FROM JAPAN Blog: Japanese Auction & shopping proxy service

7 Tips for the Fukubukuro Hunting Season

Fukubukuro Season in Japan is basically the equivalent of Black Friday in the United States. Starting from the day after New Years and usually lasting until January 5, stores try to get rid of products left over from the previous year, by packaging them into bags called fukubukuro and selling them at ridiculously discounted prices. Usually, the fukubukuro is sealed to prevent you from looking inside, basically making it a mystery shopping event; however, in an effort to draw more customers recently some stores have departed from the surprise aspect and now post fliers showing what’s inside. That way, the customers don’t feel like they got a raw deal. Interestingly, it seems to be working for the stores as fukubukuro are as popular as ever.

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A Guide to Comiket: Beyond the Myths

The Comic Market, or Comiket as it is more widely known, takes place twice a year at Tokyo Big Sight and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each time. For those that are not familiar with this huge event, this article will hopefully help you understand the significance of this event for manga and anime lovers living in Japan.

At Comiket, artists of all trades sell their self-made works. These can be music CDs, figures and plushies, doujinshi, and even games. Most of these works are based on anime, manga, or specific Japanese games such as Kantai Collection or Touhou.

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Serious Collectors Only: 8 of the Rarest Dragon Ball Figures of All Time

Despite ending its serialization in 1995, Dragon Ball continues to hold the #2 spot in best-selling manga… almost twenty years after its completion.

Carrying on the franchise’s legacy are its many anime adaptations—Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Kai—along with a variety of action figures that have continued to be released throughout the series’ span.

With literally hundreds of Dragon Ball figurines on the market, let’s take a look at some of the most rare, limited, and expensive ones available that are most worthy of a true collector’s cabinet.

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10 of Japan’s Most Anticipated Figurines of 2015

With the promise of a new year comes the promise of new, must-have figurines from Japan. Amidst the slew of upcoming releases, we’ve highlighted ten of the most anticipated figurines of 2015. Read on for our top picks, and ready your mouse to click the “pre-order” button.

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S-Rank Memorabilia: a Guide to Unique, Japan-Exclusive Naruto Merchandise

If you’re into manga and anime, you’ve most certainly heard about Naruto—the spikey-haired, orange-suited ninja with dreams as big as the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As the third best-selling manga franchise of all time, Naruto has made itself readily available through multiple outlets—books, anime, movies, figurines, and more.

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Naruto Action Figures: Celebrating 15 Years of Ninja

Since the debut of its one-shot pilot chapter in August 1997, Naruto has spanned over seventy volumes and seven hundred chapters as a manga franchise. It’s no wonder that, with over 200 million copies sold, Naruto has become the third most popular manga series in the world, just behind the likes of One Piece and Dragon Ball.

The overwhelming success of the Naruto series resulted in an anime adaptation, multiple animated films, and a plethora of merchandise—the most popular of which are the Naruto figurines and action figures.

In commemoration of the series’ ending, let’s take a look at the best of the franchise’s figurine lines, examining some of the most detailed, masterfully crafted, and must-have pieces to add to your Naruto collection.

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