Amazon Prime Japan Complete Guide
10 Benefits for Just ¥492/Month
Used by 200M+ members worldwide — the best-value subscription in Japan
Free shipping · Video · Music · Reading · Photo storage — all included
- What is Amazon Prime?
- Why Use Amazon in Japan?
- Pricing Plans
- 10 Core Benefits
- How Much Can You Save?
- Amazon vs Rakuten
- Advanced Saving Tips
- Amazon Points Deep Dive
- Subscribe & Save
- Annual Sale Calendar
- Streaming Service Comparison
- Family Sharing
- Mobile Carrier Deals
- How to Cancel
- Pros & Cons
- Prime Student
- How to Sign Up
- FAQ
What is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is Amazon’s premium membership service. For just ¥600/month (or ¥5,900/year, effectively ~¥492/month), you get access to 10+ benefits spanning shopping, entertainment, and cloud storage. The service has been available in Japan for over 17 years, with 200M+ members worldwide.
Compared to the US (~¥20,000/year) and UK (~¥17,000/year), Japan’s ¥5,900 annual fee is among the lowest in the world, making it an incredible value.
Why Use Amazon in Japan?
Amazon.co.jp is one of Japan’s largest e-commerce platforms with 67M+ monthly users. Here’s what sets it apart:
Pricing Plans
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Per Month | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Monthly | ¥600 | — | ¥600 | 30 days |
| Prime Annual ⭐ | — | ¥5,900 | ≈¥492 | 30 days |
| Prime Student Monthly | ¥300 | — | ¥300 | 6 months |
| Prime Student Annual | — | ¥2,950 | ≈¥246 |
10 Core Benefits of Amazon Prime
❶ Free Shipping on Everything — The #1 Reason to Join
All Amazon-fulfilled items ship free regardless of order amount, including express delivery, same-day delivery, and scheduled delivery.
| Delivery Option | Non-Member | Prime Member |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (¥3,500+) | Free | Free |
| Standard (under ¥3,500) | ¥460–500 | Free |
| Express (お急ぎ便) | ¥510–550 | Free |
| Same-Day | ¥610–650 | Free |
| Scheduled Delivery | ¥510–550 | Free |
❷ Prime Video — Movies, Dramas & Anime
Stream thousands of movies, TV shows, anime, and Amazon Originals. Supports up to 3 simultaneous streams and offline downloads.
❸ Amazon Music Prime — 100M+ Songs
Shuffle playback of 100M+ songs, ad-free. You can specify artist and album. For on-demand playback, upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited (¥880/month for Prime members).
❹ Prime Reading — 1,000+ Free eBooks
Access 1,000+ titles including novels, manga, magazines, and business books on the Kindle app.
❺ Amazon Photos — Unlimited Photo Storage
Unlimited full-resolution photo storage plus 5GB for video. Far more generous than iCloud (5GB free) or Google Photos (15GB free).
❻ Early Access to Sales & Exclusive Deals
Get 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals. Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days are members-only mega sales with 1M+ discounted items.
👉 Use Keepa price tracker to verify if a deal is genuine.
❼ Baby Benefits (Raku Baby)
Add 30+ items to your baby list, purchase ¥700+, and receive a free Welcome Box. Prime members get 15% off diapers and wipes via Subscribe & Save.
❽ Prime Gaming
Free monthly game downloads and in-game loot for PC and mobile.
❾ Amazon Mastercard Bonus
With the free Amazon Mastercard, Prime members earn 2% points on Amazon purchases (vs 1.5% for non-members), 1.5% at major convenience stores, and 1% everywhere else.
❿ More Perks
Amazon Fresh (¥200 delivery discount), Prime-exclusive prices, default unattended delivery (置き配), and more.
How Much Can You Save?
