How Tourists Can Easily Buy Wines in Japan and take them Home

This section provides you useful information for buying wines in Japan and taking them home.

※This page was translated by DeepL based on Japanese. Please note that some expressions may sound unnatural.

Comparison of pros and cons of buying wines in the shop and online-shop

Shop
Pros	Cons
Tax Free shopping is available The price of wine includes a 10% sales tax. Travelers are entitled to get consumption tax exemption by showing their passport at the shop. In this case, the wine cannot be opened and consumed in Japan.	Uncertainty of Stock Availability You cannot check the stock and price of wines on online. You need to either inquire directly to the shop or visit the shop by yourself.
	Limited Selection of Wines Compared to online shops, the variety of wines is limited, and there's no guarantee that you'll find the one you're looking for.
	Carrying Wine in Summer Requires Caution The summer in Japan is very hot and humid. There is a risk of heat damage to the wine if you carry it in a harsh environment for a long time after purchase.

Online shop
Pros	Cons
Stock and prices can easily be found Find out what wines are available and how much they cost on each site	Tax Free is not available You can only do tax-free shopping at the shop. However, you can save money if you buy it from an online shop where the selling price is at least 10% lower than the price in the shop.
Save time If you order from the online shop and have it shipped to your hotel for pickup, you save time traveling to make your purchase.
Refrigerated delivery available Many online retail stores offer refrigerated delivery. The product will be delivered to your hotel in the best possible condition.
You may drink it in Japan You are free to take purchased wine home with you or drink it at your hotel or other places.

Here's how you can pick up the wine you ordered.

step
1 Find wine

Look up the wine you want on the internet

Put the name of the wine in the serch box.　(example:Echezeaux Emmanuel Rouget 2015)

《Popular online shops in Japan》

楽天市場（Rakuten Ichiba）　https://www.rakuten.co.jp/

Yahooショッピング（Yahoo Shopping）　https://shopping.yahoo.co.jp/

Amazon　https://www.amazon.co.jp/

※Rakuten Ichiba has recently been strict in its credit card screening process. There have been reported cases where credit cards that can be used elsewhere cannot be used at Rakuten Ichiba.

step
2 Pay by credit card

Credit cards such as VISA, MASTER, and American Express are accepted almost everywhere.

Major online shops accept more payment methods.

step
3Shipping to hotels

Send the package to the front desk of the hotel where you plan to stay.

Japan has an excellent logistics system. If you specify the date and time, your package will arrive fairly accurately. Several days of delays rarely happens.

※Send an email to the hotel where you plan to stay to let them know that your luggage will be delivered. The text below is an example of the e-mail in Japanese.

Subject宿泊予定の【Your Name】宛てに荷物が届きます。

Massage

【Hotel Name】フロントご担当者様

お世話になっております。
【Your Name】と申します。この度、【Check in date】から貴ホテルに宿泊を予定しております。

つきましては、オンラインショップから事前に発送される荷物を、チェックイン前にホテルでお受け取りいただきたく、ご協力をお願い申し上げます。また、内容物の品質保持のため、可能であれば荷物を涼しい場所で保管していただけますと幸いです。

配送予定日: 【Scheduled Delivery Date】

荷物の内容: ワイン

step
4Bring back the wine you received

Occasionally, wine may be damaged during transportation. Once you receive the package, please open it on the same day and confirm that the label and bottle of wine is not damged.

　If it is damaged, contact the shop where you purchased it immediately. The damage is the responsibility of the shipping company. You can choose to wait for a replacement wine to be sent or cancel your order.

step
5Bring back the wine you received

1) Carry-on baggage as checked baggage: Baggage weight limits vary depending on the airline. Please be aware of this.

2) Ship it overseas: See details below.

When wine is damaged (in our case)

In rare cases, wine may be damaged in transit.
In our case, we can ship again within 1-3 days from the time we discover the damage.
If we have the same wine in stock and you have enough time to stay, you will receive the new wine in 2-4 days.
If we do not have the same wine, or if you are already planning to return, your order will be cancelled and you will receive a refund.

Rules for taking wine home and shipping overseas

The following is a country-by-country guide to the rules for bringing wine home from Japan, including duty-free coverage and whether or not wine can be shipped overseas.

If the amount of wine purchased is small, it is best to put it in a suitcase and take it home as checked baggage. However, if you purchase a large number of bottles or have a lot of other baggage, you should consider shipping overseas.

We have researched the regulations for bringing in alcoholic beverages from the websites of customs and other authorities.

However, please consider this article only as a reference. Laws are subject to change, so please be sure to check the information yourself from a more reliable source.

We assume no responsibility for any errors in the information provided here.

*You must be of legal drinking age in all countries.

Bringing and Shipping Wine to Korea

Carry-on as checked baggage

Duty free up to 2 bottles of alcoholic beverages (total volume not exceeding 2 liters, $400)
If you are bringing in goods that exceed the duty-free allowance
Voluntary declaration: 30% reduction of standard customs duty
If discovered after non-declaration, additional tax will be imposed (40% more than normal, 60% more if discovered more than once within 2 years)

　Sources:https://www.customs.go.kr/kcs/cm/cntnts/cntntsView.do?mi=2837&cntntsId=829

International shipping to your country

Only one bottle (1 liter) for personal use or as a gift. However, an education tax will be charged.

