How to Shop at GU in Japan | Tax-Free (Refunds and Fees from November 2026), App Coupons, Hemming, Returns, Differences from UNIQLO, Stores in Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Osaka and Kyoto

Overview

GU is a Japanese clothing brand and store chain. It is run by a company in the Fast Retailing group, the same group as UNIQLO, and its first store opened in 2006. GU sells clothes for women, men and children, as well as shoes, bags and more. This article explains what travelers should know when shopping at GU, based on information from GU's official FAQ and official store locator (checked on November 1, 2026).

• GU's official store locator lists 446 stores in Japan, and there are stores in every prefecture of Japan (November 1, 2026).
• According to GU's FAQ, tax-free procedures are available at all GU stores. From November 1, 2026, even when you buy tax-free, you pay the price including consumption tax at the store, and the consumption tax amount is refunded after you go through the customs check when you leave Japan. When the refund is paid, the company that carries out the tax-free procedures deducts a fee (about 10%).
• According to GU's FAQ, when you buy tax-free, app member-only prices (called 「アプリ会員限定価格」 (app member limited price) in the FAQ) do not apply.
• You can ask the store to hem pants. The fee is ¥300.

The photos in this article were taken by the operator of this site at one GU store in October 2026. Not every store carries the same products. The signs and prices in the photos are as of the time they were taken. Floor numbers in this article match the building's signs (the ground floor is 1F).

Step by step

Who can buy tax-free and the conditions

According to GU's FAQ, the people who can buy tax-free and the purchase conditions are as follows.

• Eligible people are those who are not Japanese nationals and do not live in Japan. If you entered Japan for a short stay, such as for sightseeing, show the store your passport with the entry stamp (sticker) you received when you entered Japan. If you show the Visit Japan Web tax-free QR code, you do not need to show your passport.
• Your total purchases at one store on the same day must be ¥5,000 (tax excluded) or more excluding consumption tax (¥5,500 (tax included) or more including consumption tax). You cannot combine it with purchases made at other GU stores.
• You must leave Japan within 90 days of the purchase date and go through the customs check at that time.
• Items ordered from the online store are not tax-free, whether you pick them up at a store or pay for them at a store register.
• When you buy tax-free, app member-only prices (called 「アプリ会員限定価格」 (app member limited price) in GU's FAQ) do not apply.

How to buy tax-free

For purchases made from November 1, 2026, Japan's tax-free system changed to a method in which the consumption tax amount is refunded after you leave Japan. The steps in GU's FAQ are as follows.

1. At the store, pay the price including consumption tax.
2. At the same store, complete the tax-free registration. How you register differs by store, and you may move to a tax-free counter inside the store. If you do not complete the tax-free registration, the consumption tax amount will not be refunded.
3. When you leave Japan, go through the customs check at the airport or port before the security check. You must do this within 90 days of the purchase date.
4. Create an account on the dedicated site J-TaxRefund, verify your identity with your passport, and register where you want to receive the refund. You can register at any time after your purchase, but you must do so within 180 days of the purchase date.

• According to GU's FAQ, refunds for tax-free purchases at GU are handled by the company that carries out the tax-free procedures (J&J Tax Free). When the refund is paid, this company deducts a fee (about 10%). The FAQ only says "a fee of about 10%" and does not say what the about 10% is a percentage of (the consumption tax amount to be refunded, or the purchase amount).
• GU's FAQ does not say by what method (for example, to a card or a bank account) you can receive the refund. Check on the J-TaxRefund site.

Procedures when you leave Japan are explained in Tax-Free Shopping in Japan | The Refund Method from November 2026 and What to Do When You Leave Japan.

