Im wondering if there is a guide on e4 or another place that has proper information on japanese card shop etiquette/language.
Looking for one that involves how to ask to look at showcase, ask if we can take card out of sleeve, saying ill take these ones but not these ones etc
I know i could use google translate to get by but i think its a bit more genuine to actually memorize and practice a guide… translate apps sometimes provide some iffy translations
Thanks 
Does okjluv have a guide? I feel like he would
Ive been to a few (maybe like 15) shops in Japan with no experience aside from basic words (hello, thank you, excuse me, etc). Most of the time they have someone that can speak english working unless youre going far away. Even in small shops like Osaka they had 1 of the 2 employees assist me. I usually just say sumimasen, and point at a card when the employee comes over followed by arigatou in all my conversations. Condition is nice too because in most shops they list the condition as a letter on the product. Id recommend watching some videos on youtube if you haven’t already with shop interactions in the daily life. Its a pretty smooth experience.
I’ve been to Japan for a total of 9 weeks over different trips all the way up North from Hokkaido down to Kyushu and Okinawa. I think I visited way over 100 different stores during the course of my trips.
In general the most important thing is to be respectful (this not just applies to card stores but to Japan in general). I don’t speak Japanese but I know a few phrases which are always good to know (e.g. Hello, Thank You, Sorry, Yes/No, …).
When it comes to the card stores you usually have bulk bins and display cabinets. Through the bulk bins you can just browse and pick all the cards you like (plenty of the stores even have small trays next to the bulk bins where you can put your selection of cards).
When it comes to the cabinets, usually you look at them and find out which cards you want to inspect closer. When you have a selection in mind just talk to an employee and tell them you want to look at certain cards. Usually he just follows you and you just point at the cards you want to see. I always handled the cards carefully and respectful (doesn’t matter if it was a 200 Yen card or 20,000 Yen card). If I wanted to take it out of the Sleeve I always asked but it never has been an issue. If you don’t take the card just say “cancel”, if you want to buy it just say “yes”. In some stores and/or if you inspect more expensive cards, sometimes the employee takes you to a specific area of the store where you can check the card(s) together with him.
Many stores pre-grade their cards in one way or another. Some stores just have different colors of stickers (can be as simple as White stickers for Mint/NM cards and Yellow stickers for everything below that) or their own grading scheme (like S → A → B → C → D). However Japanese stores are usually way stricter when it comes to condition then stores/sellers in Europe or the US. I have seen B condition cards that were basically flawless. And I have seen videos of people picking up allegedly damaged cards that later graded a 10.
Watching videos of experienced buyers in Japan (like OkJLUV or Pokemon Steven) can also help a lot, just to get a feeling for the vibe of Japanese stores.
Super helpful 
I just got back from my first trip to Japan in late June to early July. Here are some tips.
Etiquette: Respect and politeness go a long way. This is common sense, but I encountered some vloggers/influencers filming in stores and being loud. Please don’t be that person. Some stores have no photos policies, it varies. There’s usually a sign that says no photos (in Japanese) with a graphic so you get the gist.
Language: Hello (konnichiwa), Can you speak English? (Eigo ga hanasemasuka), excuse me (sunimasen), I’m okay/ no thank you (daijoubu desu) and yes please (hai, onegaishimasu) are the most common phrases I used. I’d usually point at cards in a display case and someone would help me. You can inspect cards before purchasing them.
Stores: When searching for stores, search in Japanese on Google Maps, using ポケモン カード、です (Pokemon Cards in Japanese.)
Our trip wasn’t centered around Pokémon card shopping. I fit them in when I could, but there are also so many things to see/do in Japan other than cards. Most card store open in the early afternoon so be sure to keep that in mind for your itinerary. Stores are often hidden upstairs in buildings and they’re only accessible via stairs.
Tokyo: We went to Card Secret in Ikebukuro. It was heavily recommend online, but in my opinion it wasn’t worth it. The staff wasn’t very helpful and their stock for both modern and old cards was picked out.
In Akihabara, we stopped at Mandarake. The selection was slim and unfortunately I didn’t see any of those mystery cubes on sale. The neighborhood is super crowded and crazy. Junk Street has a lot of hidden stores. I bought an WOTC oripa block from おたちゅう。秋葉原2号店 トレカ館.
Kyoto: Mandarake in Kyoto is located in Takashimaya, a large department store. Again, the selection was okay. I really liked Champion, located in Gion. They had a nice selection of newer and older cards. Check out their Instagram page. The Pokémon Center in Kyoto was significantly less crowded than the one we visited in Shibuya.
Osaka: I had the best time card hunting in Osaka. Nipponbashi is the place to visit. There are a ton of card stores on Ota Road. I easily could’ve spent an entire day card hunting here if my schedule allowed.
Tips: Be sure to check out Bookoffs (a thrift store). They’re located throughout Japan and sell a lot of modern cards, often at a discount.
For reference, 1,000 yen equals about $6.75. Old WOTC Japanese cards were significantly cheaper than U.S.prices.
Yellow stickers indicate damaged cards, but even then they’re fine to throw in a binder. Japanese card quality is better than English cards.
I didn’t have the time to meticulously sort through each store’s bargain bin. If you can, I’m sure you’ll find some cool cards.
