Shopping FAQs/Guide

 

Ooooh, crap. Credit: Idea Factory Co., Ltd.

After having the experience of shopping around for Japanese products like games and music CDs, I have found some things useful and some other things not so useful, so I decided to write about it for those who are new or have questions.

These are simply my experiences and I cannot speak for other people. As such, everything I write may not represent someone else’s experience. Also, I originally wrote this page for otome games, but most of these questions can be applied to most Japanese products such as regular video games or music CDs. I will place an asterisk next to those that are applicable to all products in the table of contents, and make note of it throughout the post.

Also, a warning: As of now, I have only played games on handheld or home consoles. (Being a grad student means less time for PC games.) That means most games that are played on the PC or on a non-console device are not covered here. With that said, please enjoy and, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let me know!

To make it easier to navigate, if you are looking for a specific question, I’ve posted the questions up here. Just use the search function and copy and paste the question. It should bring you right to the one you’re looking for.

Table of Contents
Q1. Cool! I love this stuff that comes from Japan! I love Japanese stuff!
Q2. What are some things for me to consider when I go to buy Japanese games/products/music/etc.?*
Q3. I was looking at games/etc. to order, but I saw these CERO ratings. What are those?
Q4. Where do I buy these games/products? All of these sites are in Japanese and it seems impossible to buy any of it because they are in Japan!*
Q5. Why do people buy from Japanese stores or from the company’s online store?*
Q6. What if I want to buy from a Japanese website or from the official store’s website? How should I go about doing that?*
Q7. Ahh! Expensive?! Do you recommend buying Japanese products through these proxy/shopping service(s)?*

Q1. Cool! I love this stuff that comes from Japan! I love Japanese stuff!

Yay! Welcome! Ready to buy lots? Get ready to take out that wallet and be ready to spend the rest of your life away.

Q2. What are some things for me to consider when I go to buy Japanese games/products/music/etc.?

Good question! Like with any product, there are many factors to consider when buying as you are spending hard-earned money.

– Limited edition vs. Regular edition?
Most of the time, regular edition only comes with the game itself while limited edition comes with some extra items such as drama CDs or pictures.

For an example, in my experience, otome games that are of the Limited edition come in a nice special box with some nice art. If you are, perhaps, buying an Japanese artist’s/group’s CD, the limited edition usually comes with one less extra song, but has the MV (music video) of the signature song and (maybe) an extra goodie or two. Of course, what I am saying is merely generalization and what each edition comes with depends on the company, the band, etc. Make sure to do an ample amount of research before you buy.

In the end, the biggest factor remains with the you, the consumer. How much do you like the product? How much are you willing to spend?

To show an example on what the heck I’m talking about, I have posted two examples: one is of an otome game called Possession Magenta and the other is of a Japanese CD by a visual kei band, The Gazette.

• Otome Game
• Possession Magenta Limited Edition
• Possession Magenta Regular Edition
• Music CD
• TRACES Vol. 2 [Limited Edition]
• TRACES Vol. 2 [Regular Edition]

(If you are like Square Enix and only release pins for the Kingdom Hearts ReMIX HD games for non-Japanese fans, then maybe it’s not such a hard choice. Cool for pin fans. What about non-pin fans, though?)

– Should I preorder the game/music CD/etc.?
It sounds like a silly question, but it’s an important one. Technically, buying anything is like a gamble. You don’t know how it is or how it will turn out because there are no reviews of the game/CD/DVD/etc. in question. But if there is a character or a voice actor in it that you like, pre-order it. For RPG/fighting games, if the battle system looks mind-blowing, then by all means, pre-order it. If you have watched a particular anime series that you very much loved, then pre-order it. Nevertheless, more often than not, you’ll get some extra goods (depends on where you buy it). However, if you are feeling unsure or hesitant, then I would wait for reviews to appear before you buy it.

NOTE: I’ve read that ordering Anime DVDs from Avex straight Japan is being banned by the company. Apparently, it was never intended to be sold outside. Either way, this means purchasing Anime DVDs is not possible through places like CDJapan.

– If I pre-order, where should I get it from?
It’s important to consider this question because different places will give away different items and will probably charge you with different shipping fees for different speed (i.e. how fast it gets to where you want it to be shipped). It’s your pick to choose which item you want more or if you want a different shipping fee/speed. More about this will be explained.

– How much will the shipping cost?
It’s another important question to think about since it’s going to be another cost added on top of the products that you’ll be buying. Typically shipping is very expensive, but it all depends on where you live.

