There are two common ways of ordering items from Japan: Either use a proxy shopping service who will order an item for you, or use a forwarding service who will assign a Japanese address that you can use when ordering from a shop directly. The second option still requires that you know how to read Japanese so you can sign up for an account, and while some sites accept PayPal now, others do not and you will need a credit card (and some sites only take Japanese credit cards). This guide will show you how to do the first process.
Step 1: Sign Up For A Proxy Service
One of the most popular proxy services is FromJapan. You can search for items directly through their website, but they can order just about anything for you, as long as you can send them the link to the item.
If you sign up using the link/image above, you can get 300 points (equal to 300 yen or about $3 USD) which you can use towards a future purchase.
Step 2: Finding The Japanese Store's Search Bar
Start with a shop selling items; here are some of the most common options:New/Pre-Order Items:
Secondhand Items (some new items may be sold as well)
Choose a store and look for their search bar--next to it you may see a magnifying glass button or a button that says "検索."
Step 3: Searching By Series or Character
Most likely you will have to search for what you want in Japanese. If you can’t type in Japanese, here’s a list of character names and subseries that you can copy and paste into the search field:Uta no Prince-samaうたの☆プリンスさまっ | ||
Ittoki Otoya一十木音也 | Hijirikawa Masato聖川真斗 | Shinomiya Natsuki四ノ宮那月 |
Ichinose Tokiya一ノ瀬トキヤ | Jinguji Ren神宮寺レン | Kurusu Syo来栖翔 |
Aijima Cecil愛島セシル | Kotobuki Reiji寿嶺二 | Kurosaki Ranmaru黒崎蘭丸 |
Mikaze Ai美風藍 | Camusカミュ |
Otori Eiichi鳳瑛一 | Sumeragi Kira皇綺羅 | Mikado Nagi帝ナギ |
Otori Eiji鳳瑛二 | Kiryuin Van桐生院ヴァン | Hyuga Yamato日向大和 |
Amakusa Shion
天草シオン
|
Nanami Haruka七海春歌 | Tsukimiya Ringo
月宮林檎
| Hyuga Ryuya
日向龍也
|
Shibuya Tomochika
渋谷友千香
| Shining Saotome
シャイニング早乙女
| Raging Otoriレイジング鳳 |
PRINCE CAT
Rosso (Otoya)ロッソ | Cielo (Masato)シエロ | Citron (Natsuki)シトロン |
Iris (Tokiya)アイリス | Arancia (Ren)アランチャ | Rosy (Syo)ロージー |
Lime (Cecil)ライム | Verde (Reiji)ヴェルデ | Granata (Ranmaru)グラナータ |
Lilas (Ai)リラ | Aqua (Camus)アクア |
Rubino (Eiichi)ルビーノ | Lapis (Kira)ラピス | Rutile (Nagi)ルチル |
Amethys (Eiji)アメジス | Canelia (Van)カネリア | Paradscha (Yamato)パラチア |
Perido (Shion)ペリド |
Step 4: Search by Item Type
Now that you've narrowed down your search by series or character, if you're looking for a specific type of item, you can copy and paste from this guide:
Can Badge
缶バッジ
| Mirrorミラー
| Keychain
キーホルダー
|
Rubber Strap
ラバーストラップ
| Strap (other types)
ストラップ
| Plushie
ぬいぐるみ
|
Charm
チャーム
| Figurineフィギュア | Acrylic (clear plastic)アクリル |
Tote Bagトート | Pouchポーチ | T-shirtTシャツ |
Clear Fileクリアファイル | Pass Caseパスケース | Prince Parkaプリンスパーカー |
Prince Headphonesプリンスヘッドホン | Clear Coat Bagクリアコートバッグ | Clear Coat Backpackクリアコートリュック |
Illustration Board色紙 | Drama CDドラマCD | Purchase Bonus/Novelty購入特典 |
Setsugetsuka
雪月花
| Animate Exclusive
アニメイト限定
| NuiStar
ぬいスター
|
Step 5: Copy the Item's URL
Once you find the item you're looking for, you'll need to copy the page's URL and paste it into FromJapan's search bar, either by right-clicking the link and using "Copy Link Address" or visiting the page and copying the address from the address bar in your browser: |
| (Option 1: Right-click the item's link and choose "Copy Link" or however your browser words it) |
 |
| (Option 2: Go to the Item's page and copy the URL from the address bar) |
Step 6: Paste the URL into your Shopping Service
The shopping service you use should provide you with instructions on how to provide them with the URL for the item you want. For FromJapan, you just have to paste the link in their search bar and fill in the details that they ask for:
From there, follow the shopping service's instructions on how to order. It can take some time at first, but the more often you do it, the easier it gets.
Using a Forwarding Service
As mentioned at the beginning of this guide, the difference between a "proxy" service and a "forwarding" service is that the forwarding service doesn't purchase the item on your behalf; they simply provide you with a Japanese address so you can create an account on the shopping website of your choice.
I only have limited knowledge with forwarding services from when I used them myself, but since the COVID-19 pandemic I've received testimony from buyers about their own experience with them and will list the ones that are most commonly used:
Extra Tips:
- Keep in mind that some sites (especially Animate and Broccoli Official Store) may list items that are no longer available. If you see something like "販売終了" "売れ切り" or "在庫無し" it means that the item is sold out. "予約終了" means the pre-order period has ended.
- FromJapan accepts requests for pre-orders, but keep in mind the item's order deadline! Order early so that they have time to process your request. Japan is about a half a day ahead of the United States, so a deadline on Monday at 10:00am in Japan Standard Time is actually Sunday evening in the U.S.
- While some items may seem cheap at first, be sure to calculate how much the total cost will be after fees. From domestic shipping to commission fees to international shipping, sometimes the item will end up costing more or the same as if you just ordered it from Amazon or eBay. Do your research! And also check my for sale page to see if I have items that you're looking for!
- When buying from places like taobao or auction sites that include private sellers, be aware of suspicious listings and possible bootlegs. I've started a guide on avoiding bootleg items, which you can find here.