Cards from Japan

Cards from Japan is a U.S. collector’s guide to Japanese-language trading cards — Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, grading and more.

Launching Fall 2026

A U.S. collector's guide to Japanese trading cards.

How to identify Japanese-language Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Gundam and other cards, how they differ from English releases, how grading works and how to get them shipped to the United States — written from official game sites, grading company pages and marketplace help pages.

Guide articles

All 85 guides →

Answers to common questions about Japanese trading cards, written from official game sites, grading company pages and marketplace help pages.

Getting started

8 articlesAll of getting started →
Getting startedWhere should a U.S. collector start with Japanese trading cards?Start by identifying the card, not by looking up a price. A Japanese card is pinned down by its game, language, product code, and card number, and a…Read the guide →Getting startedHow can you get Japanese trading cards shipped to the U.S.?Most U.S. buyers use a Japan-based store that ships worldwide or an official channel such as Premium Bandai's U.S. site for Bandai exclusives. Pokémon…Read the guide →Getting startedWhat actually changes between the Japanese and English version of a card?The two versions are separately produced products, and the pack size, price, and release date can all differ even when the card list is identical. In…Read the guide →Getting startedHow is a booster box different from a pack, a case, or a single?A booster pack is the smallest sealed unit, a booster box holds a set number of the same pack, and a case holds several boxes. A single is one…Read the guide →Getting startedShould you collect sealed product or single cards?If you want a particular card, buy the single. If the unopened box or pack is the thing you want to own, buy sealed. Graded cards sit in between as a…Read the guide →Getting startedWhich sleeves actually fit Japanese card games?The safest fit is the official sleeve made by the publisher of the game you play. Only some publishers print dimensions: the Pokémon Deck Shield…Read the guide →Getting startedWhich card games make cards for my favorite anime?Often more than one. Chainsaw Man, Re:ZERO, GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime all appear in the title lists of…Read the guide →Getting startedCan I find a Japanese card's English name on the official sites?For Yu-Gi-Oh!, the ONE PIECE Card Game, the GUNDAM CARD GAME, and Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World, yes. The Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! database page…Read the guide →

