Retail & Shopping · Practical guide
GRANSTA Tokyo Station Guide for Tourists: Station Shops, Ekiben & Tokyo Souvenirs Inside and Outside the Gates
What to expect, how it works, payment details, and common mistakes — in one place.
Quick Facts
Last checked against official information: 2026-11-13.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Japanese name | グランスタ (GRANSTA) |
| Category | In-station shopping complex (ekinaka): sweets & souvenirs, ekiben and deli, restaurants, railway goods and services inside JR Tokyo Station, operated by JR East Cross Station Co., Ltd. (GRANSTA Official Website) |
| Store Count | 300+ shops across the four GRANSTA zones at Tokyo Station — Gransta Tokyo, Marunouchi, Yaekita and Yaesu. Gransta Tokyo alone has about 180 shops on 1F and B1, almost all inside the JR ticket gates (basis: operator's facility profile and official GRANSTA shop lists, checked 2026-11-11) |
| Ordering Style | Pay at individual shops. Eligible inside-gate purchases use the designated B1 tax-free counter; participating Gransta Marunouchi shops handle procedures individually. Confirm the specific seller before buying. |
| Membership Required? | No membership required; JRE POINT can be earned and used. Original physical passport required for tax-free registration (see below) |
| Approximate Price Range | Ekiben ~¥1,000–¥2,000; boxed sweets ~¥800–¥3,000; bakery items from ~¥300; restaurant meals ~¥1,000–¥3,500; gifts up to ¥20,000+. The tax-free minimum is ¥5,000 before tax at the same participating store on the same day; combining different shops requires a designated joint counter serving those shops. |
| Payment Methods | Cash, major credit cards, transit IC (Suica and other IC cards), e-money and QR payments such as PayPay, Alipay and WeChat Pay at most shops; JRE POINT accepted (payment options vary slightly by shop) |
| Multilingual Support | Official English website; floor maps in English, Chinese and Korean; multilingual station information desks; Tokyo Station Navi app with English support |
What it is
GRANSTA (グランスタ) is the shopping world built into JR Tokyo Station itself, run by JR East Cross Station under the concept "TRY NEW TOKYO ST." It is one of Japan's largest ekinaka (inside-the-station) complexes: Tokyo-limited sweets, famous-name ekiben station bento, regional deli food, restaurants, traditional crafts and official railway goods, packed in so travellers can shop seriously in the minutes before a train.
GRANSTA is not one mall but a family of zones, and the ticket gates are the key to the map:
- Gransta Tokyo (1F and B1) — the flagship, and the only zone (almost) entirely inside the JR ticket gates. Named areas: on 1F the Central Passage, North Passage and Keiyo Street area; on B1 the Square Zero deli zone, the Gin no Suzu sweets area around the famous Gin no Suzu ("Silver Bell") meeting point, and the Underground Marunouchi Inside-Gates Area (26 shops, reopened September 2026). A handful of its shops (part of Square Zero and the North Passage) sit outside the gates.
- Gransta Marunouchi (B1, outside the gates, Marunouchi side) — cosmetics, lifestyle goods and easy-going restaurants around the Marunouchi underground gates; no ticket needed.
- Gransta Yaekita (B1–2F, outside the gates, Yaesu North side) — a dining zone under the Shinkansen platforms: Kurobei Yokocho (B1), Yaekita Shokudo (1F) and Kitamachi Sakaba (2F), mostly restaurants open until 23:00.
- Gransta Yaesu (outside the gates, under the sail-like Gran Roof on the Yaesu side) — restaurants, cafés and goods shops; the related GranAge dining area sits nearby.
How to shop
- Decide inside or outside the gates first: Most of Gransta Tokyo is inside the JR ticket gates. Catching a train? Shop after you pass the gates. Not travelling? Enter with a platform ticket (入場券, ¥160 for adults at Tokyo Station, valid 2 hours) from a JR ticket machine — or stick to the outside-gate zones (Marunouchi, Yaekita, Yaesu), which need no ticket.
- Navigate by named area, not by shop name: On 1F inside the gates, the Central Passage （中央通路） is the ekiben and souvenir spine and the North Passage （北通路） runs toward Yaesu North. On B1, Gin no Suzu （銀の鈴） is the sweets landmark, Square Zero （スクエア ゼロ） the deli zone, and the Keiyo Street area serves the Keiyo Line side.
- Shop shop-by-shop: Each shop has its own register — pay per shop, and keep every receipt if you plan to use tax-free.
- Eat now vs. take away: Restaurants and cafés in all zones are for eating in Japan (never tax-free). Packaged sweets, bento and goods are take-away; bento are bought to eat on the train.
- Finish with services on B1: Cloak/luggage counters, coin lockers, currency exchange (31 currencies) and the Tax-Free Counter (8:30–21:00) form the service core — build in time before your train.
Services & options
- A Regional Ekiben from Ekibenya Matsuri （駅弁屋 祭）: On the 1F Central Passage inside the gates, this famous shop lines up station bento from all over Japan — Sendai beef-tongue bento, Hokkaido seafood bento, Tokyo sukiyaki bento. ~¥1,000–¥2,000 (subject to revision). The best one-stop taste of ekiben culture.
- Station-Limited Sweets around Gin no Suzu (B1): The B1 Gin no Suzu area concentrates Tokyo Station-only confectionery — look for Colomban's Gin-no-Suzu Sand Pancakes, named after the Silver Bell meeting point itself, plus limited cakes from dozens of patisseries. ~¥800–¥3,000 (subject to revision).
