Daiso vs Seria vs Can Do: Japan 100-Yen Shop Haul Guide

Go to Daiso for sheer range, Seria for a tightly curated housewares look, and Can Do for a compact everyday selection — but expect the till to add tax, so a ¥100 item rings up at ¥110, or ¥108 if it is food. Daiso is much the biggest of the three, with 4,784 stores in Japan as of the end of February 2026, against 2,134 for Seria and 1,355 for Can Do. And if you are planning a serious haul, the timing matters this autumn: Japan’s tax-free system switches to a refund model on 1 November 2026, and the change makes a 100-yen shop basket easier to claim than before.

This guide sticks to what the three chains and the Japanese tax authorities publish themselves. It does not quote individual product prices, because those change constantly and vary by store — what it does give you is the pricing arithmetic, the official store policies that catch travellers out, and the tax-free rules as they stand in October 2026.

Why does a ¥100 item cost ¥110?

Because the shelf price you see already includes consumption tax, and the ¥100 everyone talks about is the pre-tax figure. Japan’s National Tax Agency requires businesses that display prices to consumers to show the tax-inclusive price, under Article 63 of the Consumption Tax Act. The requirement applies to shelf labels, flyers and advertising alike.

There are two rates. As of the law in force on 1 April 2026, the standard rate is 10% (7.8% national plus 2.2% local) and the reduced rate is 8% (6.24% plus 1.76%). The reduced rate covers food and drink other than alcohol, and excludes eating out and catering.

So the arithmetic for a 100-yen shop, as of October 2026, is simple:

One forward-looking note worth checking before a 2027 trip: the National Tax Agency states that consumption tax on transfers of food and drink will be reduced for two years, from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029. The page announcing this does not give the new figure and points readers to a dedicated site, so treat the exact rate as not yet settled for planning purposes.

The other reason “not everything is ¥110” is that Daiso no longer runs a single price point across all its brands. Its own corporate site describes THREEPPY as a line built around ¥300 items, which means roughly ¥330 at the register as of October 2026. Standard Products, its third brand, is described as everyday goods made a little more enjoyable to use.

Daiso vs Seria vs Can Do: how do they actually differ?

What is Daiso good at?

Breadth and the chance of finding a store wherever you are. Daiso Industries reports 5,891 stores in total as of the end of February 2026 — 4,784 in Japan and 1,107 overseas — with non-consolidated sales of ¥698.3 billion and consolidated sales of ¥771.0 billion as of that date. It began as Yano Shoten in March 1972 and was incorporated in December 1977.

Two practical things follow from Daiso’s own store policy page. First, staff will not check stock over the phone; the DAISO app shows store-level stock, but that data reflects the previous night, so it is an indication rather than a reservation. Second, the returns window is the shortest of the three: 14 days, with the receipt, at the store where you bought the item, and food, pet food, personal seals, opened packages and special orders are excluded.

Daiso also states plainly that it does not hold items for customers and does not offer currency exchange — worth knowing if you were counting on breaking a ¥10,000 note.

What is Seria good at?

A coherent look across the range. Seria’s corporate site sets out an explicit policy of pursuing “quality over quantity” at the ¥100 price point rather than chasing sales or store numbers, and its brand promise is “Color the days”. It introduced POS across all directly operated stores in 2004 and an order-support system built on that data in 2006, which is how a chain of this size keeps assortments tuned to what actually sells.

As of 25 June 2026 Seria lists 2,134 stores — 2,101 directly operated and 33 franchised — run from a head office in Ōgaki, Gifu Prefecture.

Two Seria quirks are genuinely useful to a traveller. Its returns are the most forgiving of the three: within 30 days, with the receipt and the item, at any Seria branch rather than only the one you bought from, excluding opened goods, food, special orders and carrier bags. And its store locator can filter for large stores over 200 tsubo (roughly 660 m²), which is the search to run if you want one stop rather than three.

The trade-off: Seria states that it does not do mail order or catalogue sales at all. If you want Seria products, you buy them in a Seria store in Japan.

What is Can Do good at?

Being the manageable one. Can Do reports 1,355 stores as of the end of February 2026, was established on 3 December 1993, and states on its own site that it is a member of AEON — which is why you will often meet it inside an AEON mall rather than on a high street.

Its stated mission is to “make everyone happy with 100-yen products”, and its brand promise is framed around four ideas: discovery in daily life, quality in things you use every day, surprise at a casual ¥100, and enjoyment in ordinary shopping.

