New Pokemon cards are always released in Japan before anywhere else in the world and for collectors that don't want to wait, we are here to help!
We'll tell you everything you need to know about how to buy Japanese Pokemon cards and get them shipped from Japan to anywhere in the world.
We have helped customers ship some of the world's most expensive Pokemon cards from Japan all over the world and we can easily do the same for you!
Below is our simple guide where we will show you everything you need to know to order Japanese Pokemon cards and products that are released in Japan.
We will also show you how to order Japanese Pokemon cards from the official Japanese Pokemon store and Japanese Auction Sites for those of you on the hunt for rare collector cards.
And don't worry, the methods we will show you below have worldwide shipping, so no matter where you are in the world, this article will help you get Japanese Pokemon cards directly from Japan.
1. Find Japanese Pokemon Card Names
The first thing is finding what your card or set is called in Japanese - it makes your life so much easier!
It should come as no surprise, but Japanese stores list their products by their Japanese names, which includes listing cards they are selling by their Japanese names.
Don't worry, you don't need to be able to read any Japanese at all!
If you are looking for a specific Japanese Pokemon card that recently got released, then I recommend heading over to the official Pokemon-card Japanese website.
Here is a link that will take you to the most recently released Pokemon cards in Japanese.
Most recent Japanese Pokemon cards released here!
The website will initially be in Japanese, but that won't be a problem for our purpose.
If you do happen to be using a web browser like Google Chrome, you can right-click on the webpage and click "Translate to English" if you want to be able to navigate the page a bit easier.
Once you have found the individual card you are looking to order from Japan, simply click on the card to see its Japanese name.
You want to make sure that your web browser isn't automatically translating this page into English as you are going to want everything to be in Japanese.
You might be unaware, but the names of Pokemon in Japanese are often completely different from the names we use for Pokemon in English.
If you try searching for your Pokemon cards using their English name, there is a good chance you won't get the best search results when you are looking for your Pokemon cards.
| Pokemon English Name |
Pokemon Japanese Name |
| Flareon |
Booster |
| Vaporeon |
Shawāzu |
| Jolteon |
Sanders |
The name of the pokemon card in Japanese will be at the top of the page.
All you have to do is copy the Japanese name of the pokemon card you would like or save the name somewhere on your computer.
As long as you have access to the Japanese name of the Pokemon card you would like to order from Japan you shouldn't run into any problems when ordering cards from Japan.
Finding the Japanese name is often the hardest part, but once you get used to doing this ordering any Pokemon cards from Japan becomes very easy.
If you are looking to order Pokemon packs and entire boxes of cards instead of singles, then don't worry, the process is very similar.
By using the same website, you can see the latest Pokemon sets that have been released and even new sets that can be pre-ordered!
Here is a link that will take you to the page that has the latest Pokemon sets coming out in Japan - The latest Japanese Pokemon sets
Similar to individual Pokemon cards, the names of the Pokemon card sets are often completely different from English packs and you will need the Japanese name to find the best deals for buying Japanese Pokemon packs and sets
If you use the link provided above, all you have to do after finding the set you are interested in is copy the Japanese name of the set.
The set's Japanese name can always be found between the 2 symbols that form a rectangle around Japanese characters -「Japanese Set Name」
| Japanese Product Name |
Pokemon Card Set Name |
| 拡張パック「摩天パーフェクト」 |
摩天パーフェクト |
| 拡張パック「蒼空ストリーム」 |
蒼空ストリーム |
| 強化拡張パック「イーブイヒーローズ」 |
イーブイヒーローズ |
Just like when searching for individual Pokemon cards, copy or save the name of the Japanese set that you want to buy somewhere you won't lose it.
Once you have the Japanese names of the products that you want, buying Pokemon cards becomes so much easier!
2. Search For Japanese Pokemon Cards on Stores or Auctions
Now for the good part, time to go shopping.
Take the Japanese name of the card or set that you just copied and head over to the search bar on ZenMarket.jp
ZenMarket is a service that helps people living outside of Japan send Japanese goods directly from Japan to their doorstep anywhere in the world.
