Landing in Japan: Immigration, Customs, Cash, Tax-Free Changes and Getting into Tokyo (2026)

This page covers what happens after you land at Narita (NRT) or Haneda (HND): the checks in order, the official limits at customs, how to get into Tokyo, and what changes for tax-free shopping on 1 November 2026. Every limit links to the government or airport page it comes from.

Visit Japan Web is covered in the Visit Japan Web guide. It is free.

The order after you land

Japan Customs lists the customs inspection area as the last stop, after these (source, checked 2026-09-12):

1. Quarantine.
2. Immigration. Passport, plus the Visit Japan Web immigration QR if you made one.
3. Baggage claim, and animal and plant quarantine if you carry meat, fruit or plants.
4. Customs. Visit Japan Web customs QR, or the paper declaration form.

Immigration

Foreign visitors arriving on a short stay go through the staffed booths. The Immigration Services Agency describes its face-recognition gates for foreign nationals as a departure procedure only (source, checked 2026-10-14). The departure side is covered below.

Customs: what you can bring without duty

Everyone entering Japan submits the declaration of accompanied and unaccompanied goods, through Visit Japan Web or on paper. A family examined together can hand in one paper form through one person. Limits per adult, from Japan Customs (source, checked 2026-09-12):

• Under-20s get no alcohol or tobacco allowance. Children under 6 get it only for items that are clearly their own, such as toys.
• Customs picks which items fit inside the JPY 200,000 and taxes the rest. A single item over JPY 200,000 is taxed in full.
• A category totalling JPY 10,000 or less is generally exempt.
• Goods you ship separately count toward the same allowance if they arrive within six months.

Cash: when you must declare

From Japan Customs (source, checked 2026-09-12):

• Declare if your cash, cheques (including traveller’s cheques), promissory notes and securities together exceed the equivalent of JPY 1,000,000. Japanese and foreign currency count together.
• Separately, declare gold bullion of 90% purity or more that weighs over 1 kg.
• The rule applies on arrival and on departure. The form is the declaration of carrying means of payment, available at customs or printable from the Customs site in Japanese and English.

Getting into Tokyo

From Narita. Narita Airport’s rail page lists these lines (source, checked 2026-10-14):

• Narita Express (JR East): Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama.
• Keisei Skyliner: Nippori and Keisei Ueno, for Ueno, Asakusa and Ikebukuro.
• Keisei Access Express and Keisei Main Line: toward Nippori and Keisei Ueno with more stops. The page also lists the Toei Asakusa Line (Asakusa, Shinbashi, Sengakuji).
• JR Line: toward Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Ueno and other JR stations.

Fares and timetables are on each operator’s site; the airport page links to them.

From Haneda. The airport is directly connected to the Keikyu Line and the Tokyo Monorail (source, checked 2026-10-14). Haneda Airport’s own estimates: Shinagawa about 15 minutes, Hamamatsucho about 20, Tokyo Station about 30, Shibuya about 45, Shinjuku about 50. Fares are on each company’s site.

Taxis at Haneda have two kinds of stands: general stands, and stands for app-dispatched or reserved taxis (source, checked 2026-10-14). If you booked through an app, go to the second kind.

Getting online

If your phone supports eSIM, you can buy and install a data plan before you fly and switch it on after landing. Check the phone’s settings first: many phones sold in mainland China do not support eSIM.

Tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026

From the Japan Tourism Agency (source, checked 2026-10-14):

• Purchases up to 31 October 2026 follow the current system. Purchases from 1 November 2026 use the refund method.
• At the shop you pay the tax-inclusive price. The consumption tax is refunded later, by the shop or by a refund service company it uses. Ask the shop how it pays.
• On departure, present your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal or kiosk in the international departure lobby. The terminal tells you whether Customs needs to inspect the goods. Do this before you check in your bags; it cannot be done afterwards.
• The deadline is 90 days from the date of purchase.
• Purchases must total at least JPY 5,000, excluding tax, per store per day.
• Keep every item from a receipt together. If one item from a purchase is missing at inspection, none of the goods on that receipt qualify.

When you leave

• The cash rule above applies again.
• Foreign nationals on a short-stay status can use the face-recognition gates at departure without registering, if they hold an IC passport, can operate the gate alone, and are at least 135 cm tall. Departures on a re-entry permit are excluded (source, checked 2026-10-14).
• The gate does not stamp your passport. If you want a stamp, ask the staff behind the gate or at the booth before boarding.

Sources

The customs and cash rules also appear in our global library entry for Japan.