Shopping at Japanese stores online

Sakura
edited April 2012 in Japanese
Living in the U.S. for over 10 years, I sometimes miss Japanese products. Just like Americans, Japanese people shop a lot online nowadays, but not many stores offer international shipping. 

There are two internet superstores that I use frequently. If you can't wait to get some cool Japanese products until your next trip to Japan, these URLs may come in handy.

Amazon.co.jp

Rakuten Market


Although Amazon does offer all different kinds of products, only books and DVDs are eligible for international shipping. They also note that some DVDs may not be able to ship overseas. So you really should count on Amazon only when it comes to books.

Rakuten, on the other hand, offers a variety of products for shipping overseas. This is basically a shopping mall containing many different small stores. If you buy something very very light (such as a ring, a necklace, etc.), the shipping fee might be as low as a few bucks.

Both sites have good English "FAQ" and "help" pages to guide you through the shopping process, but if you have any general questions about shopping online, post your questions on this thread!

Happy shopping :)

Comments

  • TJS
    I have found an online store that has many modern items from Japan, White Rabbit

    They have a publishing section http://whiterabbitpress.com/


    If you have a special item that you want they will find it in Japan and ship it to you.

    Tom
  • Sakura
    Awesome! Thanks for sharing. ありがとう。(^-^)
  • fmp0011
    Anybody know a good website where I can grab some cool Japanese rock tees? Like Asian Kung Fu Generation or the pillows or anything like that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
  • Sakura
    So their official merchandise site is the following, right?

    But they don't ship overseas. That's the problem.

    Tenso.com offers a service where you are assigned "a Japanese address" to shop at any site that does not ship overseas. Then Tenso.com will forward the product to you.

    Then there are also places that offer full services, such as Urban Shipping Service. You tell them what you want, and they'll get it & ship it for you. (I'm sure this kind of service costs more though.) The site, White Rabbit, which Tom suggested above also seems to belong to this type of service providers.


  • fmp0011
    ありがとおうございます Sakura san. That helps a lot.
  • Sakura
    どういたしまして！(You're welcome!)　(^-^)
  • Sakura
    edited April 2012
    Disclaimer: Sakura and Living Language do not affiliate, endorse, or assume responsibility for any web sites mentioned in this thread, and are not liable for their content, services, or activities.

  • iddqd
    edited May 2014
    Thanks for sharing.
    Tenso is good, I used it several times for some stuff from Rakuten.
    Recently I prefer http://zenmarket.jp/en/ . It works as buying service but in most cases it is even cheaper than tenso. Also they help to look for stuff for free.
  • Sakura
    This looks nice. Thanks!
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