- Suica Penguin Goods at TRAINIART TOKYO: JR East's official railway-goods shop in the B1 Underground Marunouchi Inside-Gates Area stocks Suica Penguin plush and stationery, train models and station-limited items.
- A Square Zero Deli Haul: The B1 Square Zero deli zone gathers famous counters — Zopf's curry bread, Maisen tonkatsu, RF1 salads, sushi and side dishes — a luxury picnic for the Shinkansen. Items from ~¥300 (subject to revision).
- Regional Souvenirs and Sake at HANAGATAYA: JR East's own souvenir shops (1F North Passage and Central Passage inside the gates) specialise in regional specialties, local sake and Tokyo Station gift sets — a reliable last stop.
Payment & practical info
Prices and details checked: November 2026.
- Payment Accepted: Cash, major credit cards, Suica and other transit IC cards, e-money and QR payments (PayPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay) at most shops; JRE POINT can be earned and spent.
- Hours (official zone hours; individual shops vary): Gransta Tokyo — bento/deli/sweets 8:00–22:00 (Sun & holidays 21:00), restaurants 10:00–22:00 (21:00 Sun & holidays), goods/cosmetics/services 10:00–21:00. Marunouchi — bento/deli/sweets 7:00–22:00 (Sun & holidays 8:00–21:00), goods 10:00–21:00. Yaekita — restaurants 11:00–23:00, some cafés from 7:00. Yaesu — restaurants and cafés 11:00–22:00.
- Tax-free — refund method (checked 2026-11-11): Since 1 November 2026, GRANSTA tax-free shopping follows Japan's refund system: you pay the tax-included price at each shop and register the purchase against your physical passport. For shops inside the ticket gates in Gransta Tokyo, GRANSTA runs a central Tax-Free Counter on B1 (8:30–21:00): same-day purchases from multiple eligible inside-gate shops can be combined at the counter to reach the ¥5,000-before-tax threshold. Go in person on the day of purchase with your passport, the goods and all receipts; afterwards, register your refund method (such as a credit card) via the dedicated site as instructed at the counter. Once customs confirms export — at a tax-free procedure terminal within 90 days of purchase and before baggage check-in — the facility or its designated refund operator refunds the consumption tax, minus any handling fee stated in the current counter instructions, via your registered method. Customs never pays refunds; cash collection at a designated airport refund terminal may be available only for eligible purchases from participating stores, so do not count on it. Confirmation is per tax-free purchase record: consumables must not be consumed in Japan or that record loses its refund; non-consumables may be used during the trip if exported and confirmed. There is no sealed-packaging rule and no ¥500,000 cap. Gransta Marunouchi (outside the gates) shops handle tax-free individually in-store instead of at the central counter, and some shops are excluded — check the official tax-free shop list. Sources: GRANSTA Official Website, Japan Tourism Agency.
- Tax-Free Status: Available at eligible GRANSTA shops on combined same-day purchases of ¥5,000+ before tax — central counter for inside-gate Gransta Tokyo shops, in-store for Gransta Marunouchi (see above).
- Luggage & money: Cloak (temporary luggage) counters and coin lockers are available in the station; GRANSTA's currency exchange handles 31 currencies including US dollars and Chinese yuan. JR-EAST FREE Wi-Fi is available in Tokyo Station.
Good to know / Common mistakes
- The gates mistake: First-time visitors wander the outside-gate concourse looking for Gransta Tokyo's famous shops. Most are inside — pass the gates with a travel ticket, or buy a ¥160 platform ticket (2 hours) first.
- Ekiben sell out: Popular bento at Ekibenya Matsuri and the deli counters are gone by early evening. Buy for your train before you need it, not on the way to the platform.
- Same-day tax-free deadline: The Tax-Free Counter closes at 21:00 and only handles that day's purchases — do not leave a day of inside-gate shopping unregistered because your train came first.
- Character Street is not GRANSTA: Tokyo Character Street and Tokyo Ramen Street belong to Tokyo Station Ichibangai (different operator) — their receipts cannot be combined at GRANSTA's counter.
- Late dining lives in Yaekita: Souvenir shops close around 21:00, but Gransta Yaekita's restaurants (outside the gates, Yaesu North) run to 23:00 — the place for dinner after the shops shut.
FAQ
- Q: Can I shop at GRANSTA without a train ticket?
- A: Yes — Marunouchi, Yaekita and Yaesu are outside the ticket gates and open to everyone. For Gransta Tokyo inside the gates, buy a platform ticket (¥160 for adults, valid 2 hours) at a JR ticket machine.
- Q: Can I combine receipts from different shops to reach the tax-free minimum?
- A: Yes, for inside-gate Gransta Tokyo shops: the central B1 Tax-Free Counter (8:30–21:00) combines same-day purchases across eligible shops to judge the ¥5,000-before-tax threshold. Marunouchi shops handle tax-free separately in each store.
- Q: Do I get my tax refund in cash at the counter?
- A: No. Under the refund system in force since 1 November 2026 you pay the tax-included price and register at the counter; the tax (minus any fee stated at registration) is refunded via your registered method only after customs confirms the goods leave Japan — complete the terminal confirmation within 90 days, before baggage check-in.
Sources
- GRANSTA Official Website (Verified: 2026-11-11)
- GRANSTA Official English Page (Verified: 2026-11-11)
- GRANSTA Tokyo — Official Mall Page (Verified: 2026-11-11)
- GRANSTA Marunouchi — Official Mall Page (Verified: 2026-11-11)
- GRANSTA Services & Facilities — Tax-Free Counter (Verified: 2026-11-11)
- Japan Tourism Agency — Tax-Free Shopping (Refund System) (Verified: 2026-11-11)