Pokémon

24 articlesAll of pokémon →
PokémonHow do you tell exactly which Japanese Pokémon card you are looking at?Read the marks printed on the card. The expansion mark tells you which product the card came from, and the collection number tells you its place in…Read the guide →PokémonWhat should you know before buying a Japanese Pokémon booster box?Identify the box by the official Japanese product name and set code, because that is what tells you which pack is inside. Pack types differ a lot: a…Read the guide →PokémonHow is a Pokémon booster box different from an Elite Trainer Box or a Booster Bundle?The difference is how many packs you get and what comes with them. For the English expansion Destined Rivals, the Booster Display Box held 36 packs…Read the guide →PokémonWhere can you find the full card list for a Japanese Pokémon set?Start from the set's page on the official Japanese site and follow its カードリスト (card list) link. It opens the official card search already filtered to…Read the guide →PokémonWhat do AR and SAR mean on Japanese Pokémon cards, and how do they compare with English rarity stars?Japanese cards mark rarity with letter codes such as AR, SR, and SAR. English cards, starting with the Scarlet & Violet series, use black circles…Read the guide →PokémonWhat separates a Japanese 151 listing from an English one?Japan's Pokémon Card 151 is an enhanced expansion released June 16, 2023, sold in 7-card packs at ¥290 and marked SV2a on each card. The English 151…Read the guide →PokémonWhat is in a Terastal Festival ex pack?Terastal Festival ex is a Japanese high-class pack released December 6, 2024, with 10 cards for ¥550 and the expansion mark SV8a. The official page…Read the guide →PokémonWhat makes VSTAR Universe different from other Japanese Pokémon packs?VSTAR Universe is a Sword & Shield high-class pack released in Japan on December 2, 2022, with 10 cards for ¥550 and the expansion mark s12a. It is…Read the guide →PokémonWhat came out for the Pokémon Card Game's 30th anniversary?The main release is the 30th CELEBRATION expansion pack, launched worldwide on September 16, 2026. In Japan each pack holds six holo cards for ¥360…Read the guide →PokémonCan a sealed Pokémon product still be something other than what the factory packed?Yes. Japan's official Pokémon Card Game site warns about seller-made "oripa" packs, about "searched" packs and boxes that have had the hits pulled…Read the guide →PokémonDo Pokémon card packs differ in card count and price?They do. In Japan, the Inferno X expansion pack launched at 5 cards for ¥180, the Pokémon Card 151 enhanced expansion pack at 7 cards for ¥290, and…Read the guide →PokémonCan you tell which product or campaign a Pokémon promo card came from?Often, yes, because Pokémon's official product pages list the promos packed in each product. On the English side, the official pages show Elite…Read the guide →PokémonHow can you tell a Japanese Pikachu card is a promo?Look at the collection number. Japanese promos carry a promo code after the number, such as "SV-P" or "S-P," and the official card search lists where…Read the guide →PokémonWhy are there several Japanese Charizard ex cards with the same name?Because one Japanese expansion often prints Charizard ex several times at different rarities. The 2023 set 黒炎の支配者 has four Charizard ex cards, each…Read the guide →PokémonHow do you get from a Pokémon's name to the exact Japanese single you want?Type the name into Japan's official card search, then open each result's detail page, which shows the product, collection number, rarity mark, and…Read the guide →PokémonWhere do the prices on Pokémon card price sites come from?Each site builds its number from a different pool of sales. TCGplayer's Market Price averages recent sales on TCGplayer, while PriceCharting uses sold…Read the guide →PokémonWhat actually tells you a Japanese Pokémon card is rare?Official Pokémon sources tell you a card's rarity within its set and which product or campaign it came from. Grading companies publish counts, but…Read the guide →PokémonWhere does a graded Pokémon card's record say it is Japanese?For PSA-graded cards, look up the cert number on PSA's site. The language is part of the Brand/Title field, as in "POKEMON JAPANESE PROMO." The cert…Read the guide →PokémonWhat does the 10 in a PSA 10 Pokémon card actually measure?Condition. PSA grades each card on a 1 to 10 scale with 10 as the best, and a PSA 10 shows as "GEM MT 10" on the label and on the cert page. PSA…Read the guide →PokémonCan you walk into a Tokyo Pokémon Center on release day and buy new cards?Not always. For the 30th CELEBRATION expansion released September 16, 2026, Pokémon Center MEGA TOKYO sold packs only to people who won an advance…Read the guide →PokémonCan you order from Pokémon Center Online if you live outside Japan?No. Pokémon Center Online delivers only to addresses in Japan, and its delivery guide says it does not accept overseas delivery. Some card products…Read the guide →PokémonDo Korean and Chinese Pokémon cards get the same expansions as Japan?At least some do. The 2026 30th CELEBRATION expansion is listed with a September 16 release on the Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese official sites, and…Read the guide →PokémonHow are 1999 Base Set Pokémon cards split into 1st Edition, Shadowless, and the rest?PSA's Set Registry lists the 1999 English Base Set as separate sets, including 1st Edition, Shadowless, and Basic Set. The Pokémon Company's corporate…Read the guide →PokémonWhat is Pikachu Illustrator, the Pokémon card that set the auction record?It is a Pikachu card that was never sold in stores. Guinness World Records says it was released only as a prize in a 1998 illustration contest and was…Read the guide →

