Smoking in Japan

The Legal Smoking Age in Japan and ID Requirements

Japan's legal smoking age stayed at 20 even after adulthood dropped to 18. What ID you need to buy cigarettes, what happens if you're under 20, and how street-smoking fines actually vary by ward.

Street Smoking Fines in Tokyo: Which Wards Actually Charge You

Only four of Tokyo's 23 wards actually collect a street-smoking fine of ¥1,000-¥2,000. See which ones, how much, and where the rule exists but nobody is charged.

MINE Cigarettes in Japan: Where to Buy Them and What They Cost

MINE (峰) cigarettes stopped selling in regular Japanese stores in January 2010. Here's where to actually find them, what they cost, and how they differ from the version sold in Taiwan.

Duty-Free Cigarettes in Japan: Airport Prices and How Much You Save

What cigarettes and heated tobacco cost at Japanese airport duty-free shops, how those prices compare with a convenience store, and how to pre-order for a bigger discount.

Vaping in Japan: Where to Buy Vapes and What You Can Bring (2026)

Vape shops, Don Quijote and convenience stores all sell zero-nicotine vapes in Japan. Nicotine vape products are sold nowhere. Prices, shop locations and import rules.

Japanese Cigarette Brands: What to Order at the Combini Counter

Japanese cigarette brands explained: Mevius, Seven Stars, Peace and Hi-Lite prices, plus the capsule and flavored cigarettes sold in Japan and how strong each one is.

Duty-Free Tobacco Allowances by Country: How Much You Can Bring Home

Duty-free tobacco allowances for nine countries, what happens when you go over, and the duty rates with worked examples for each.

Bringing Tobacco, Heated Tobacco and Nicotine Vapes Into Japan: The Customs Limits

Japan's tobacco and heated tobacco allowance, the nicotine e-liquid import limit, and the device rule almost every guide gets wrong — with the official figures and the myths that keep circulating.

IQOS TEREA and Ploom in Japan: The Lineup You Cannot Buy at Home

Japan sells IQOS TEREA, glo, and Ploom with flavors banned or unavailable elsewhere. Where to buy them, what they cost, and which countries won't let you bring them home.

How to Buy Cigarettes at a Japanese Combini

How to buy cigarettes at a Japanese convenience store: the numbered display system, age verification, and prices for Marlboro, Winston, Mevius and more.

Pocket Ashtrays in Japan: Types, Prices, and Where to Buy One

The two types of pocket ashtray sold in Japan, what each costs, how to use one safely, and where littering a cigarette butt gets you an on-the-spot fine.

Smoking-Friendly Izakayas and Bars in Tokyo

Where indoor smoking is still legal in Tokyo bars: the small-venue exemption in Japan's Health Promotion Act, what the entrance stickers mean, and which yokocho alleys have the most smoking-friendly spots.

Cigarette Vending Machines and Taspo Cards in Japan

Taspo stopped working on 31 March 2026. Here is what cigarette vending machines in Japan accept now, and why tourists cannot use them.

How to Find Legal Smoking Areas in Tokyo: Signs, Maps, and Apps

How to recognize Tokyo's designated smoking signs and sidewalk markings, and which apps and official ward maps actually help you find a legal spot to smoke.