Wow that is awesome. Any chance you remember what you could win?
I love seeing the Japanese names of the Pokemon on them. Very cool!
āCrab.ā
I got a kick out of this. Haha.
Unfortunately, no, I donāt remember what the prize was. However, because Iām curious myself, Iām going to do some research to see if I can track down that info. 
Whatās interesting about the names is that they donāt follow the usual Japanese rules of āromajiā (romanization). āCrab,ā for instance, should actually be āKurabu.ā And the letter L is never used in romaji; āLuckyā should actually be āRakkii,ā āEbilwalarā should be āEbiwaraaā and Sawamular should be āSawamuraa.ā
In fact, the only ones here that that are romanized properly are āRokonā and āOnisuzume.ā
These are all very interesting items. I like those envelopes a lot!
SO do you remember the Pokemon tcg launch in Japan? Was it as crazy as it was here in the US? Iām just curious about its original launch in general.
I honestly donāt remember a whole lot of hype surrounding the introduction of the TCG in Japan.
Then again, I didnāt begin to really pay attention to Pokemon until December 16, 1997.
The hype in North America was absolutely crazy. I was young at the time, but boy do I remember the explosion that was Pokemon.
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Oh, yeah, I definitely remember the hype in North America, even though I was in Japan. W couldnāt keep any Pokemon items in stock, there was so much overseas demand for them. In fact, it started about a year before the English-language cards were released. It was crazy!
It was also a big boost to Japanās ego, and it led to the entire anime-manga industry becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
All of us on the UPCCC were firsthand witnesses to an entertainment revolution!
I posted these in a different thread a couple of weeks ago. Iām moving the post here so I can consolidate all of my collection into a single thread 
I found these extra-large cards in one of the boxes I was opening today. They are about twice the height of the standard card (as you can see in this comparison picture where I have two of the XL cards ā front and back ā placed next to a regular-size Lucky Stadium promo). These extra-large cards are about a third of the size of the very popular ājumboā promo cards.
I know this much: They were clearly created to teach the game to new players, as evidenced by the Japanese text at the bottom of each card.
The edges of the cards show signs that these were perforated cards that were attached to either a larger sheet, or to each other. However, I donāt recall ever seeing these cards attached to anything. So, I either received them already detached, or maybe the perforation was simply part of the printing process.
The copyright date on the back of each card is 1996.
Perhaps these arenāt unusual or special at all ā maybe all of you know something about them that I donāt! ;D
Nonetheless, I find them to be quite interesting. My main interest as a collector has always been ephemera, and I think these probably fall into that category.
Below are pictures of the nine other āXLā cards I came across.
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And hereās my Tropical Mega Battle No. 1 Trainer card again, also moved here are part of my consolidation efforts. ;D
As was noted in the original thread, I bought the card on July 16, 2000, via a Yahoo Japan auction from a Bandai employee, who previously purchased it directly from the boy who won the card. My winning bid (it might have been a ābuy-it-nowā purchase) was 500,000 yen.
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Those ājumboā cards are referred to as the āTeachā cards. Those are cool looking cards. Def. something I would love to get.
Hi Pokefan,
Yes, a few other members filled me in on them when I had posted them in a different thread.
I had no idea what they were when I found them in one of the boxes I was opening. Iām definitely glad I held on to them all these years!
For many Pokemon fans in Japan, the highlight of summer 2000 was the JR Pokemon Stamp Rally. I certainly enjoyed that event, and getting the Eevee and Mewtwo English-language promo cards was cool.
But for me, the bigger treat that summer was the July 8 release of the third Pocket Monsters movie, āLord of the Unknown Tower Entei.ā
Although my wife, daughter and I had attended the previous two Pokemon movies, we agreed āEnteiā was the most visually stunning and sophisticated of the trio. And, of course, theatergoers received free promo cards (this time, Igglybuff and Hitmontop).
Even better than the cards, though, were the movie tickets themselves.
Fans would have to wait another nine months before the English-language version of āEnteiā opened in North American theaters. And the tickets printed at the box office didnāt look nearly as good as their Japanese counterparts. 
Nice!
The annual Pokemon Stamp Rally was really nothing more than a clever way for JR to boost ridership on its Tokyo trains during off-peak hours. And so it also made sense for the rail conglomerate to sell prepaid āOrange Cardā commuter passes decorated with Pokemon characters.
The 1998 version, with its playful illustration of Satoshi and Pikachu, remains my favorite. I feel the straightforward design reflects that simpler time when Pokemon was still a āFor Sale in Japan Onlyā franchise.
The following year, JR sold two Orange Cards to promote the rally, and this time included a picture of its iconic Shinkansen (bullet) trains in addition to Pokemon characters.
By 2000, the Pokemon Stamp Rally had become as much a Japanese summer tradition as neighborhood bon-odori (dance) festivals and hanabi (fireworks) displays. Again, two Orange Cards were released, with the characters depicted alongside the stalwart Yamanote line train.
Youāre right the Japanese movie tickets are so much cooler! Definitely worth holding onto. And thanks for sharing the JR cards, thatās clearly clever marketing on their part. JR Rally stuff is so cool
Iām in love with that trophy card in its original stand is so awesome.
Maybe 1 day i can own maybe 1 day
This thread is exactly why this website is so special
Excellent. Fascinating read
Yeah I love all Japanimeās posts. Thank you!!
Same here. I truly enjoy Glennās posts. Itās such an entertaining and informative read. Iām very glad (and grateful) that he joined our community. Thanks.