Can Do’s own FAQ is unusually candid that the range differs by store: it says the type and quantity of goods carried vary with store size and local characteristics. Treat a small mall branch and a large roadside one as different shops. Returns run to 30 days with the receipt, unopened and unused, at the purchasing store; food is excluded unless the product is defective, and defective goods are taken back regardless of date or receipt.

Can Do also runs an official online store with both single-item and bulk ordering, though it does not sell food online and some in-store lines are not listed.

What should go in a 100-yen shop haul — and what the rules mean for it

Rather than rank products nobody has priced for you, here is how each chain’s published policies shape the categories travellers tend to fill a basket with.

Can you claim tax-free on a 100-yen shop haul?

Yes in principle, if you spend enough at one store on one day and that branch is a licensed tax-free shop — and the rules get friendlier on 1 November 2026. The threshold is a combined tax-exclusive total of ¥5,000 or more, which at a ¥100 base price is roughly 50 items. That figure has not changed as of October 2026.

The important shift is how the basket is counted. Under the system running until 31 October 2026, general goods and consumables are assessed separately, each needing to clear ¥5,000 on its own, consumables are capped at ¥500,000 per store per day, and consumables must be sealed in special packaging you are not allowed to open in Japan.

From 1 November 2026, the National Tax Agency’s guidance removes that split. The general-goods and consumables categories are abolished, and with them the ¥500,000 consumables cap and the special packaging requirement. The “goods for ordinary daily use” test goes too. The ¥5,000 minimum stays and is now judged on the combined tax-exclusive total — so snacks and housewares in the same basket count together toward it, which is exactly the situation a 100-yen shop haul creates.

What changes at the register is that you pay the tax-inclusive price, and the consumption tax is refunded afterwards. You must present your passport and have the goods confirmed by Customs when you leave Japan, within 90 days of the purchase date, counted from the day after you bought them. If you do not obtain that Customs confirmation, the exemption does not apply. Gold and platinum bullion and coins are excluded, as are goods that are not taxable in the first place.

Refund mechanics are not standardised. The National Tax Agency’s own page lists bank transfer, credit card refund, app transfer and cash at the departure port as options, and lets shops outsource the handling to an approved operator — so ask the individual store how and when you will actually get the money before you commit to a large basket.

Two further limits are worth knowing. The Japan National Tourism Organization notes that since 1 April 2025, tax-free treatment does not apply when the purchaser sends the items overseas by international parcel, although shipping arranged directly by the store may still be available. And because Customs needs to see the goods, what you can claim is limited to what you can carry out yourself at departure.

None of this means any particular branch will process a refund for you. Store-level tax-free licensing varies, so confirm at the counter rather than assuming.

What should you skip?

Skip anything you intend to mail home yourself if the tax refund is part of the plan, because posting it overseas yourself removes the exemption. Skip opening packaging in the hotel on items you are not sure about, since Daiso and Can Do both require unopened goods for change-of-mind returns.

Skip assuming you can return something in a different city: only Seria states that any branch will take it back, while Daiso and Can Do both point you to the store where you bought it. And skip building a tax-free plan around food you intend to eat during the trip — the goods have to be with you and shown to Customs at departure.

Frequently asked questions

Is everything in a Japanese 100-yen shop really ¥100?
No. Displayed prices must include consumption tax by law, so the ¥100 price point means ¥110 at the till for most goods and ¥108 for takeaway food and drink as of October 2026. Daiso also runs THREEPPY, a line its corporate site describes as centred on ¥300 items.

Which of the three has the most stores?
Daiso, by a wide margin: 4,784 stores in Japan as of the end of February 2026, compared with 2,134 for Seria as of 25 June 2026 and 1,355 for Can Do as of the end of February 2026.

How much do I need to spend to shop tax-free?
¥5,000 or more before tax at one store on one day, as of October 2026, and the store must be licensed for tax-free sales. From 1 November 2026 that total is assessed across your whole basket rather than splitting general goods from consumables.

Can I order from these chains and have it sent abroad?
Seria states it does not run mail order or catalogue sales at all. Daiso and Can Do both operate official online stores — Daiso Net Store takes single-item orders from ¥770 including tax as of October 2026 — so check each site’s own shipping scope, and remember that sending purchases overseas yourself disqualifies them from tax-free treatment.

Can I return something at a different branch?
At Seria, yes: it accepts returns within 30 days at any of its stores with the receipt. Daiso (14 days) and Can Do (30 days) both direct you back to the store where you bought the item.