Exchanges and returns of tax-free purchases

• Tax-free purchases can be exchanged or returned within 30 days, counting the purchase date, only at the store where you bought them. Other GU stores cannot accept them.
• For items bought on or after November 1, 2026, the items must not yet have gone through the customs check.
• Bring the item, the receipt, the tax-free registration receipt, and the passport you showed when you bought it. If you paid by credit card, also bring that card and the card payment slip. Paying the purchase amount back to your card may take 1 to 2 months.
• Items that have been hemmed cannot be exchanged or returned.

Services

Pants hemming

At GU stores, you can have GU pants shortened to your length (hemming). According to GU's FAQ, pants are the only items that can be hemmed at stores.

• The fee is ¥300.
• There are two stitching methods: machine stitching and blind stitching (a method where the stitches are hard to see from the outside). The method is set for each product, and you cannot choose it.
• Hemming is available for products whose page on the GU online store has a field for specifying hemming.
• You can request it even after the purchase date, at any GU store in Japan. Items bought from the online store are also accepted. You can request it even without a receipt.
• GU's FAQ does not say how long it takes to finish. The FAQ says that, depending on how busy the store is with requests, you may not be able to pick it up on the same day you request it.
• Items that have been hemmed cannot be exchanged or returned.

Exchange and return rules

• Items bought at a store can be exchanged or returned within 30 days, counting the purchase date. A receipt is required.
• Exchanges can be made at any GU store in Japan. You can exchange only for products that the store has. Returns can be made only at the store where you bought the item (the store where you paid).
• A drop in price is not accepted as a reason for an exchange or a return.
• Exchanges and returns of tax-free purchases follow the rules in "Exchanges and returns of tax-free purchases" in this article.

What to buy

Photos of store sections

• The section in the photo had mannequins wearing sportswear and a "GU SPORT" ad, and shirts and hoodies were lined up on the back wall (at the time of the photo).

• In the section in the photo, sweaters hung on a display table, children's sweatpants hung in front of them, and a "LOUNGE WEAR" (clothes to wear at home) ad hung from the ceiling (at the time of the photo).

• The section in the photo had padded (insulated) jackets lined up. The "NEW ARRIVAL" sign for newly arrived products had words meaning "new arrivals" written in Japanese, Chinese and Korean (at the time of the photo).

• The children's clothing section in the photo had skirts, shorts, socks and underwear, with price signs reading "GOOD PRICE" (at the time of the photo).

• A sign in the shoe section in the photo said that the GU online store also carries shoes in sizes XS and XXL (at the time of the photo).

How to read price signs

• The section in the photo had red signs reading "APP-ONLY EXCLUSIVE PRICE" and 「アプリ会員特別価格」 (app member special price) (at the time of the photo). These signs show the price when an app member buys the item.
• GU's FAQ says that tax-free purchases are not eligible for 「アプリ会員限定価格」 (app member limited price). The FAQ does not say whether 「アプリ会員特別価格」 (app member special price) on the signs is the same thing as 「アプリ会員限定価格」 (app member limited price) in the FAQ. When you buy tax-free, check at the register.

• The red sign in the photo said 「SALE 新価格」 (SALE new price) and 「レジにて表示価格に値下げ」 (reduced to the displayed price at the register; in English, Discount taken at register) (at the time of the photo). It means that the price goes down to the price on this sign at the register.
• The white sign in the same photo was a notice about app coupons. Coupons are explained in "App coupons" in this article.

• The wagon in the photo had a sign reading 「早い者勝ち！」 (first come, first served!), 「超おトク価格！」 (super bargain prices!) and 「現品限りの見逃せないアイテムが満載。」 (full of must-see items, limited to the stock on hand.) (at the time of the photo). 「現品限り」 (limited to the stock on hand) means that once the items there are sold, they are sold out.
• A drop in price is not accepted as a reason for an exchange or a return (GU's FAQ).

Paying

Ways to pay

According to GU's FAQ, the following payment methods can be used in stores. Accepted payment methods may differ by store.

