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If you’re one of the few Aussies yet to tick Japan off your bucket list, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the best years to finally go. The Japanese yen remains historically weak, meaning Aussies are getting major bang for their buck on everything from high-end omakases and bullet train tickets to boutique hotels, theme parks and more.
However, navigating Japan this year looks a little different from how it used to. To help combat overtourism, the Japanese government has introduced a few new tourist taxes, attraction fees and local fines. Here are the major ones you need to know about.
‘Sayonara tax’
Since 2019, anyone leaving Japan – including citizens – has been required to pay a small exit fee, automatically added to the price of their plane or ferry ticket. From July 1, the government will raise this tax for the very first time from ¥1,000 (AUD $8.80 as of June 2026) to ¥3,000 (~AUD $26.50).
Litter fine
“If you throw trash, you lose cash.” That’s the slogan of Shibuya’s latest campaign to stop visitors from littering. As of June 1, anyone caught leaving rubbish around the busy Tokyo hub will face an on-the-spot fine of ¥2,000 (around AUD $17.50). This comes in response to an increasing number of foreign tourists openly drinking and littering in the area.
Tax-free shopping
Currently, tourists in Japan can shop tax-free at designated stores on purchases of more than ¥5,000 (~AUD $44), simply by showing their passports. But from November 1, 2026, Japan is switching to a "pay first, refund later" model. You’ll have to pay the full tax-inclusive price at checkout, then claim the ten per cent tax refund at the airport before flying home.
Lodging tax
From April 2026, 20 local governments – including Hokkaido, Sapporo and Hiroshima – introduced or increased local lodging taxes. Designed to fund overtourism crowd management and upgrade visitor infrastructure, these accommodation levies are typically charged per person, per night. The flat rate ranges from around ¥100 to ¥500 per night (AUD $0.88 to $4.50).