If you see something, don’t be hesitant to buy it as long as it’s within your price range. I’m kicking myself for saying I’d come back to a store, only to lose its location and/or forget about it.
Vending machine card packs can be a hit or miss. If you find one in a touristy area, you’ll probably be dinged.
Get lost! Sometimes traveling can just feel like you’re going through a checklist of things to see. I stumbled upon some of the best card stores by random chance.
I can PM a list of stores on Google Maps if you’re interested.
Safe travels and happy hunting!
Thanks for sharing this. How has your overall experience been as a foreigner as of late? I have heard not good things as of late due to bad behavior of foreigners increasing over there.
edit: ninja! I got presaged on “influencer” behavior, thanks @piplupstan37 Sad to hear. The internet was a mistake!
My last trip was in December 2024/January 2025 and there I have solely been to Kyushu/Okinawa but I could not say that anyone treated me badly or was annoyed by me. I think the key is to be polite and respectful at all times, as Japanese culture is centered a lot around those two attributes. Whenever I spoke to a Japanese person I started the conversation with a small bow and always had a smile on my face.
I think a lot of negativity towards foreigners in Japan at the moment is due to the reason that some/many people simply behave shitty and don’t show any respect for Japanese culture and etiquette.
I will be back in Japan in a couple of months and can share my experience in this regard after that trip again.
Also forgot:
When shopping (not just limited to card stores), bring your cash and passport with you. Some stores only accept cash, and if you spent a minimum of 5,000 yen at a single store, your purchase is tax-free.
One great thing about Japan is that tax-free deductions are automatically applied at each store, as long as you show your passport. Unlike in Europe, you don’t need to keep your receipts or check in at the airport VAT counter when leaving the country.
IMO, the indicator of a good vacation is whether or not you’d return to the country. I’d travel to Japan again in a heartbeat. It was clean, the people were welcoming, and as two young women traveling, we felt safe throughout the trip.
No matter where you go, you’re bound to run into raucous tourists. I’ve even encountered some influencer Chads at local card shows! Some tourists, who are guests in someone else’s home country, act as if they own the place. One intangible joy of traveling is the sense of superiority you feel when watching tourists misbehave.
Just to correct this, not every single store offers tax free shopping (however a lot do, so it is true that you should bring your passport just in case).
And to give the complete picture, the system of tax free deductions directly at the store will be changed in November 2026 (so still some time left). Afterwards Japan will also implement the system that is used in other countries around the world with the refunds at counters at the airport.
Hello! I live in Japan, so feel free to message me or reply to me on here if you have any questions. I’m sometimes slow to respond but I’ll do it when I check the forum
スリーブから出してもいいですか？ (sureebu kara dashite mo iidesuka?) - can I take it out of the sleeve?
I had not seen anyone say that yet, and I think this is a good phrase to know as some stores do not allow you to touch the cards with your hands, so if you ask this and they say okay you know you can take it out and inspect it.
Thanks for the ping
I went to Japan in both 2023 and 2024 and visited around 450 shops.
I summarized the journey and gave advice in these two threads:
They should give you a solid idea of what to expect and how to navigate things over there.
One key point: don’t try to haggle unless you’re familiar with the Japanese culture. It’s considered quite rude.
When you’re looking for cards, try to pre-select the cards you want before calling over a store clerk, and don’t ask to see more than 4 or 5 cards at a time unless you’re planning to buy them all.
Also, don’t expect them to speak English. Many Japanese people are quite shy about speaking it, and even in Tokyo, it’s often more effective to use a translator app if you want to say anything beyond the few basic Pokémon-related phrases they hear regularly.
Everything else should be covered in my guides.
Others have already shared lots of useful tips, so I kept it short. But feel free to reach out if you have any more questions
Here are some polite phrases you can use in shops. You’ll notice the word onegaishimasu appears repeatedly in the phrases below, it means please.
| Phrase: | I’d like to look at an item in the showcase |
|---|---|
| Spelling | ショーケースお願いします |
| Romaji | shoukeisu onegaishimasu |
| Context | Not perfectly grammatical, but in the context of a cardshop everyone knows what this means |
| Phrase | I’ll take this/these |
|---|---|
| Spelling | こちらをお願いします |
| Romaji | kochira wo onegaishimasu |
| Context | You can say this for any transaction i.e. pointing at a menu |
| Phrase | I want to cancel these |
|---|---|
| Spelling | こちらはキャンセルでお願いいたします |
| Romaji | kochira wa kyanseru de onegaishimasu |
| Context | After looking at some cards from the showcase but deciding not to buy them |
| Phrase | May I take it out of the sleeve |
|---|---|
| Spelling | スリーブから出してもいいですか |
| Romaji | suriibu kara dashite mo iidesuka |
| Context | If it’s not okay to take the card out of the sleeve the staff will usually handle the card for you instead |
I’ve found that familiarizing yourself with the Japanese sounds greatly improves pronunciation, here’s a guide if you’re interested. You don’t need to bow to shop staff.
The news tends to generalize the actions of a few bad actors to all non-Japanese i.e. Johnny Somali. Hurts to hear when my friends tell me most crime is committed by less than 1% of the population.
Can you share your list of stores? I’m going in one week 