Tell me more ×
Travel Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for road warriors and seasoned travelers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite

According to this governament site, some stores offer tax refunds to tourists. Is it very common to find in Tokyo?

Specifically, I want to buy electronics at the Ginza Apple Store. Will I be able to get a tax refund?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 3 down vote accepted

It's only larger stores that offer this, but you can always ask. I found a German forum where someone claimed the Apple stores do offer tax free purchases.

share|improve this answer
Thank you! I tried to use Chrome to translate from German, but it didn't go well :) Could you please enlighten me about what the user Tentacle said about Sakura-ya? Is there another store where I can get more points (what's that?), more discounts? – Roberto Oct 29 '12 at 15:32
1  
@Roberto: many electronics stores (like Yodobasi and Bic Camera) have a "points card" where you get a number of points for each purchase, which gets you a discount when you have enough points. In the forum there was disagreement on whether these stores give you such points for Apple products as well as the tax free purchase. As a tourist I don't think those cards are useful to you, unless you plan to buy a lot of electronics stuff. On the second page some advised to look for a cheaper offer (one one with some stuff bundled) in the stores in Akihabara. – Michael Borgwardt Oct 29 '12 at 15:47

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.