Q3. I was looking at games/etc. to order, but I saw these CERO ratings. What are those?

Good question! The Amazon Japanese site breaks it down quite nicely here: CERO Ratings

For those who can’t read Japanese, here is a rough explanation of what these ratings mean.

Q4. Where do I buy these games/products? All of these sites are in Japanese and it seems impossible to buy any of it because they are in Japan! (Most of these apply to Japanese-only products. For other types of fandoms, it might be different.)

This question does not apply for games/anime DVDs/manga/CDs/etc. that are sold worldwide such as Legend of Zelda or Naruto. It asks about products that are only released in Japan and never released outside to the rest of the world (or you are only after the Japanese version of the game). If your product belongs in the second category and your Japanese may not be up to par (like mine), then have no fear! There are many options for fans whose Japanese could use a little more polishing.

Due to the long list, I have provided a brief table of contents. Just use the search function and copy and paste the one you want to look at. (Disclaimer: This list in not inclusive of every single store and I’m sure there are more than I can recall. These stores are simply the ones I frequent the most.)

I.CDJapan
II.Play-Asia
III.Character and Hobby – AmiAmi
IV.Nippon-Yasan
V.Yes-Asia
VI.Amazon JP

I.CDJapan

They are a great place to buy Japanese products/games in general. Here are some pros and cons. [I went ahead and included picture examples to help visualize what I’m talking about. Hopefully, it makes some coherent sense.]

Pros
1. They also have a point system and are constantly having promotions for you to earn more points on your account. They even have surveys for you to complete, which is a great way to earn easy, free points. You can redeem these points toward your next purchase(s).
2. They have a wide range of selection for games/Japanese products, so if you are looking for something slightly older, then good chances are that they might have it.
3. If you want to pre-order a game, they do give away first press bonuses and CDJapan exclusive bonuses with it, so it’s something to consider.
4. You can ring up an estimate cost of the shipping fees on any order you make. It’s helpful for determining how much the total cost will come out to be.
5. You are able to cancel items, but there are some drawbacks to this (listed in the cons section).
6. Their packaging is sturdy and reliable. I have never received a crushed item from them once. Also, the package always comes pretty quick (depending on which shipping option you choose).
7. If you want some special item that is not available on CDJapan, then I believe you can request that item and they will try to find it for you. However, I have never used their shopping service so I can’t speak as to the quality of this service.
8. They also offer a variety of ways to pay for your order such as Paypal, credit card, debit card, Alipay, and other methods. I have only used Paypal and credit card, so I am not sure how well the other payment methods work.
9. They have very good customer service and respond to problems right away by email. They offer customer support in French, Spanish, and English.
10. They also do not charge tax to your order, so this your total order may come out to be cheaper than other places.

Cons
1. Their shipping can be a little expensive and have prices of their own. Normally, I avoid their EMS shipping method as it tends to be ridiculously expensive. I would only use Fedex if you plan to buy magazines or books. [Note: The rates for Fedex on CDJapan have changed, so be wary.]
2. To manually cancel an item, you have to pay by credit card and the status order must already be processed. For all other statuses and payment methods, you have to send them an email to cancel.
3. They charge everything in yen, which means your bank/credit card company will charge you a foreign transaction fee for every purchase you make from them (if you do not use the yen currency to pay for your order). The amount of the fee will depend on the value exchange rate on the day CDJapan ships out your order.

Recommendation
1. If you are looking for a game that has already been released [and you are not in a hurry to play it], then they are a good place to go for good pricing.
2. I would usually recommend buying in bulk from them than one item alone if you plan on using them.
3. Conclusion: I have used them a lot, and I have never been disappointed by their services, so I like them a lot. Just beware of their cons.

II.Play-Asia

They are another good place to buy Japanese games. I have not bought any other products other than CDs from them, but they do sell random goods, too. Here is a list of the pros and cons.

Pros
1. They charge in USD, so if you live in a country where USD is currency, then you are in luck as no transaction fee will be charged. However, this can be a con for other countries where USD is not the currency.
2. They have lots of very old games and games that are usually sold out in other places. If you’re looking for an obsolete game, then they might have it, although, this may not always be the case.
3. They sell both American and Japanese games. So if you don’t like the price Amazon or another vendor charges, then this store could be another good alternative.
4. Their packages are very reliable and sturdy. They usually place their games/CDs in bubble wraps, so you can be assured that you will not receive crushed games/CDs.
5. They offer discount coupons, which are usually $5 dollars off of your order (although, total order must be $60 dollars or more).
6. When they are running a huge sale or a special deal, their items tend to be cheaper than anywhere else. For instance, I bought a regular edition of an otome game for around $35 dollars when regular editions of otome games tend to be $48 dollars or more. (It doesn’t sound like a lot, but every dollar counts!)

