Buying JDM Parts and Goods in Tokyo: Autobacs, Up Garage and Tax-Free Rules

Quick answers

• Can tourists buy car parts tax-free in Japan? Yes, at registered tax-free shops, for ¥5,000 or more (before tax) at one shop in one day. From 1 November 2026 you pay the full price and get the tax back after customs checks the goods when you leave Japan.
• Can I ship tax-free parts home instead of carrying them? No. Under the new system you must have every tax-free item with you at the airport check, before you check in your bags.
• Can I fly home with car care sprays? Not lubricant, paint, varnish or dust-blower sprays: Japanese airlines ban them in both cabin and checked bags.
• Where can I find JDM merchandise near the airport? A PIT AUTOBACS JDM:BASE is in Haneda Airport Garden, connected to Haneda's Terminal 3.

Where car fans shop

Tax-free listings are from Autobacs' own tax-free page, which also lists Autobacs shops in Saitama, Chiba (including Narita), Aichi, Kumamoto and Okinawa. Store details for JDM:BASE are from Autobacs' announcement (in Japanese). Up Garage's details are from its own site; it says nothing about tax-free shopping, so ask before you buy.

Several Daikoku night tours stop at the Shinonome store on the way, including Only JDM's self-drive evening and GaijinTuned's car club night. See the Daikoku guide.

Autobacs or Up Garage?

They are different kinds of shop, and as a local car fan I go to them for different reasons.

• Autobacs sells new parts. It has a wide range of new products and services, and you know roughly what will be on the shelf.
• Up Garage is mostly used parts. Its stock comes from what people sell to it, so no two shops have the same line-up, and it changes from week to week. The fun is walking in and wondering whether there is something good today, or anything for your own car. I drive a JZX100, so I look for JZX100 parts.

What Up Garage's own site says (top page, shopping guide, shop list, in Japanese):

• It calls itself Japan's largest-class used car and motorbike goods shop, with 252 shops across Japan, plus two in California.
• It sells used wheels, tyres, car audio, navigation units and tuning parts, and there are separate Up Garage shops for wheels and tyres, motorbike parts, tools and bicycles.
• You can search stock online by product name or by shop before you go. The site does not say how up to date the stock is, so phone the shop about anything you plan to travel for.
• You can have a part sent to a shop near you. Order online, and Up Garage brings the item from any of its shops in Japan to the shop you choose, usually within a few days; some items are excluded. Picking up at the shop that already has it is free and possible the same day. Without a pickup booking, the shop holds your order for one week (pickup at another shop, pickup at the stocking shop, in Japanese). The site is in Japanese and does not say whether visitors from abroad can order this way, so ask a shop first, ideally a few days before your trip.
• Shops near Tokyo include the Yokohama Machida flagship (Tsuruma, Machida, Tokyo), Kunitachi Fuchu Interchange (Kunitachi, Tokyo) and Yokohama Totsuka (Kanagawa). Most are by main roads in the suburbs, so they are easier by car than by train.

The site says nothing about tax-free shopping, English help, or returns and warranties on used parts. Ask at the counter before you buy, and check the condition yourself.

Tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026

Japan changes how tax-free shopping works for purchases made on or after 1 November 2026. According to the Japan Tourism Agency (in Japanese):

• You pay the full price, tax included, at the shop.
• You get the tax back after leaving, once customs at the airport or port confirms you are taking the goods out of Japan, within 90 days of purchase. The refund comes from the shop or a refund company it uses.
• Spend at least ¥5,000 before tax at one shop in one day.
• You must have all the items with you at the tax-free kiosk or online check, which is before baggage drop. You cannot do it after checking in your bags, and airlines will not hand back a checked bag for it.
• One missing item voids the whole receipt. Customs checks per receipt; if any item on it is missing, you get no refund for anything on that receipt.
• Only what you can carry out yourself counts.
• Leave time. The kiosk may send you for an inspection, and missing your flight because of it is not compensated.

At Haneda, Narita and other big airports, you can also do the check online through Visit Japan Web on the airport's dedicated Wi-Fi before security.

Shipping separately is gone. The Japan Tourism Agency also announced the end of the separate-shipping option for tax-free goods (Japan Tourism Agency tax-free news, in Japanese). For bulky parts, that means choosing between carrying them on your flight to get the refund, or shipping them and paying the tax.

Taking parts on the plane

• Sprays: Japanese airlines ban everyday-use sprays such as lubricant, paint, varnish and dust-blower sprays in both cabin and checked bags (Skymark, PDF, in Japanese).
• Fuel and other flammables are dangerous goods; leave anything that has held fuel or oil unless your airline confirms it is allowed.
• Batteries: car batteries and large lithium batteries are restricted. Ask your airline before you buy.
• Size and weight: wheels, exhausts and aero parts can be over your airline's checked-bag limits. Check the limits and oversize fees for your exact fare before you buy.
• At home: your own country's customs rules and duty limits apply. Check them before you buy expensive parts.

FAQ

Sources: Autobacs (tax-free shop list and the JDM:BASE announcement), Up Garage (top page, shopping guide, pickup pages and shop lists), the Japan Tourism Agency's tax-free pages and Skymark's restricted-baggage list, all checked on 30 October 2026.