Departure Day in Japan: What to Do and When

Short answer: keep all tax-free items and your passport with you, and go to the customs tax refund kiosk BEFORE you check in bags. The ¥3,000 departure tax is normally already in your ticket, and a Welcome Suica balance can't be refunded, so spend it first.

Timeline

1. The night before / at the hotel: pack

• Put every tax-free item where you can show it at the airport (carry-on, or a suitcase you have not checked in yet). If customs asks to see an item and you can't show it, you may not get the refund for it (Japan Tourism Agency).
• Keep receipts and your passport together. Your passport is what the kiosk scans.
• Liquids and sprays in carry-on follow airline security rules — check your airline. (We did not verify per-airline rules.)

2. Extra luggage you don't want to carry

• Yamato Transport (TA-Q-BIN) can deliver luggage to the airport. Drop-off at hotels, sales offices or station counters, no reservation; delivery is as early as the next day, so send it at least a day before your flight. Price depends on size and distance (Yamato official).
• ecbo at Don Quijote Shinjuku Kabukicho: storage plus same-day delivery to the 23 wards and Haneda (ecbo official news, Aug 2026).
• Important: tax-free items must be with you at the customs kiosk. If they are in a bag delivered to the airport, pick it up before the kiosk step. Never send them home by post or courier before departure — see shipping tax-free items.

3. Leave Tokyo for the airport

These are the fastest trains only. Add time to get to the station, wait, and walk. How early to arrive at the airport: follow your airline. See also how early for the tax refund.

4. At the airport: tax refund kiosk FIRST

1. Go to the customs tax refund kiosk in the departure lobby, before security. Narita: T1 4F, T2 3F, T3 2F. Haneda: T3 and T2 3F.
2. Scan your passport. Green = done. Red = show your items at the customs area (Japan Tourism Agency).
3. Then check in bags. A checked bag can't be taken back for the procedure (JTA FAQ, Narita official).
4. Cash refund (yen), if your shop uses it, is at a cash refund kiosk — see cash or card refund.

5. Departure tax: nothing to do

Japan's International Tourist Tax is ¥3,000 per departure from July 1, 2026. Airlines add it to the ticket price and pay it. ¥1,000 applies to certain tickets contracted before July 1, 2026. Exempt: children under 2, transit passengers leaving within 24 hours of arrival (National Tax Agency).

6. Last cash and Suica

• Welcome Suica balance is not refundable (JR East). Use it up at shops, vending machines or coin lockers that accept Suica. The card is valid 28 days from purchase.
• Remaining yen cash: use it or keep it for your next trip. (Airport currency exchange rates and hours: not officially confirmed here.)

Not confirmed by an official source, so left out: Sagawa and JR East hands-free delivery details for foreign visitors, Keikyu same-day delivery terms, regular-Suica refund fees, bus and taxi times.

Quick answers

Do I have to pay the ¥3,000 departure tax at the airport?

Normally no. Airlines and ship companies add it to your ticket price and pay it for you. It is ¥3,000 per departure from July 1, 2026; ¥1,000 applies to certain tickets contracted before July 1, 2026. Children under 2 and transit passengers leaving within 24 hours are exempt (National Tax Agency).

When do I do the tax refund at the airport?

Before you check in your bags. Go to the customs tax refund kiosk before security with all tax-free items and your passport. A bag that is already checked in can't be taken back for the procedure (Japan Tourism Agency, Narita official).

Can I get my Welcome Suica balance back?

No. JR East says Welcome Suica balances are not refundable. Spend it before you leave, for example at shops or vending machines that accept Suica (JR East official).

How long does the train take from Tokyo to the airport?

Fastest official times: Narita Express Tokyo Station to Narita Airport from 53 minutes; Keisei Skyliner Ueno to Narita from about 41 minutes; Tokyo Monorail Hamamatsucho to Haneda Terminal 3 13 minutes (Haneda Express). Add time to reach the station and wait.

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