Cons
1. They can be very pricey depending on the item. I have found that they charged one of the older otome games that I wanted for about $60 dollars and find it on CDJapan or on another website for about $45. However, I have found otome games in which CDJapan sells it for $48 dollars and Play-Asia sells it for $49 dollars.
2. For me, their shipping is on the expensive side. For a single PS Vita game, they charge me a shipping fee of about $6.90 [as shown in the picture]. I heard they used to have a free shipping deal, but not anymore. That’s a bummer to hear since their products can be quite expensive.
3. I have never pre-ordered from them, but I have not seen store exclusive goods from them.
4. They only have two options for shipping, which is Economy and Expedited. These can be very expensive depending on how much you buy.
5. You can only pay by Paypal and credit card, which might not be that great for other people who use debit cards or other forms of payment.
6. They only have customer service in English. If you have no problems speaking in English, then all is well, but it’s not good for those whose first language is not English.
7. Also, their customer service is quite scattered. Sometimes, they’re great. And other times… er, not that great. One time, they called me at four in the morning about a purchase I made without any warning. Another time I had emailed them to call me back at a certain time because I had missed their call and they emailed me, asking what would be the best time to call back… But they never called back. I had to go to their Facebook page, and ask them what was going on before they got back to me again. Yeah… Not sure what else to say about that.
8. You cannot cancel items manually. I have seen people asking them whether it is possible to cancel their orders, but I have never had any personal experience so I can’t comment as to whether or not it is possible.

Recommendation
1. I would recommend buying in bulk so that the shipping fees will be cheaper.
2. Conclusion: As stated before, unless Play-Asia has some big sale or special deal on some game(s) that you’ve been saving up for, then I would not buy from them. Their prices tend to be more on the expensive side.

III.Character and Hobby – AmiAmi

I have used AmiAmi often to buy my games/anime goodies, but not so much to buy games. However, that does not mean they don’t sell games. Here is a list of pros and cons.

Pros
1. Just like CDJapan, they offer AmiAmi exclusive goods for pre-ordering items such as games, CDs, and anime merchandise. [This doesn’t apply for all of their products so be careful. Hence why I didn’t use Diabolik Lovers Dark Fate for this one xD]
2. They usually discount their items (that includes tax). So games on here can be cheaper than CDJapan.
3. They have a point system as well that accumulates from all of your purchases. You can redeem these points toward your future purchase(s).
4. Their packages are excellent. Everything is tightly sealed and secured so you will not be getting anything crushed or ruined.
5. They have a contact page in which you can write to them about your issues or you can also contact them by phone. (If you call them, beware as they only respond from 12:00-5:00 in Japan time.) I have never had an issue with them, so I cannot speak as to the quality of their customer service.

Cons
1. When you pre-order from AmiAmi, they don’t guarantee that you’ll get the game because they haven’t procured it from the supplier. This means you won’t know if and/or when you’ll get your order.
2. Shipping fees are expensive if you buy one item alone. As usual, avoid EMS if you can.
3. You cannot cancel any item no matter what. So if you pressed something on accident or ordered one too many Date Masamune handtowels… Erm, well, it looks like you’ll get Date Masamune more than once.
4. You have only 7 days to pay the full amount when your entire order is in stock. If you do not pay, your order will be canceled and the items you ordered will be given to someone else. Also, you cannot re-order whatever items that were in the canceled order.
5. They can only accept payments in Japanese Yen. This means that if you do not pay or use the yen currency you will be charged a foreign transaction fee from your bank/credit card company. The amount of the fee will depend on the value exchange rate on the day AmiAmi ships your order out.
6. They only accept PayPal, credit card, or COD (if you live in Japan). They accept debit cards, too, but their site recommends not to use it. This might be bad for those who use other payment methods.

Recommendation
1. Always pre-order from AmiAmi if you want to something from their store. Most of the time, they run out of stock for their items before it even releases.
2. Conclusion: If you want the AmiAmi exclusive bonus that comes with the game, then go ahead and buy it from here. Otherwise, I would stay away from them (unless you’re buying anime/game goods as they sell some cool products).

