Hey all,
I just bought a couple of those new Japanese family starter decks (one to open and one to keep sealed) but was wondering how they were distributed? Were there limited print numbers like Mario Pikachu or was it just a print to meet demand type of thing? They seem super cheap for what you are getting so if they were a more exclusive release I’ll probably buy two more.
It’s a normal retail release.
I don’t have an answer to your question, but since you are opening one: could you check if there are any cards with numbers on top of their deck symbol? In Japanese some of the cards have numbers on top of them, like the Pikachu being available both without and with number (15). Some of the other cards are only available without that number though. Although I think I’ve only seen the Psyduck with number thus far.
Anyway, I was jus wondering if all cards, both with and without this number, are from that same box. And since you are opening up one, you could answer that question. 
It’s a great set though. I opened the same box in Korean recently.
Greetz,
Quuador
They are still being sold on the official Pokemon online shop (limited to two per order).
Yes, they only cost 2,138 Yen, which in my opinion is a great value. They are heavy though (concerning international shipping, that might be a cost increasing factor).
A quickly scan of all the cards with a number:
They are all from the same box. For example there are two pikachus, one with and one without the number. I think this is kind of odd why are they so inconsistent with the numbers when it’s all from the same product?