　Sources:https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-kokusai/nonmailable_articles_result.php?cid=49&nid=5817&p=2　(Japanese Only)

Bringing and Shipping Wine to China

Carry-on as checked baggage

Tax exemption for alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 12% or more up to 1.5 liters (2 bottles)

　Sources:https://ailegal.baidu.com/?fr=seo_qadetail&template=business&articleType=qadetail&articleId=405aab8d9e15c9001011

Importer and exporter registration is required. Not practical for personal purposes.

Only one bottle (1 liter) for personal use or as a gift. However, an education tax will be charged.

　Sources:https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-kokusai/nonmailable_articles_result.php?cid=49&nid=5817&p=2　(Japanese Only)

Bringing and Shipping Wine to Taiwan

Carry-on as checked baggage

Carry-on as checked baggage
Duty free up to 1 bottle within 1 liter
Any amount exceeding the duty-free allowance must be declared at Taiwan Customs
(Customs duty, liquor tax and business tax will be imposed)
Up to 5 liters including taxable allowance.

　Sources:https://web.customs.gov.tw/etaipei/singlehtml/3396?cntId=5e14053a391049858903b4c6c8a2a65e

Taxation on the portion exceeding the scope of tax exemption

　Sources:https://tw.cytn.info/p/taiwan-japan-customs.html

International shipping to your country

As with checked baggage, up to 5 liters can be shipped. However, there is no duty-free allowance, and customs duties, liquor tax, and business tax will be imposed.

　Sources:https://web.customs.gov.tw/etaipei/singlehtml/3396?cntId=5e14053a391049858903b4c6c8a2a65e

　See Examples of tax computation.

Bringing and Shipping Wine to United States

Carry-on as checked baggage

Alcoholic beverages up to 1 liter are allowed duty-free.
Laws differ from state to state regarding exceeding the duty-free allowance.

　Sources:https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/know-before-you-visit/customs-duty-information

International shipping to your country

We are not permitted to ship alcoholic beverages to the United States.

　Sources:https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-kokusai/nonmailable_articles.php?cid=7

Bringing and Shipping Wine to Hong Kong

Carry-on as checked baggage

There are no carry-on restrictions or taxes on wine. You can bring it home within the airplane's baggage limits.

　Sources:https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/trade-facilitation/dutiable-commodities/types-and-duty-rates/index.html#liquor

International shipping to your country

As with take-out, there are no restrictions.

Bringing and Shipping Wine to Australia

Carry-on as checked baggage

Up to 2.25 liters are duty-free.
If you exceed the duty-free range, you will have to pay customs duty, consumption tax, and liquor tax on all alcoholic beverages.

　Sources:https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-in/list-of-items

International shipping to your country

There is no duty-free coverage for international shipments.
You must pay customs duty, sales tax, and liquor tax on all alcoholic beverages.

　Sources:https://www.abf.gov.au/home

Bringing and Shipping Wine to Canada

Carry-on as checked baggage

For wine, you may bring in 1.5 liters (up to 2 bottles).
If you exceed the duty-free range, you will have to pay customs duty and other taxes.

　Sources:https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ivc-rnc-eng.html

International shipping to your country

Personal importation requires prior registration, which is not practical for personal use.

Bringing and Shipping Wine to Philippines

Carry-on as checked baggage

In the case of wine, up to two bottles are exempt from tax.

　Sources:https://customs.gov.ph/duty-free-shopping/

International shipping to your country

There is no duty-free scope; the recipient must clear customs and pay the tax.

　Sources:https://www.fda.gov.ph/

Service of Our Store COCOS

COCOS is a wine store located in Osaka.

In addition to the physical store, you can also purchase wine through mail order.

It takes about 40 minutes by train from Umeda, Osaka, the center of the city. You can get there from the Osaka Expo site without changing trains.

Online Store:　https://cocos.co.jp/

Brick-and-Mortar Store Web Site　https://shop.cocos.co.jp/

Access　https://shop.cocos.co.jp/access/#access

Wine Storage Method

We store all of our wines at a constant temperature.

The wine sales area in our physical store is separated for wine. Inside it is air-conditioned and kept at a constant temperature all year round.

Next to the physical store is a wine warehouse for the online store. This is also kept at a constant temperature to ensure that the wines are stored in the best possible conditions.

Wine Pricing and Availability

The prices listed in the online store are the same as the prices in the brick-and-mortar stores.

However, both inventories are different. If you can't find it in the brick-and-mortar stores, you can still purchase it if it is available in the online store. It takes a little time.

Due to winery policy, some wines are sold only in brick-and-mortar stores. Here is an example.

Armand Rousseau , Harlan Estate(2019VT Later) , Magna Pramia 2013 Destiny Bay ,etc...

Please contact us for price and availability.

E-mail Address：info@cocos.co.jp