ZenMarket doesn't sell Pokemon cards directly, we are a service that helps to connect international buyers and local Japanese sellers.
That means we don't mark up the cost of products you want to buy, you pay the same price for products that Japanese people living in Japan do!
Once you have the name of the Pokemon card that you want to search for copied to your computer clipboard, "Paste" it into the search bar.
So in the example below, we are searching for the card "Flareon VMax" by entering the following:
"ブースターVMAX"
Once you hit enter, you will be taken to all of the listings for that card under whichever shopping platform you would prefer to shop on.
The 3 main shopping platform that we recommend for buying Pokemon card products are
- Amazon Japan - Best for getting brand new/sealed Pokemon card products
- Rakuten - Best for buying Japanese Pokemon singles
- JDirectItems Auction - The best place to find deals on Pokemon cards that are rare or limited edition.
Switching between these shopping platforms is easy and can be done by simply clicking on the Platform name below the search bar.
Once you have found the card you are looking for, the rest is easy.
Simply check the details of the item that you have found.
Double-check the price of the item and description.
Also Read: HOW MUCH ARE POKEMON CARDS WORTH?
The original item description is in Japanese but our website will provide an automatic translation for you.
If you have any questions about details in the item description, simply add the item to your cart and send a message to customer service.
Our native English/Japanese customer service staff will be able to help answer any questions you may have.
3. Add Your Japanese Pokemon Cards To Cart.
Once you have found all the cards and items you are looking for, simply add them to your cart.
If you are wanting to place a bid on a Japanese card instead of buying an item, then all you have to do is click "Place a bid" on the JDirectItems Auction item page that you wish to bid on.
When placing a bid on an auction is important that you read the item descriptions carefully.
Shop Pokemon cards on ZenMarket Now
!!! Caution !!!
We Recommend AVOIDING any listings that have the following message in the description:
"In order to reduce shipping costs, we will take it out of the box and ship it. Please be assured that the encapsulation rate will not change at all."
In japanese: 送料を抑える為、箱から取り出して発送させていただきます。封入率は一切変わりませんのでご安心ください。
IMPORTANT: If you are shipping to Malaysia, there are two types of taxes that incur for trading cards.
1. Sales tax SST 10% 2. Duty tax or excise tax 10%
Please make sure that you check the customs and taxes policy for your shipping destination.
To ensure that you get the best quality products and avoid any potential abusive behavior from online sellers, we recommend that you only buy sealed booster boxes.
This will help to ensure that you receive a booster box that will adhere to the pull rates that are stated for official Japanese Pokemon booster boxes.
JDirectItems Auction! Sellers are often not professional sellers - Most of them are Japanese Pokemon card collectors selling off cards from their collections, which means better prices for you, but the cards will not be brand new and card conditions will vary from listing to listing.
Thankfully, anyone that has lived in Japan will know, that Japan has a fantastic reputation when it comes to the great condition of their secondhand markets.
4. Pay For Your Japanese Pokemon Cards
Checkout time!
Once you are happy with everything in your cart, we'll have a member of our team confirm your items.
The confirmation process allows us to check that the Japanese sellers have enough items in stock to fulfill your desired order and perform any needed checks that require a Japanese speaker.
Once the check is complete, we will send a notification to your account and email address that your order is ready to pay for. 
5. Shipping Your Japanese Pokemon Cards
Once your item has been paid for and arrives at our warehouse facility in Ōsaka Japan, we'll ask you to provide an international shipping address.
After entering your address details and paying for international shipping, your cards will be on their way to your front door!
That's it, you have successfully ordered Japanese Pokemon cards directly from Japan!
Buying from the official Japanese Pokemon store
If you want to buy merchandise and Pokemon cards directly from Japan's Pokemon store, you can use ZenMarket for that too!
All you need to do is provide us with the URL link of the item that you would like us to buy for you through your account and we can add the item to your ZenMarket cart.
Also Read: HOW TO BUY FROM THE POKEMON CENTER JAPAN ONLINE
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