ecute Duty-Free Counter

"ecute" is a commercial facility located within JR East stations, including Shinagawa, Ueno, Omiya, Tachikawa and Nippori Stations. It’s easy accessible just set inside the train station, offering a wide variety of shops for everything like daily needs, souvenir shops and food corners that make it so popular among foreign tourists.

Tax-free shopping varies by location, but at ecute Shinagawa is a dedicated tax-free counter for shoppers to handle all their tax-free procedures at once. At ecute Ueno, ecute Omiya, and ecute Tachikawa you’ll need to check as you shop at each separate store.

To qualify for the tax refund, you need to present a passport with an entry stamp, indicating you're a foreigner who has been in Japan for less than 6 months, or a Japanese resident living abroad. You'll receive a cash refund for the consumption tax amount.
If at a consolidated tax-free counter, you must also present the receipts for your purchases and the credit card you used (the name on the passport and credit card must match). Note that post-purchase tax-free adjustments aren't available, so make sure to process your refund on the day of purchase.

For daily tax-free purchases, general items such as miscellaneous goods need to be at least 5,000 yen (excluding tax), while consumables like food, beverages, cosmetics, and medicines should range from 5,000 yen (excluding tax) up to 500,000 yen. Items eligible for tax refunds must be purchased within the facility, though there are some exceptions, so be sure to check in advance.