[robotfelix]

I'm not sure Japan is the best example here. My experience is that most shops have the price excluding consumption tax printed very prominently in large numbers, and then price including consumption tax is printed in much smaller writing underneath.

The price excluding tax is the only one you can read at a distance, that draws you in. As someone from the UK who is used to seeing price tags show the final price you pay at the till, I was constantly disappointed that items weren't quite such a bargain as I'd first hoped.

On the whole there are still many things that are much cheaper than in the UK though :)

[ChrisMarshallNY]

I have a feeling that's optional. It may even be regional. My experience was almost exclusively Tokyo.

I traveled to Tokyo for over 20 years, and always paid what was on the sticker.

I was told that the tax was included in the price.

I remember one of my bigger purchases, was a ¥75,000 Oceanus watch, and that was exactly what I paid.

[verall]

If you go to a donqi the price tags list without the tax besides small text that either lists the full price or says "+10% consumption tax" or along those lines.

As a tourist you don't always have to pay the consumption tax though.

[ChrisMarshallNY]

I have a feeling that you're right.

I remember the saleswoman asking to see my passport, when I was buying the watch (it was that big department store in Akihabara).

[kalleboo]

There was a period of a few years where they raised the sales tax in steps 5%, 8%, 10%, and stores were allowed to show the price without tax during that period, which has left some practices a bit messy since.