,570), Airport Limousine bus (75–120 min, ¥3,200), LCC buses (¥1,300–1,500 from Tokyo station)N'EX last ~20:00–21:00 from Tokyo; Keisei ~22:00–23:00; buses to ~22:003 hours (Terminal 3 LCCs: allow extra for the 500 m walk)
Haneda (HND)Monorail (13–20 min from Hamamatsuchō), Keikyū (15–20 min from Shinagawa), busesTrains run to ~00:00; Keikyū to ~00:302.5 hours
Kansai (KIX)Haruka (50 min from Osaka/Tennōji, 75 from Kyoto), Nankai Rapi:t (35 min from Namba), busesHaruka last ~21:00–22:00; Nankai ~23:303 hours (queues at KIX immigration/security can be long in peak)
Chūbu (NGO)Meitetsu μ-Sky (28 min from Nagoya)~23:002.5 hours
Fukuoka (FUK)Subway (5 min from Hakata)~00:002 hours

Money, tax and paperwork

ItemDetail
Departure tax¥1,000 International Tourist Tax, included in the ticket since January 2019. No separate payment. (An increase — around ¥3,000 has been discussed — is under government consideration; confirm the rate before publishing)
Tax-free purchasesConsumables (cosmetics, food, medicine) must stay in the sealed bag and leave Japan within 30 days; customs at departure can scan your passport, see the purchase record and charge the 10% tax if goods were consumed/unsealed. General goods can be used. From 1 November 2026 you pay the tax at the till; customs confirms the goods when you leave (within 90 days of purchase) and the shop or its refund operator then refunds the tax, e.g. to your card — check which rule applies on your travel dates
CashDeclare if carrying more than ¥1,000,000 (or equivalent) in cash/cheques
IC cardsSuica refund at JR East stations (¥220 fee, deposit ¥500 returned); PASMO at PASMO operators (no fee); ICOCA at JR West. Welcome Suica: non-refundable and expires 28 days after issue (the Welcome Suica Mobile app version lasts 180 days) — spend it (airport convenience stores take it). Cards stay valid 10 years from last use — keep for a return trip
ImmigrationAutomated gates for departure for many nationalities; the Visit Japan Web QR code is for arrival, not departure. Your passport is stamped/recorded on exit — the residence-card style stub is not needed for tourists
Lost passportEmbassy emergency document takes 1–3 days; police report (kōban) first

Things people forget

[Verify] Last-train times and fares with current timetables; the 2026 tax-free refund-at-departure change with the NTA; power-bank rules with the airline and MLIT.

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Sources

https://www.customs.go.jp/english/

https://www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/consumption_tax/

https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/welcomesuica/

⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.

About this article

What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.

This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.

Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.

Rules and procedures change. Please confirm the latest official information before you act.

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