Japan has no official supermarket ranking, but stores fall into three tiers by positioning: Kinokuniya and Seijo Ishii for gifts and imported food; Life, AEON, and Seiyu for everyday groceries; OK, Gyomu Super, and Lopia for bulk and low prices. At checkout, food is taxed at 8% and alcohol at 10%.
The 1.5% overseas card fee is 1% network + 0.5% issuer, and dual-currency cards pay it too. Bank of Taiwan quotes KRW only as cash with a 15.7% round-trip spread, versus 2.45% for JPY spot — so a JPY account is worth it, a KRW one isn't (and mostly can't be opened).
2026/4/1 new rules: max 2 policies per trip (different insurers), flat-rate payout cap lowered to NT$6,000. Covers six key areas including flight delays and lost luggage, with a breakdown of where to buy.