Japan’s drugstores are where travelers stock up on the sunscreen, skincare, eye drops and medicines they can’t find at home — and KoKuMiN Drug is the easiest one to fit into your trip. Look for the red 薬 sign and the words “National Drugstore.” Founded in Osaka in 1935 and now with more than 160 stores nationwide, KoKuMiN specializes in the places you already pass through: inside train stations and underground shopping streets.
For readers of the Japan Adventurer blog, we’re pleased to offer a special coupon for KoKuMiN Drug tax-free stores: 5% or 8% OFF, on top of Japan’s consumption-tax refund. Just show the coupon screen at checkout. Tap here to open the coupon screen.
KoKuMiN Drug Coupon
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Discount | 5% OFF (purchases of ¥10,000–¥30,000 before tax) or 8% OFF (¥30,000 or more before tax), plus the consumption-tax refund (after the prescribed fee) |
| Expiry Date | December 31, 2027 |
| Eligible Products | Medicines, cosmetics, health & beauty, supplements and daily goods (see exclusions below) |
| Participating Stores | KoKuMiN Drug tax-free stores nationwide (approx. 110 stores). Not valid at Welcia stores. |
| Minimum Purchase | ¥10,000 (before tax) → +5% off / ¥30,000 or more (before tax) → +8% off |
| Terms of Use | Show the coupon barcode to the cashier before payment (smartphone screen or printout). One use per person. Cannot be combined with other coupons. Cannot be reissued or exchanged for cash. Some products are excluded. |
How to Use the Coupon
Open the coupon screen and show it — together with your passport for tax-free — to the staff before you pay. The cashier scans the 5% barcode for purchases of ¥10,000–¥30,000, or the 8% barcode for ¥30,000 and up (before tax). Combined with the tax refund, you save even more.
Important
- Excluded items: counseling cosmetics, branded makeup, prescription dispensing, alcohol (including Yomeishu), tobacco, books, POSA cards, region-specific garbage bags and waste-disposal tickets, and clearance items with discount stickers.
- Some products (such as food) carry 8% consumption tax, so the tax refund on those items is based on 8%.
- Tax-free shopping is for non-residents only. Show your passport and spend ¥5,000 or more (before tax) at one store on the same day.
- From November 1, 2026, Japan switches to a tax-refund system: you pay the tax-inclusive price in store and claim the refund before departure. The KoKuMiN 5% / 8% coupon discount is still applied at the register.
- The coupon is valid at KoKuMiN Drug tax-free stores only — not at Welcia stores, even though KoKuMiN is part of the Welcia group.
- Discounts cannot be applied after payment has been completed.
Why Shop at KoKuMiN Drug?
1. It’s already on your route. KoKuMiN’s specialty is the ekinaka — the in-station store. You’ll find KoKuMiN inside or beneath Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Ueno, Shibuya, Kyoto Station, Namba, Sannomiya and Hakata Station, and along the big shopping arcades of Shinsaibashi, Ameyoko and Sapporo’s Tanukikoji. Pick up what you need between trains, or make it your last stop on the way back to the hotel. Many station stores open from around 7:00 until 22:00 or later.
2. A real neighborhood pharmacy, since 1935. KoKuMiN has been serving Osaka — and now all of Japan — for 90 years. It’s a health-and-beauty drugstore first: everyday medicines, supplements and skincare alongside prestige cosmetics, pet supplies and daily goods. The whole “Japan drugstore haul” list — sunscreen, hydrating lotions, sheet masks, cooling eye drops, pain-relief patches, cold and stomach medicine — under one roof, at Japanese drugstore prices. (Availability varies by store; staff will help you find what you need.)
3. Two savings, one barcode. Around 110 KoKuMiN stores handle tax-free (tax-refund) shopping, and the Japan Adventurer coupon stacks 5% or 8% on top of the consumption-tax refund. On a ¥30,000 stock-up run, that’s ¥2,400 off at the register — plus the tax refund.
Recommended Stores
The coupon is valid at all KoKuMiN Drug tax-free stores. Here are five of the most convenient for travelers — see the official store list for all locations.
- KoKuMiN Shinsaibashi Store (Osaka) — 1-3-18 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku｜Shinsaibashi-suji shopping arcade｜9:00–23:00｜Store page
- KoKuMiN Drug Shinsaibashisuji 1-Chome Store (Osaka) — 1-5-19 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku｜9:00–23:00｜Store page
- KoKuMiN Drug Okachimachi North Exit Store (Tokyo) — 5-26-10 Ueno, Taito-ku｜Okachimachi Station / Ameyoko｜7:30–22:00｜Store page
- KoKuMiN Drug Tanukikoji Store (Sapporo) — Minami 3-jo Nishi 3-14, Chuo-ku｜Tanukikoji arcade｜10:00–23:00｜Store page
- KoKuMiN Drug Tanukikoji 5-Chome Store (Sapporo) — Minami 2-jo Nishi 5-13, Chuo-ku｜10:00–23:00｜Store page
Shop smart in Japan at KoKuMiN Drug. Quality Japanese medicines, skincare and souvenirs, right where you’re already going. Don’t forget the Japan Adventurer reader coupon — 5% or 8% off, plus the tax refund — and show the barcode before you pay.