IV.Nippon-Yasan

I haven’t used them as often as I have with CDJapan and Play-Asia, but they are another pretty good place to buy general Japanese products and games. Here is a list of pros and cons.

Pros
1. In my experience, Nippon-Yasan has offered the cheapest price on most games like otome ones. However, this is ONLY if you are looking to buy the game without any extra store exclusive bonuses/goodies.
2. I have never used their customer service, but they do offer customer service in Japanese, French, English, and Spanish. You can even call them through Skype, which might be easier for some people. I can’t even imagine speaking to them in Japanese for a problem I might have.
3. They offer a variety of shipping methods ranging from EMS to SAL. They also offer multiple types of Fedex shipping speed (if available).
4. You can easily estimate the shipping costs and it will give you a range of prices depending on how fast you want your game. This is useful for determining how much the total cost of your order will be.
5. They have a variety of payment methods and you can buy their games in various currencies such as USD, EURO, GHB, CHF, and obviously, Yen. You can also pay through PayPal.
6. If you want an item and don’t see it on their website, you can ask them to find it for you. I have not tried their shipping service so I can’t comment on how well it works.

Cons
1. They do not have any store exclusive offers when you pre-order (depending on the item). You will still get the usual goodies if you pre-order and/or buy the limited edition of product from them. You just won’t get anything extra with it.
2. They offer only Japanese products. So if you are looking for an English game or a game in English, you’re out of luck. You won’t find it here.
3. Their shipping can be expensive depending on where you live. Make sure to avoid Fedex and EMS as it tends be insanely expensive, as shown in the picture above. (Although, why is SAL and Boat the most expensive for a single game?)
4. To note, when I browsed around, I did not see too many accessories for games or for game consoles.

Recommendation
1. As usual, buy in bulk. This tends to make shipping cheaper.
2. Conclusion: If you just want to buy a product without all of the store exclusive goodies, then this would be the place to buy.

V.Yes-Asia

They are another website that sells Japanese products. I don’t buy from them too often or at all. The last time I bought anything from them was a music CD a couple of years ago. Anyways, here is a list of the pros and cons.

Pros
1. They offer free international shipping, but the order must be over $39 US dollars and you MUST select Standard Service.
2. Their packaging was decent and I never received anything ruined or crushed from them.

Cons
1. Their prices can be expensive compared to any of the other shopping sites such as CDJapan or Nippon-Yasan. I know they are based in Hong Kong, but I’m not sure if that has anything to do with their expensive prices.
2. If you live in a country where USD or Hong Kong Dollars is not your currency, then you will be charged a foreign transaction fee.
3. There are no definite special store exclusives or pre-order exclusives if you buy items like otome games from them. You’ll still get the game with whatever it comes with, but nothing else extra. With other products, this may differ, so do look around if any extras are offered with the desired products.
4. For the otome games I looked at, you can’t return it or get a refund once the order has shipped out.
5. Also, if you live in Germany and in the UK, the otome games are not eligible to be tax-free.

Recommendation
1. Conclusion: Unless every single store that sold Japanese games/products died off the face of the Earth, I would almost see no reason to buy from them. Compared to the other stores, they don’t offer much incentive and they have lots of rules and restrictions.

VI.Amazon JP

I have used them once before and they provide service like your typical Amazon. Here is a list of pros and cons.

Pros
1. Even though their site is in Japanese, they have an option where you can read it in English. This makes it easy for people who want browse the website, but can’t read Japanese too well.
2. They offer an abundant amount of Japanese products like games!
3. If you buy otome games, you can still receive special goods/items that come with the game.
4. Packaging is your usual packaging with Amazon. Very good and you’ll never receive anything crushed.

Cons
1. They only ship to Japanese addresses, so if you don’t live in Japan and want anything from them, you will have to use a proxy/shipping service located in Japan.

Recommendation
1. Conclusion: If you like the goods/items that come with the Japanese (version)/otome game(s) from Amazon, then definitely order the game from here. Just remember to use a proxy/shipping service.

Q5. Why do people buy from Japanese stores or from the company’s online store?

Some people either buy from the Japanese store or from the company’s online store because they may offer special types of goods/items that are not available anywhere else. The same is true of official US game sites like Square Enix US website in which they may provide an extra not offered on third-party websites like Amazon or GameStop. However, for this question, I will be limiting my focus to Japan-only stores, as these are a bit harder to find, less discussed about, and require some form of proxy shipping service. I have listed some of the Japanese stores’ links.