One Piece

15 articlesAll of one piece →
One PieceWhat do you need to buy to start playing the One Piece Card Game?One Starter Deck. Each one holds a 51-card constructed deck that includes the Leader, 10 DON!! cards, and a playsheet, which matches the setup the…Read the guide →One PieceHow much earlier do Japanese One Piece sets come out than English ones?For most sets so far, the Japanese version has arrived about two and a half to four and a half months before the English one. OP-01 launched in Japan…Read the guide →One PieceWhat is actually inside a One Piece card "box"?A booster box holds packs from a single set, and some sets add one box-topper card. Other boxed products, such as the Premium Card Collections…Read the guide →One PieceWill a One Piece booster box get you the full set?Not necessarily. Cards are packed at random, and the English page for OP-12 warns that "multiples of one card may appear, or it may be difficult to…Read the guide →One PieceHow do you find one exact card in the official One Piece Card List?Pick the set from the Recording menu, narrow the list by color, card type, or illustration type, and then settle on the card number. Standard and…Read the guide →One PieceWhat do OP, EB, PRB, ST, and P mean in One Piece card codes?They name the product type. OP is a booster pack, EB an Extra Booster, PRB a Premium Booster, and ST a Starter Deck, while P is used for promotion…Read the guide →One PieceCan you play Japanese One Piece cards at English tournaments?Not in North America, Latin America, or Oceania. The English Tournament Rules Manual requires English cards for the Leader and Main Deck at every…Read the guide →One PieceWhere do One Piece promo cards come from?They are handed out as tournament prizes and participation packs, in official promotion card sets, and through collaborations with other companies…Read the guide →One PieceHow many kinds of DON!! cards are there?Beyond the plain DON!! cards that come ten to a Starter Deck, many boosters and promotions carry DON!! cards with their own artwork. PREMIUM BOOSTER…Read the guide →One PieceDo One Piece Starter Decks differ in price and contents?Yes, in price and extras. The official site describes a Starter Deck as a preconstructed 50-card deck, one Leader card, 10 DON!! cards, and three…Read the guide →One PieceHow many different cards are in One Piece OP-01 Romance Dawn?Romance Dawn has 121 card types: 8 Leaders, 45 Commons, 30 Uncommons, 26 Rares, 10 Super Rares, and 2 Secret Rares. Some of those also exist as…Read the guide →One PieceIs "manga rare" an official One Piece card rarity?No. The official Card List has no rarity called manga rare or manga parallel. Art drawn from manga panels is an Illustration Type, labeled Comic on…Read the guide →One PieceCan you look up Japanese One Piece card sales apart from English ones?On PriceCharting, yes. Japanese and English cards sit in separate sets, so OP-01 appears once as One Piece Romance Dawn and again as One Piece…Read the guide →One PieceWill PSA and CGC grade One Piece cards?Both do. PSA says it grades vintage, modern, and TCG cards, and its cert lookup returns One Piece cards filed under the TCG Cards category. CGC says…Read the guide →One PieceHow does a turn play out in the ONE PIECE Card Game?Every turn runs through five phases: Refresh, Draw, DON!!, Main, and End. You draw a card, add two DON!! cards, and then play cards and attack during…Read the guide →

Yu-Gi-Oh!

10 articlesAll of yu-gi-oh! →
Yu-Gi-Oh!What changes between a Japanese OCG Yu-Gi-Oh! card and its English TCG version?The card name and art can match, but the OCG in Japan and the TCG in English run on separate release schedules, separate products, and separate…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!What size sleeves fit Yu-Gi-Oh! cards?KONAMI's official Japanese sleeves, sold as Duelist Card Protectors, fit cards up to 59 mm by 86 mm and come 70 to a pack. That figure is the sleeve's…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!How can you tell a Yu-Gi-Oh! card's rarity by looking at it?For the five basic rarities, look at two places, the card name and the artwork. A Rare has a silver foil name and plain art, a Super Rare has plain…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!Can you look up a Yu-Gi-Oh! card by the number printed on it?Yes. KONAMI's official card database has a Search by Card Number option, and entering QCCP-JP001 returns a single card, Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!Which Yu-Gi-Oh! cards were never sold in stores?Mostly tournament prize cards. KONAMI's YCS FAQ lists an Ultra Rare Anotherverse Stratios prize card for first place and a Super Rare version for…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!When did Quarter Century Secret Rares come out, and are they still being printed?Quarter Century Secret Rare is the 25th anniversary rarity. It debuted in Japan in RARITY COLLECTION -QUARTER CENTURY EDITION- on February 18, 2023…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!Can the official database show how many artworks a Yu-Gi-Oh! card has?Yes. Each card page in the official Yu-Gi-Oh! card database shows the card's illustrations as a row of numbered thumbnails. Dark Magician has 17 on…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!How do you play Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel?Rush Duel is a faster Yu-Gi-Oh! card game from KONAMI. You draw until you hold five cards at the start of every turn, and you can Normal Summon as…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!What do you need to build a Yu-Gi-Oh! deck, and how do you win a duel?A Main Deck is 40 to 60 cards made from three kinds of cards: Monsters, Spells, and Traps. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters go in a separate…Read the guide →Yu-Gi-Oh!Can the card number tell you how early a Yu-Gi-Oh! card is?It helps. In the official database, the four 1999 Japanese printings of Blue-Eyes White Dragon (the STARTER BOX theater edition, the STARTER BOX, a V…Read the guide →

