How to Shop at UNIQLO in Japan | Tax-Free Rules and Returns, Hemming Fees and Turnaround Times, Sizes, Payment, Choosing HEATTECH, UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya

Overview

UNIQLO is a Japanese clothing store. It has stores across Japan and sells everything from innerwear such as HEATTECH and AIRism to jackets and children's clothing. This article explains what is useful to know when shopping at UNIQLO stores in Japan, based on UNIQLO's official information (checked on October 11, 2026).

• Prices on the price tags include consumption tax.
• Many stores can process tax-free purchases. Your purchases are tax-free when your total at one store on the same day is ¥5,000 (tax excluded) or more (¥5,500 (tax included) or more).
• You can have pants and other items hemmed at the store. The fee depends on the item's price and the stitching method.
• Store shopping bags are not free.

The photo shows an example of the sales floor at UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya, south of Shinjuku Station, taken in October 2026. Sales floors, products and prices may change. The floor numbers in this article are the same as the building's signs (the ground floor is 1F).

Step by step

Shopping tax-free

According to UNIQLO, the people who can shop tax-free and the purchase conditions are as follows.

• You do not hold Japanese nationality, you entered Japan for a short stay such as sightseeing, and fewer than 6 months have passed since you entered.
• Your total at one store on the same day is ¥5,000 (tax excluded) or more. Purchases made at other UNIQLO stores cannot be added to this total.
• At the store, you show your passport with the landing stamp or sticker you received when you entered Japan. If you show the tax-free QR code from Visit Japan Web, you do not need to show your passport.
• Items ordered from the online store are not tax-free, even if you pick them up at a store or pay for them at a store.
• Some stores do not offer tax-free procedures. You can check each store with UNIQLO's store locator. UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya is a store that offers tax-free procedures.

Changes from November 1, 2026

Japan's tax-free system changes for purchases made on or after November 1, 2026 (Japan Tourism Agency).

• For purchases made on or before October 31, 2026, you pay the price excluding consumption tax at the store.
• For purchases made on or after November 1, 2026, you pay the price including consumption tax at the store. When you leave Japan, customs checks your purchases at the airport or seaport, and after that the consumption tax is refunded. To receive the refund, you must leave Japan within 90 days of the purchase date and have customs check your purchases when you leave.
• How you receive the refund differs from store to store. As of October 11, 2026, UNIQLO has not announced how refunds for purchases made on or after November 1 will be paid. Check at the register when you buy.

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

Exchanging or returning tax-free items

Items bought tax-free can be exchanged or returned only at the register of the store where you bought them. Other UNIQLO stores cannot do this. Bring the item, the receipt and your passport. If you paid by credit card, also bring that card and the card payment slip. A refund to your card may take 1 to 2 months.

Services

Hemming pants and other items

At UNIQLO stores, you can have UNIQLO pants, skirts and other bottoms shortened (hemming). Stores cannot shorten shirt sleeves or other tops.

The fee depends on the item's price and the stitching method (fees from September 1, 2026).

• A blind stitch is a stitching method in which the stitches are hard to see from the outside. Double gives a finish with the hem folded up on the outside (a cuff). Some stitching methods are not available for some items.
• Machine stitching is ready on the same day you request it. Blind stitching is ready on the day after you request it or later. When the store is busy, machine stitching may also take until the next day or later. The time when hemming is ready differs from store to store, so the staff will tell you when you make the request.
• You can also request hemming on a day after the purchase date if you bring the item and the receipt. It does not have to be the store where you bought it. However, some stores do not offer hemming.
• Hemmed items cannot be exchanged or returned.

What to buy

Choosing HEATTECH

HEATTECH is a material used in UNIQLO innerwear and other items. UNIQLO describes it as a material that absorbs moisture, generates heat and retains that heat. There are three types with different levels of warmth, and UNIQLO gives the following recommended temperatures for each type when it is worn layered with other clothes.

On the sales floor, the name of the type is written on the signs above the shelves and on the packages. How warm it feels differs from person to person.

