The FROM JAPAN Blog is your source for news and info about Japanese Anime. Items introduced through our blog can be purchased easily through FROM JAPAN proxy service.

Japanese Pokemon Card Values: The Secret Formula for Scoring Great Deals

Buying Japanese Pokemon Cards Online

Japanese pokemon cards

It’s been 20 years since fans first memorized the Pokemon slogan “Gotta catch ’em all!”, and amazingly, each year new cards are still being printed, players are still meeting for tournaments, and collectors are still struggling to fill their binders in an attempt to, well… “catch ’em all”.

Each card that makes its way into the Pokemon universe has its beginning at Pokemon Card Laboratories in Japan where it is later sent to different companies around the world for reprinting in foreign languages. And while many non-Japanese players and collectors are interested only in owning cards that they can read, there is a growing community of international collectors who want the Japanese originals—but how do you get your hands on them without getting ripped off? Let’s find out!

(more…)

Continue ReadingJapanese Pokemon Card Values: The Secret Formula for Scoring Great Deals

Spring 2015: 10 Highly Anticipated and New Figure Releases

Spring 2015: 10 Highly Anticipated and New Figure Releases

With the month of April coming to a close, we say “Sayonara” to the end of spring—a season celebrating the birth of new things. For us Otaku, these new things include all new anime series, monthly chapters of our favorite manga, and highly-anticipated figurine releases.

Worried you may have missed the best of the best? Looking to grab a momentous figurine to signify your undying love for your favorite series? Then check our top ten picks for “must-have” spring 2015 figurines from Japan!

(more…)

Continue ReadingSpring 2015: 10 Highly Anticipated and New Figure Releases

English vs. Japanese Pokemon Cards: What Should You Collect?

English vs. Japanese Pokemon Cards: What Should You Collect?

Perhaps you’ve heard of the infamous “Pokemon Shock”—when Pikachu used an electric shock attack on a missile in episode 38 of the anime… and simultaneously gave 685 children epileptic seizures.

From banned episodes (James’ infamous bikini contest), to religious accusations of Satanism (the “Pokemon Rap” backwards), Pokemon is no stranger to controversy.

Among die-hard collectors, however, no aspect of Pokemon lore has been censored so much as its trading cards. Prepare your Counter Shield before reading any further, because what you find below may be as shocking as Pikachu’s trademark Thunderbolts! Here are the top eight banned Pokemon cards:

(more…)

Continue ReadingEnglish vs. Japanese Pokemon Cards: What Should You Collect?