Japan Duty-Free Retailers At War For Tourist Cash

Above, the Ginza Mitsukoshi department store. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's a war within Japan. It's not a bad war, but one is raging.

The war is between duty-free retailers who are vying for tourist dollars. This is great news for foreign tourists, who stand to benefit from the competition.

The Japan Times reported:

Retailers are fighting tooth and nail to lure foreign visitors, mainly from China, as Japan set third consecutive record high for tourism in 2015. 

In Tokyo’s posh Ginza district, two giant, separately owned duty-free shops are slated to open by the end of March inside the Mitsukoshi department store run by Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd., and in Tokyu Plaza Ginza, a new shopping center run by Tokyu Land Corp. 

Unlike standard duty-free shops, both will operate just like the ones in airports, exempting shoppers from the consumption tax as well as the liquor tax and customs duties.

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