• AIRism is a material that UNIQLO describes as quick-drying and feeling cool when it touches your skin.
• PUFFTECH is the padding that UNIQLO puts inside its jackets and vests. It is not down. UNIQLO describes it as resistant to water and moisture, light and warm. Some items come with a pouch for folding them up small.

Choosing a size

• Product pages on the UNIQLO online store have a size chart for each item. You can switch the units in the chart between cm and inches.
• Even within the same S, M or L, the actual garment measurements differ from item to item. Before buying, check the size chart for that item or try it on at a store.
• XS, XXL, 3XL and 4XL are sizes that stores do not carry. You cannot try them on at a store.
• For these sizes, or for items that a store does not carry, you can ask the staff to order them for pickup at the store. This is separate from ordering on the online store yourself. You pay first at the store's register, and you pick up the item at the store within 3 days of the order date. UNIQLO's information does not say whether items bought in this way can be tax-free.

Paying

Payment

• You can pay with cash and major credit cards.
• For debit cards, you can use debit cards from international brands, such as Visa Debit and JCB Debit.
• American Express cards can be used only if they were issued in Japan.
• You can also use transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and others), Alipay, WeChat Pay, PayPay and more. However, depending on the store, these may not be accepted. UNIQLO lists some stores in shopping centers and similar facilities, and some stores in station buildings or inside stations, as stores that may not accept them.
• UNIQLO's information does not say whether UnionPay is accepted.

Shopping bags

• Store shopping bags cost ¥30 each, regardless of size. You cannot buy a shopping bag on its own.
• A reusable cloth bag costs ¥390 (tax included).

App and online store

• Under UNIQLO's terms of use, only people with an address in Japan can become members of UNIQLO in Japan. For this reason, travelers without an address in Japan cannot use member coupons.
• UNIQLO's online store for Japan ships only within Japan. Credit cards issued outside Japan may not be accepted. Items ordered from the online store are not tax-free.
• Inquiries to the customer center of UNIQLO in Japan are handled in Japanese only.

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.

Where to buy

UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya

UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya is a large store on 12F of Takashimaya Times Square, south of Shinjuku Station. It sells clothing for women, men, children and babies, as well as maternity wear.

• Hours: Daily 10:00–21:00
• Address: 5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
• Tax-free procedures: Available

The signs above the shelves on the sales floor show the product names and prices. The prices shown in the photos in this article are as of when the photos were taken.

• The same building also has the Takashimaya Shinjuku department store and HANDS, a store for household goods. How to use Takashimaya Shinjuku is explained in How to Use Takashimaya Shinjuku and Takashimaya Times Square | Hours, Access, the 11F Tax Refund Counter, the 5% Discount Card, HANDS and UNIQLO, and how to use HANDS is explained in How to Use HANDS Shinjuku (formerly Tokyu Hands) | Hours, Floor Guide, the 5F Tax-Free Counter, Pokémon, Ghibli and Gundam Goods, Teapots, Kitchen Knives, Stationery and Tools.

Other UNIQLO stores in Shinjuku

Near Shinjuku Station, there are other UNIQLO stores that also offer tax-free procedures (UNIQLO store locator, checked on October 11, 2026).

• UNIQLO Shinjuku Nishiguchi is closed for renovation. UNIQLO says it will reopen on October 23, 2026.

Good to know

Exchange and return rules

• Items bought at a store can be exchanged or returned within 30 days, counting the day of purchase. You need the receipt.
• Exchanges can be made at the store where you bought the item and also at other UNIQLO stores in Japan. Returns can be made only at the store where you bought the item. Items bought tax-free can be exchanged or returned only at the store where you bought them.
• Haneda Airport Terminal 3 and Kansai International Airport have UNIQLO stores in the area you enter after the departure procedures. These two stores cannot exchange or return items bought at other stores.

Staying connected while traveling is explained in Getting Online in Japan | eSIM vs SIM Card vs Pocket Wi-Fi, What to Check First, and Airport Pickup.