ASBee Japan Shopping Guide: AEON Mall Stores, Coleman Collabs & Tax-Free Tips

Quick Facts

Last checked against official information: 2026-11-14.

What it is

ASBee (アスビー) is the retail footwear flagship of GFOOT Co., Ltd., the shoe retail arm of Japan's retail powerhouse, the AEON Group (イオン). Established through the merger of several venerable shoe companies and backed by AEON's colossal commercial infrastructure, ASBee operates hundreds of spacious, bright, family-friendly stores positioned primarily inside AEON Malls, suburban commercial centers, and regional railway station plazas.

For international visitors—particularly families traveling with children, rental car road-trippers stopping at giant regional AEON Malls, or travelers exploring suburban resort areas like Okinawa, Hokkaido, or Mt. Fuji—ASBee is an exceptional, stress-free shopping haven. Unlike crowded, multi-story downtown boutiques with narrow staircases, ASBee stores are 100% barrier-free, featuring wide aisles designed for strollers and wheelchairs. The chain is uniquely famous for its exclusive Coleman outdoor footwear collaboration, producing durable waterproof trail sneakers, snow boots, and camping slip-ons under license from the iconic American outdoor brand, alongside full ranges from Nike, adidas, New Balance, and Skechers.

How to order

Step 1: Locating ASBee Inside Major AEON Malls

• ASBee is situated in virtually every major AEON Mall in Japan (such as AEON Mall Narita, AEON Mall Makuhari New City, AEON Mall Kyoto, AEON Mall Rinku Sennan, and AEON Mall Okinawa Rycom).
• Walk in and pick up a shopping basket at the store entrance.

Step 2: Browsing Dedicated Family & Outdoor Zones

• Outdoor & Casual Section: Features ASBee's exclusive Coleman lifestyle shoes, rugged hiking trainers, waterproof slip-ons, and Lee heritage boots.
• Athletic & Sneaker Wall: Comprehensive selections from New Balance, Nike, adidas, and Skechers arranged cleanly by brand and size.
• Kids & Toddler World (ASBee Kids): One of the largest children's shoe selections in Japan, categorized clearly by developmental stage (first walker, toddler, junior school).

Step 3: Trying on Shoes & Metric Centimeter Sizing

• Try on shoes using the wide, cushioned benches throughout the store. Staff are on hand to retrieve half-sizes and provide shoehorns.
• Confirm your size using the international conversion chart (CM / US / UK / EU) displayed on the fitting stools.

Step 4: Checkout & 2026 Tax-Free Refund Registration

• In-Store or Mall Centralized Tax-Free Counter:
  • Some AEON Mall facilities operate designated joint tax-free procedure counters, but ASBee’s participation must be checked at the specific location. Do not assume ASBee receipts can be combined with purchases from other mall tenants. Ask whether the seller participates and whether its purchases may be combined under the counter’s rules.
  • At standalone ASBee branches, ask whether that particular shop is a participating tax-free retailer and how it registers the refund; tax-free processing is not guaranteed at every checkout.
• Present your original physical passport (photocopies or digital images are strictly prohibited by Japanese tax law).
• Under Japan's airport refund tax-free mechanism (enacted November 1, 2026):
  1. Pay the full tax-inclusive total using cash, international credit cards, WAON, or mobile QR pay.
  2. The participating retailer verifies your eligibility and registers the tax-free purchase electronically in the National Tax Agency’s system, directly or through an approved provider. Follow the shop’s passport or supported Visit Japan Web procedure.
  3. No special packaging applies: since November 1, 2026, tax-free purchases are no longer sealed into tamper-evident bags. The export rule works per purchase record instead:
     • Consumables (shoe-care sprays, creams and cleaners) must not be consumed in Japan. If a consumable on the record is consumed, or a tax-free item is missing at confirmation, the whole purchase record cannot be confirmed and no refund is paid for it.
     • General goods (shoes, sandals, socks and bags) may be used during your trip, as long as you take them out of Japan with you. Items bought outside the tax-free transaction are not part of the record.
  4. Keep the items on your purchase record together for departure (liquids over 100ml still belong in checked baggage under airline cabin rules).
  5. When leaving Japan, complete Customs' export confirmation with your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal, within 90 days of purchase and before checking your baggage. You show the goods only if the terminal flags your record.
  6. After Customs confirms export, the store or its designated refund operator processes your consumption-tax refund by the method registered at purchase. Customs does not pay refunds. For eligible purchases from participating stores, cash collection at designated airport refund terminals may be available; this does not cover every tax-free purchase, so confirm your refund method when you buy.

What to order first

1. Coleman Exclusive Waterproof Outdoor Shoes & Camp Mules

• Japanese Name: コールマン (Coleman) 防水アウトドアスニーカー / キャンプモック
• Price: ~¥4,290–¥7,590 (tax-included; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: ASBee holds exclusive rights to produce official Coleman footwear in Japan. Designed for rugged Japanese camping and wet outdoor adventures, these shoes feature multi-directional cleat outsoles, water-resistant gusset tongues, and thermal fleece linings. Their slip-on camp mules are ultra-comfortable for lounging in hotel rooms or around campfires.