| Item | Non-Member (Monthly) | Prime Member |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping × 3 orders (¥460 × 3) | ¥1,380 | ¥0 |
| Video streaming (Netflix w/ ads) | ¥890 | ¥0 (with ads) |
| Music streaming | ¥0–980 | ¥0 |
| Photo storage (iCloud 50GB) | ¥130 | ¥0 |
| Total | ¥2,400+ | ¥492 (annual plan) |
Amazon vs Rakuten — How to Choose
| Category | Amazon | Rakuten |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Direct sales + marketplace | Mall (store tenants) |
| Pricing | Cheaper for electronics & daily goods | Better for food & fashion |
| Search UX | Clean, unified | Varies by store, cluttered |
| Shipping | Free for Prime, same/next-day | Varies by store |
| Point Cashback | Up to 2% (Mastercard) | SPU up to 17x, Marathon stacking |
| Member Perks | Video + Music + Storage + 10 more | Point-centric |
| Big Sales | Prime Day, Black Friday | Shopping Marathon (almost monthly) |
| Furusato Nozei | Available (since 2024) | Extensive + point-eligible |
Advanced Saving Tips
① d point Integration — Link your d point account for up to 2% extra d points on Amazon purchases. → d point × Amazon Guide
② Keepa Price Tracking — Browser extension to verify sale prices are genuinely discounted. → Keepa Guide
③ Point Sites — Some point sites offer cashback for Amazon purchases. → Point Activities Guide
④ Givearth — Earn extra points buying Amazon products through the Givearth app. → Givearth Guide
⑤ Never Miss a Sale — Amazon runs sales nearly every month. Prime members get early access and exclusive discounts.
Amazon Points Deep Dive
Base Rewards: Amazon Mastercard
| Where You Spend | Non-Member | Prime Member |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon.co.jp | 1.5% | 2.0% |
| 7-Eleven / FamilyMart / Lawson | 1.5% | |
| Everywhere Else | 1.0% | |
Sale Point-Up Campaigns
| Condition | Bonus Rate |
|---|---|
| Prime Member | +2–3% |
| Amazon Mastercard Payment | +1–3% |
| Shopping App Purchase | +0.5–1% |
| Category Bonus | +1–3% |
| Maximum Total | 10%+ |
• Minimum ¥10,000 total spend required during the campaign period
• Earned points are “limited-time points” expiring ~30–60 days after confirmation
• Gift cards, Kindle Unlimited, pre-orders, etc. do NOT count toward the spending threshold
Subscribe & Save: Long-Term Daily Savings
Amazon’s automatic delivery service for daily consumables. Available to all users (no Prime required), with free shipping on all deliveries.
| Condition | Discount |
|---|---|
| Subscribe & Save (base) | 5–10% off |
| + Bundle Discount (3+ items, same delivery date) | Extra 5% off |
| Maximum | Up to 15% off |
| Prime Only: Diapers & Wipes | Always 15% off |
• Delivery frequency: every 2 weeks to 6 months, adjustable anytime
• You can order once and cancel immediately — no penalty
• First-order coupons (5–30% off) stack with Subscribe & Save discount
• During sales, new subscriptions get sale price + Subscribe discount + point campaign = triple savings
Annual Sale Calendar
Streaming Service Price Comparison
| Service | Monthly | Ads | Simultaneous | Extra Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Video | ¥600 (incl. Prime) | Yes (+¥390 ad-free) | 3 | Free shipping + music + storage + 10 more |
| Netflix w/ Ads | ¥890 | Yes | 2 | Video only |
| Netflix Standard | ¥1,590 | No | 2 | Video only |
| Disney+ | ¥990 | No | 2 | Video only |
| U-NEXT | ¥2,189 | No | 4 | Books + 1200pt |
| Hulu | ¥1,026 | Some | 1 | NTV exclusives |
Family Sharing: One Membership, Whole Family Benefits
Add up to 2 household members for free via Amazon Household.
• 30-min early access to deals
• Special handling fee waiver
• Partner grocery delivery
• Amazon Fresh discount
• Amazon Music Prime
• Prime Reading
• Amazon Photos
• Prime Gaming
Mobile Carrier Integration Deals
How to Cancel
Annual plan mid-cancellation: Prorated refund based on usage.
Monthly plan: Benefits continue until the end of the billing period. No penalties whatsoever.
Pros & Cons Summary
• Completely free shipping including express
• Video + music + books + photos bundled
• Pays for itself with just 2–3 orders/month
• Share shipping perks with 2 family members
• 30-min early sale access + exclusive deals
• 30-day risk-free trial
• Cancel anytime, prorated annual refund
• Music Prime is shuffle-only
• 3rd-party seller-shipped items aren’t free
• Prime Reading library is ~1,000 titles
• Family members can’t use digital perks
• Point rewards lower than Rakuten ecosystem
Students: Half Price with Prime Student
Prime Student is for enrolled students at universities, colleges, and vocational schools in Japan. ¥300/month (¥2,950/year) with a 6-month free trial.
✅ Half-price fees ／ ✅ 6-month trial ／ ✅ Up to 40% off stationery ／ ✅ Up to 54% off software ／ ✅ 10% points on 3+ books (code: STUBOOK)
❌ No family sharing ／ ❌ Max 4.5 years total ／ ❌ High school students not eligible