Gundam

5 articlesAll of gundam →
GundamWhat do I need to start playing the Gundam Card Game?The official play guide calls for a 50-card deck, a 10-card Resource Deck, Token Cards, and damage counters such as dice. A starter deck covers all of…Read the guide →GundamHow many Gundam Card Game booster sets are out so far?Five main booster sets, GD01 through GD05, plus the collaboration Extra Booster EB01, were out by September 2026. GD06 Stardust Trails is scheduled…Read the guide →GundamWhat do Gundam Card Game codes like ST05 and SC01 mean?The letters name the product type. ST is a starter deck, GD a booster pack, EB an Extra Booster, and SC a deck-building box. ST05, for example, is…Read the guide →GundamCan Japanese Gundam Card Game cards go in the same deck as English ones?It depends on where you play. Under the official language rules, Japan and South Korea use Japanese cards only, and North America, Latin America…Read the guide →GundamHow many Units, Pilots, Commands, and Bases go in a GUNDAM CARD GAME deck?The rules only set the totals: exactly 50 cards, no more than two colors, and up to four copies of any card number. The mix is up to you, but the…Read the guide →

Weiss Schwarz

5 articlesAll of weiss schwarz →
Weiss SchwarzHow do you win a game of Weiss Schwarz?You win by pushing your opponent to level 4. Both players start at level 0, damage piles up as face-up cards in the clock, and every seventh clock…Read the guide →Weiss SchwarzWhere are English Weiss Schwarz sets sold?Each English product page lists its own sales territories, and they vary a lot. Azur Lane is sold worldwide except Japan. PIXAR CHARACTERS…Read the guide →Weiss SchwarzHow many packs come in a Weiss Schwarz booster box?It depends on the edition and the set. Japanese boxes switched to 10 packs (¥4,400 including tax) under a spec change that began in April 2026; older…Read the guide →Weiss SchwarzIs Weiss Schwarz Disney100 available in English?No. Disney100 is a Japanese booster released on April 7, 2023, and it appears nowhere on the English site, not in the 16-page product archive, the…Read the guide →Weiss SchwarzHow can you tell which series a Weiss Schwarz card belongs to?Look at the letters before the slash in the card number. The Japanese deck rules call this the title code and give BD/W47-001 as the example, where BD…Read the guide →

Dragon Ball

6 articlesAll of dragon ball →
Dragon BallWhich Dragon Ball card game does my card belong to?Most Dragon Ball cards released since 2016 come from one of four games. Fusion World and the DRAGON BALL SUPER CARD GAME (MASTERS) are tabletop card…Read the guide →Dragon BallWhat do I need to start playing Dragon Ball Fusion World?One starter deck is enough. The English STARTER DECK -SON GOKU- [FS01] sells for $11.99 and contains a ready-to-play 51-card deck, an Energy Marker, a…Read the guide →Dragon BallHow many cards are in a Japanese Fusion World pack compared with an English one?A Japanese Fusion World pack holds 6 cards and an English pack holds 12. For CROSS FORCE [FB10], that meant 6 cards plus a digital code for ¥220 in…Read the guide →Dragon BallCan a Dragon Ball card number tell me which product it came from?Usually. In the DRAGON BALL SUPER CARD GAME (MASTERS), BT16-001 comes from booster DBS-B16 and SD17-01 from starter deck DBS-SD17. Some prefixes do…Read the guide →Dragon BallHow does a graded Dragon Ball card show up in PSA and BGS records?A PSA certification page splits the card into separate fields for year, product, character, card number, and variety. For TB1-097 Son Goku from the…Read the guide →Dragon BallWhen did the old Dragon Ball Carddass sets come out?Dragon Ball Carddass started in 1988. The first set arrived in November 1988 and the fourth in April 1990, sold from vending machines in Japan at 20…Read the guide →

