Incase you don’t already know, almost all shops in Japan display their prices without tax.
That means when you spot that extremely rare and retro games console for 10,000 yen, it’s likely to be a lot more when tax gets added on at the till.
As someone who has visited Japan numerous times, I can tell you first hand how annoying it is to not be able to price up the shopping as I go along.
In fact if I’ve got more than 5 items it’s literally anyones guess how expensive the total will be. And with Japan being a cash heavy country, it’s not ideal when it comes to more than you’ve brought with you…
So what does this new law mean?
From April 1st, all Japanese stores must clearly display the final cost of an item including that pesky sales tax
Option 1:
The first option for shops is to display both the pre and post cost of the item. This is what we can see in the image above. (There are small numbers under the price which is the post tax price, but it is quite small!)
Option 2:
Shops also have the option to display only the final price of an item including sales tax. By using this method, companies and stores do not have to show pre tax prices.
Exceptions to the rule:
Don’t worry, Daiso isn’t affected and will still be the 100 yen store we all know and love!
I’m okay with this and if it’s the only shop I’ll have to remember to add in sales tax after, then it’s far easier than it ever was.
I’m quite surprised it’s taken Japan so long to put this law through and I personally know many people (myself included) that whole heartedly welcome the change.
With all shops following this new system, you’ll be able to have a stress free shopping experience on your next trip!