HMV (I mainly like them for their music as that is what they specialize in, but that’s my personal opinion.)
Animate (They sell all kinds of anime products and other games, so they’re good for almost anything.)
QuinRose (It’s mainly an otome game site.)
Broccoli Store (It’s mainly an otome game site.)
Mandarake (They sell used anime/game goods, but don’t worry. Their “used” products are like new. I’ve bought from them before and I couldn’t even tell that it was used. So don’t worry if you are afraid that a product might be defected or ruined.)

I apologize for the small list. I don’t buy too much online stuff from Japan since the proxy shipping service is exorbitantly expensive.

Also, here are some fun articles that talk about stores to look out for if you are ever in Japan.

Top 10 Otaku Shops in Tokyo
Anime Shops of Akihabara
3 Major Anime Stores
Tokyo Anime Guide

Q6. What if I want to buy from a Japanese website or from the official store’s website? How should I go about doing that?

If you want the exclusive items that will come with your desired product, then you have to use a proxy shipping service. The reason is because most of these stores in Japan require Japanese addresses and they do not offer shipping outside of Japan.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with this process, I have listed some links to help you get started.

A. Shopping Japan Although Technically Legal Trade
B. Topic Buying From Japan
– This website focuses on Japanese fashion, but all of the same principles apply to otome games or any products solely circulated within Japan (i.e. certain games, CDs, etc.). It breaks down all the fees you might have to roughly pay if you plan on using a proxy shipping service. It also explains all of the ins and outs of the proxy/shipping service in general.

As with all proxy shipping services, every company will have different charges and/or fees. Thoroughly check out each one before deciding which one to use.

I have listed some different links of several shipping/proxy services below.

A typical Japanese post office. (Not my picture. Let me know if it’s yours!)

A. FromJapan
– Here is their FAQ page that answers any questions about their rates/fees: Q&A Page

B. Tenso
– Here is their FAQ page that answers any questions about their rates/fees: FAQ Page
– Here is their Shopping Guide page: Shopping Guide
– Here is their Usage Fee Page: Usage Fee Guide
– Here they walk you through their payment and shipment process: Package Confirmation and Usage Fee

C. Rakuten (This website is in English.)
– Here is the help section of their website where it provides you with the info necessary to shop around: Shopping Guide

D. Celga
– Here is their FAQ page that answers questions about their services and rates/fees: FAQ

E. Treasure Japan
– Here is their FAQ page that answers questions about their services and rates/fees: FAQ Page

F. Japan Auction Agency
– Here is their services page that tells you what they do: Japan Auction Agency -Services-
– Here is their page on the fees they charge. It contains useful links about how much fees they charge: Fees | Japan Auction Agency
– Here is their page about shipping and the different kinds of shipping speeds they offer. It also contains useful links for further information: Shipping | Japan Auction Agency

G. Shopping Mall Japan
– Here is their service overview page: Service Overview
– Here is their page on the fees they charge: Japanese auction & shop ORDERS
– Here is their buying process page: Buying Process
– Curious about how to place an order? Here’s the page: How to place a Special Order

Love the beautiful cherry blossom. Credit: Idea Factory Co., Ltd.

I have not used all of these services before so I cannot comment on all of them. The only one I have used from this list is FromJapan. They are very good about receiving and taking care of your request. I have never received any broken or crushed items from them. However, you do have to pay a domestic shipping fee (the package sent to FromJapan’s address) and an international shipping fee (the package sent to your address). I believe I also had to pay a commission fee for their services. (Very common for any proxy shipping service you might use.)

In general, my experiences with the prices of proxy shipping services are quite high. The proxy shipping service that I used most commonly charged me for each item I bought for a certain fee. On top of that, I had to pay for the domestic shipping fee (shipping within Japan) and an international shipping fee (to be shipped to you). To make a long story short, it came out pretty expensive.

Q7. Ahh! Expensive?! Do you recommend buying Japanese products through these proxy shipping service(s)?

Yeah, he doesn’t like the expensive prices either. Credit: Idea Factory Co., Ltd.

In general, it all depends on the extras and the budget you have to work with. If your desired item has an exclusive good/extras with it and you have the money to buy it, then by all means buy it. Sometimes, Japanese online stores can offer great, unbeatable goods/items that are impossible to get anywhere else. At times, these pre-order exclusives are limited, rare items made specifically for the release of the game or even just for fans within Japan. It is a tough choice, but it is all based upon preferences. Just know that it will definitely pinch your wallet a bit.

And that’s about it for this guide. If you have any questions, then don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below! Otherwise, happy shopping!