Union Arena

3 articlesAll of union arena →
Union ArenaWhat kind of card game is Union Arena?UNION ARENA calls itself a "Common Rules Trading Card Game." Titles such as BLEACH, JUJUTSU KAISEN, and CODE GEASS all play under one rulebook, so…Read the guide →Union ArenaAre Japanese and English Union Arena sets the same product?No. The official rules treat the Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese releases as separate versions, and the product codes split too, with UA for…Read the guide →Union ArenaHow do you tell which Union Arena product a JJK card came from?Read the part of the card number before the slash. In the official English Card List, choosing JUJUTSU KAISEN under Select Title returns 430 results…Read the guide →

Grading

9 articlesAll of grading →
GradingWhat should you check before buying a graded card?A slab is a card that a grading company has assessed and sealed in a hard holder, with the grade and a certification number printed on the label…Read the guide →GradingDoes a 10 mean the same thing at PSA, BGS, and CGC?No. All three top out at 10, but each company writes its own standard. CGC splits its 10 into Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 10, and Beckett also calls its…Read the guide →GradingWhat happens after you send a card to PSA for grading?PSA's cheapest open tier in the U.S. is Standard at $59.99 a card, with an estimated 90 to 100 business days. The card either comes back sealed in a…Read the guide →GradingWhat do the four small numbers on a BGS label mean?They are subgrades for centering, corners, edges, and surface. BGS gives an overall grade from 1 to 10 in half-point steps, calling a 10 Pristine and…Read the guide →GradingHow much does CGC charge per card, and what won't it grade?For direct U.S. submissions, CGC Cards' cheapest tier is Bulk at $17 a card (25-card minimum, $500 maximum value), followed by Economy at $20. Both…Read the guide →GradingDo graded card boxes and sleeves fit every grader's slabs?Not necessarily. Storage makers name the graders each product is meant for, and the lists differ. BCW's cardboard graded box and its resealable graded…Read the guide →GradingBesides mailing, how else can you send cards to PSA in the U.S.?An order you create on PSA's website or app can be handed in at a local submission event instead of being mailed. You can also skip the online order…Read the guide →GradingCan a PSA cert page tell you how many copies of a card have been graded?Only part of the picture. A cert page opens without signing in and shows the card details, the grade, and a figure called PSA Pop Higher. The full…Read the guide →GradingHow do TAG, SGC, and Ace grade differently from PSA, BGS, and CGC?The biggest differences are in how the grade is scored and what comes with it. TAG converts a 1,000-point score into a 1 to 10 grade and includes a…Read the guide →

Guides

Japanese printings are their own release

Japanese cards are printed and released separately from English ones. Set names, set codes and card numbers can differ between the two, so compare the code and number on the card itself rather than the English set name.

Reading a graded label

A graded card has been sealed in a case by a grading company, with the grade and a certification number on the label. Most graders let you look up that number on their own website — check it against the photos before you buy.

Singles, graded or sealed

Singles are individual raw cards, graded cards are in a grading company's case, and sealed products (booster boxes, packs, decks and sets) are unopened. The product name and the seller's description say what is actually included.

Buying from a seller in Japan

Cards bought from a seller in Japan are sent to the United States by international carriers such as Japan Post or FedEx. The seller's listing is the final word on shipping cost, delivery estimate and any import charges — check it before you check out.

Why Cards from Japan

Written from the source

Each guide is written from official game sites, grading company pages and marketplace help pages, and lists those pages under Sources so you can check them yourself.

Nothing for sale

This site doesn't sell cards, run ads or carry affiliate links, and no publisher, store or seller pays to be mentioned.

We don't grade or appraise

We don't inspect or authenticate cards, put a value on them or say whether a card will go up in price.

FAQ

Do you sell cards?

No. Cards from Japan is a free guide site. It doesn't hold inventory, take payments or list cards for sale.

Where does the information in the guides come from?

From the official sites of each card game and publisher, grading company pages and marketplace help pages. Every guide lists its sources at the end and shows the date it was published.

Do the guides tell me what a card is worth?

No. The guides explain how to identify cards and how grading, pricing sites and shipping work, but they don't value individual cards or predict prices.

Is anyone paying for what's written here?

No. There are no ads, sponsored posts or affiliate links on this site, and no one pays to be mentioned. See the terms of use.

Something in a guide looks wrong — what do I do?

Let us know at [email protected] and we'll take a look.