Hey guys, please forgive the first post being sloppy, maybe this would be better posted somewhere else, or better yet, it has probably been discussed on here. The skinny of what I am looking for is how do I learn more about Japanese sets? I have been plugged in to modern English releases since Evolutions came out, but I am starting to get an interest in Japanese cards, both older and modern. Are there any good resources that could help get me atleast familiar with sets, how to collect, and how to know if I am paying fair prices for cards? I feel like I am almost starting over in the hobby looking at the Japanese side of things lol. Anyways, thanks for any insight anyone has!
7 Likes
Bulbapedia is your best friend! Pokumon is also a great resource for information around releases of promo cards, and it’s run by someone here on E4! I personally spend most of my time bouncing back and forth between the two when there’s something more specific I want to know about any given card or event.
If you’re mainly concerned about prices, it kinda depends for me on whether you’re interested in graded or raw. For graded, TCGFish (also run by someone here on E4) has a great layout of price history, population, etc. I would use this along with multiple sites like PWCC sales history, ebay last sold to come up with a price I’m comfortable with. For raw, I kinda just do whatever I feel like paying for a card after browsing eBay last sold lol.
12 Likes
This forum in general is a great source. Bulbapedia can help out quite a bit as well. Each set will have a page on Bulbapedia that will show the English and Japanese version of the set if applicable.
Another great thing about Bulbapedia is on a card’s page, it will have the set it’s from in both English and Japanese. A lot of times a card is released in each language’s version of the same set, however there are also plenty of examples of the same card in different languages having completely different releases. The first modern example I can think of is the Mew ex from 151 being a promo in English but part of the main set in Japanese. The card pages on Bulbapedia will help show those differences, which also sometimes lead to significant price discrepancies between languages depending on the different releases.
7 Likes
if information about the history is valuable for you the side https://pokumon.com/ is awesome.
Pro It could be beneficial to get a “feeling” for some Cards ( if you know how they promoted back then it cant hurt)
Con wont help with getting actual Prices and an idea if you do a good deal or not.
2 Likes
The Japanese side goes a lot deeper than English. It can be overwhelming. I recommend just starting small. Pick a nice set or subset or some kind of simple goal to start.
For example I started collecting Japanese with the 2001 JR Rally set ( ex. JR Rally Cards (completed) - #8 by cutters ). Just pick your favorite era and a set you like and jump in
1 Like
You have just opened Pandora’s box, it can never be closed again.
Take your time, find your niche and try to get a focus in. Early sets holo cards are dirt cheap, especially in psa 9 now. Would be a good and easy start in my opinion. Have fun!
4 Likes
May your wallet rest in peace.
This is a photo of mine.
Had to bring in the examiner and take a sample to identify the remains. It was tragic.
4 Likes
A great way to learn about Japanese Pokémon cards is to hold a forum member like Brendan or myself at gunpoint and demand we tell you everything we know.
5 Likes
If you are looking for sets I would use this. Pokemon Card Series & Sets @ Pokellector
you see ever set that was sold for the public in japan.
Promos like CoroCoro and other stuff I just hope someone on E4 talks about it or Check if you have a Japanese Bookstore (book off or Kinokuniya) near you. I have one and usually check the CoroCoro Magazines to see if any pokemon promos are given. I live in NJ so I know NY and NJ has Japanese book stores. Just a quick google search away.
1 Like
welcome to the forum @Stevo! I like others here mentioned use Bulbapedia, TCG Fish and Pokemun for info. I too started small in Japanese
Pokemon. I started off with Vending then moved to promos like tainer magazine promos and slowly moved to other areas of the Japanese Pokemon world.
1 Like
Thanks for all the support! I have already learned quite a bit with the sources you guys provided. Now I am getting way ahead of myself, but if I were to go to Japan, could I buy these cards I am seeing on Ebay for much less than they sell online? Has anyone ever done this? I was stationed in Japan a few years ago and would like to take the wife. If I could take a day to explore some local card shops that would be awesome, and I would love some insight into that if anyone can provide.
1 Like
Many people buy from Japan directly using a service such as Buyee - IMO it’s much cheaper than ebay for Japanese cards. I mainly buy from Mercari and Yahoo Auctions but there are other online marketplaces.
Shipping can be a little expensive sometimes for just one item, so it’s worth making a few orders before combining them all together and shipping them as one package instead.
You can search using the Japanese Pokemon names (they can be found in bulbapedia for example) or the Japanese set names.
I have no experience in going in person to Japan, but other members have done so and can hopefully provide some more advice.
Welcome to the forum! It’d be great to see your future collection!
3 Likes
I would recommend reading this thread.
1 Like
@Dyl linked my thread. Thank you for that.
There you will find some helpful points.
Apart from that I can tell you that there a definitely deals to find. But you can not just go to Akihabara and except to find them. You have to be willing to go to smaller cities/ shops. And focus not on hype or waifu cards since they are always overpriced.
Oh and always check the back of the cards. Most cards had an incredible clean front but the backside was often very worn.
But if you just want to buy some set cards from the past 1-3 sets you will find good prices in most shops if you are not going for the chase cards there.
In this thread I summarized my purchases with prices and gave some advice about what to expect when going to shops in Japan. Maybe this helps as well:
Let me know if you’ve got other questions 
1 Like