2. Madfoot! (マッドフット) Streetwear Sneakers & High-Tops

• Japanese Name: マッドフット (MADFOOT!) ボリュームスニーカー
• Price: ~¥3,850–¥6,490 (tax-included; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: A legendary Tokyo streetwear sneaker brand born in Ura-Harajuku during the 2000s, now produced under GFOOT. Featuring chunky skate silhouettes, bold contrasting panels, and cushioned padded collars, Madfoot delivers early-2000s Japanese street aesthetic at a fraction of boutique streetwear prices.

3. New Balance 373 & 574 Family Matching Sneaker Sets

• Japanese Name: ニューバランス (New Balance) ML373 / YV373 / IZ373
• Price: ~¥5,390–¥9,790 (tax-included; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: Matching family outfits ("Osoroi" fashion) is a beloved trend in Japan. ASBee specializes in stocking identical New Balance colorways (classic navy, heather grey, and vintage burgundy) across adult men's, women's, junior (YV), and infant velcro (IZ) sizes, making it easy for traveling families to purchase coordinated matching sets.

4. Skechers GO WALK & D'Lites Comfort Trainers

• Japanese Name: スケッチャーズ (Skechers) ゴーウォーク / ディーライト
• Price: ~¥7,590–¥12,650 (tax-included; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: The ultimate walking shoes for tackling massive Japanese shopping malls and sightseeing parks. Featuring high-rebound Goga Mat insoles and responsive 5GEN cushioning, they absorb pavement shock effortlessly. ASBee maintains expansive, brightly lit Skechers concept zones with full size availability.

5. Achilles瞬足 (Syunsoku) High-Speed Kids' Athletic Shoes

• Japanese Name: アキレス 瞬足 (シュンソク) キッズスニーカー
• Price: ~¥3,190–¥4,730 (tax-included; subject to revision)
• Why It Is Essential: The most famous children's shoe in modern Japanese history. Engineered with patented asymmetrical traction spikes on the outer soles specifically designed to give elementary school children explosive grip when running counter-clockwise on school sports day tracks. Kids love the futuristic designs and featherweight feel.

Payment & practical info

Prices and details checked: November 2026.

• Accepted Payment Modes: Cash (JPY), major global credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, UnionPay), AEON WAON, transit IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA), e-money (iD, QUICPay), and mobile QR codes (AEON Pay, PayPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay).
• Tax-Free Refund Rules (Enacted November 1, 2026):
  • Minimum eligible spend: In general, qualifying goods purchased by the same person at the same participating tax-free store on the same day must total ¥5,000 or more before tax. Ask staff how multiple checkouts are registered. Eligible purchases from different stores can be combined only where the designated joint tax-free procedure permits this.
  • Pay the full tax-inclusive price at checkout and have the purchase registered with your passport. After Customs confirms export (procedure terminal, within 90 days, before baggage check-in), the store or its designated refund operator refunds the consumption tax by the method registered at purchase — Customs does not pay refunds, and cash collection at designated airport refund terminals is available only for eligible purchases from participating stores.
  • No special sealed packaging applies. Confirmation is per purchase record: every tax-free item on the record must leave Japan with you. Consumables must not be consumed in Japan; general goods may be used during your trip if you take them out of Japan.
• Operating Hours: Standard AEON Mall branches typically operate from 10:00 to 21:00 daily (some mall specialty zones open at 09:00).
• AEON Mall Facilities: Enjoy full access to giant mall amenities: stroller rentals, nursing rooms, currency exchange, food courts, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi.
• Shoe Box Recycling: Ask the cashier to dispose of the cardboard shoe boxes if you need to save luggage space ("Hako wa sutete kudasai").

Good to know / Common mistakes

1. Check Whether Your ASBee Store Supports Joint Tax-Free Procedures

A shared tax-free procedure counter may combine eligible same-day purchases from authorized participating shops, but this depends on the particular mall and retailers. Buying shoes at ASBee and clothing or snacks elsewhere in an AEON Mall does not automatically make the receipts combinable. Ask the mall information desk and the individual shops before relying on a combined ¥5,000 before-tax threshold.

2. Sizing for Coleman Outdoor Footwear

Coleman trail shoes tend to have slightly thicker padded linings for weather resistance. If you plan to wear thick wool hiking socks, consider trying half a centimeter larger (e.g., 27.5 cm instead of 27.0 cm) for optimal hiking comfort.

3. Wearing Shoes Right Out of the Store

Shoes are reusable items: you may wear newly purchased shoes in Japan if the same pair is taken out of the country with you after customs confirmation. From November 1, 2026, the former legal separation between general goods and consumables no longer applies; do not assume a special “general goods” receipt is required.

Sources

• GFOOT Co., Ltd. Official Corporate Portal (Verified: 2026-11-09)
• ASBee Nationwide Store Directory & Mall Locator (Verified: 2026-11-09)
• AEON Mall Inbound Tourist & Unified Tax-Free Guide (Verified: 2026-11-09)
• Japan Customs Departure Tax-Free Procedures (Verified: 2026-11-09)