• Cash and major credit cards.
• Debit cards from international brands, such as Visa Debit and JCB Debit.
• Transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, etc.), and e-money and QR code payments such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and PayPay. You can also pay with Suica and PASMO added to Apple Pay or Google Pay. However, GU says that some e-money cannot be used at some stores located in commercial facilities such as shopping centers and at some stores located in station buildings.
• UNIQLO gift cards cannot be used at GU stores.
• GU's FAQ does not give a list of accepted credit card brands, and does not mention UnionPay or contactless card payments.

According to GU's FAQ, stores have self-checkout registers. The payment methods that the FAQ lists as usable at self-checkout are cash, credit card (single payment) and e-money. The FAQ does not say whether QR code payments can be used at self-checkout. For payment methods that are not listed, use a register with a staff member. The FAQ does not say whether every store has self-checkout, or whether tax-free procedures can be done at self-checkout.

• In the store in the photo, a sign hanging from the ceiling showed the direction to the fitting rooms (FITTING ROOM) and to the place for picking up online store orders (IN-STORE PICKUP), and stickers on the floor showed the direction to the registers (「お会計」 (checkout) CASHIER) (at the time of the photo).

How to use cash and cards in Japan is explained in Do You Need Cash in Japan? | Where Cards Work, ATMs That Accept Overseas Cards, and Currency Exchange.

App coupons

• If you install the GU app for the first time and register your online store membership information, you get a coupon. Just installing the app does not give you one.
• The coupon gives ¥500 off when the total of one purchase is ¥5,000 or more. It can be used both in stores and on the online store. It is valid for 31 days, counting the day you receive it.
• In stores, have the staff scan your app membership card at the register, then choose the coupon. Only one coupon can be used per purchase. It cannot be used for the hemming fee.
• GU also has other kinds of coupons. The other kinds can be used only on the online store.
• GU's FAQ does not say whether this coupon can be used when you buy tax-free.
• When this article was written, we could not confirm in GU's FAQ whether membership registration requires a Japanese phone number or other details. Check on the app's registration screen.

Where to buy

Main stores in Tokyo

These stores were checked on GU's official store locator on November 1, 2026. On the store locator that day, every store in this table had the same opening hours regardless of the day of the week or public holidays. The kinds of clothing sold differ by store.

• The store locator divides stores into four categories by size. Among the stores in this table, GU Shinjuku Tonanguchi Flags and GU Shibuya are in the largest category (super-large stores). GU Ginza is in the next category (large stores).
• For GU Ikebukuro Higashiguchi, a notice on the store locator says that there is no elevator or restroom for customers.
• On the store locator, no store with Harajuku, Omotesando or Jingumae in its name or address was found (November 1, 2026).

Main stores in Osaka and Kyoto

• Among the stores in this table, GU Tennoji MIO is in the store locator's largest category (super-large stores).
• For every store in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, when opening hours change temporarily, the change is posted on the store's page in the store locator. Check that store's page before you go.

Good to know

GU and UNIQLO

• GU and UNIQLO are both brands of the Fast Retailing group. The company that runs GU is wholly owned by Fast Retailing. GU stores and UNIQLO stores are separate stores.
• Fast Retailing describes GU's concept as "fashion and low prices."
• UNIQLO gift cards cannot be used at GU stores (GU's FAQ).
• How to shop at UNIQLO is explained in How to Shop at UNIQLO in Japan | Tax-Free Rules and Returns, Hemming Fees and Turnaround Times, Sizes, Payment, Choosing HEATTECH, UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya.

Languages of the official website

• For reading in languages other than Japanese, GU's FAQ asks you to use your browser's translation feature. Versions in English, Chinese and Korean that you can read without the translation feature exist only for some FAQs, such as those about tax-free shopping and hemming.

Notes

• The information in this article was checked on November 1, 2026, on GU's official FAQ and store locator and on Fast Retailing's official website. Tax-free procedures, prices, coupons and store opening hours may change.
• The store photos show how things were when the operator took them. The faces of customers in the background of the photos are blurred.