I can't read Japanese. Can I still collect Japanese-language Pokémon cards?

Yes. If you are collecting, you never need to read the card itself. What you do need to read is the listing, and Mercari item pages on Tama-Chan have a "translate description" button that switches the text to Thai and back.

Can cards bought from several shops ship home in one box?

Yes. Everything is gathered at the warehouse in Japan before it ships to Thailand. Single cards are small and light, so even a stack of them makes a small parcel; sealed boxes weigh more. How each shipping option is charged is on the shipping services page.

Cover for "Japanese Pokémon cards: Thai-language cards exist, so why still order from Japan?", with 3 reasons: first in Japan, as Japan releases new sets before Thailand and the Thai edition follows later, and Japanese boxes are smaller and quicker to open; Japan only, as there is no official store in Thailand yet, so store-exclusive items and Japanese magazine promos have to come from Japan; and singles, where you buy exactly the card you're after, with several sellers listing the same card so you can compare photos and prices. A checklist before ordering says to look at the plastic seal seam on the side of a sealed box, enter a PSA-graded card's cert number on the PSA website, and beware single packs, which may already have been picked over. The footer reads: if you want to open them yourself, a box with intact wrapping is the safer buy.

Before You Order14 October 20263 min read

Japanese Pokémon Cards: Thai Ones Are Sold Here, So Why Order from Japan?

Thai-language Pokémon cards are sold in Thailand, but new sets come out in Japan first, some cards only exist there, and the single you want can be bought from any of several shops. Before you order a second-hand box or single, there are a few things to check.

Thai-language Pokémon cards are official and have been on sale in Thailand since 2019, yet plenty of players and collectors still order Japanese ones. There are three reasons: new sets come out in Japan first, some things are only sold there, and the card you are after can be bought on its own from Japan's second-hand market.

Japan gets new sets before Thailand

Main sets come out in Japan first and are translated afterwards. MEGA Dream ex came out in Japan on 28 November 2025 and in Thai on 16 January 2026, about seven weeks later. Ninja Spinner came out in Japan on 13 March 2026; its English version, Chaos Rising, followed on 22 May.

Some sets are also reshuffled in translation. Japan released Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia as two separate sets, while the Thai release folded them into one, Mega Evolution. If you are chasing a card from a Japanese set, check which Thai set it ended up in.

A Japanese main-set box holds 30 packs of 5 cards; an English one holds 36 packs of 10. The Japanese box is smaller and you get through it faster. People who do not want to wait order the Japanese box and open it first.

Some things are only sold in Japan

Pokémon Center, The Pokémon Company's own store, has many branches in Japan. Its only permanent stores outside Japan are in Singapore and Taipei, with none in Thailand, so anything sold only there has to come from Japan.

Pokémon Center Online sells some boxes by lottery: one per person, delivered to Japanese addresses only, and the right to buy cannot be passed on. Every box like that on Mercari is being resold by someone who won the lottery.

Some promo cards only ever exist in Japanese too, such as the ones that came with magazines. Once the giveaway ends, the second-hand market is the only place left.

Booster box results on Pokémon Center Online: four Pokémon card boxes priced in yen, every title marking it as sold by lottery. — Pokémon Center Online (10 October 2026). Every new box here is sold by lottery, split by the member's verification status, and ships only to Japanese addresses.

The card you want can be bought on its own

Card shops in Japan price every card individually, and on Mercari the same card is listed by several sellers, so you can compare photos and prices. If you already know which card you are chasing, buy that card: one order, no gambling on packs.

The shops Thai buyers use most are collected in the card section of our Japanese shop directory. Tama-Chan's Mercari search accepts Thai, and ordering yourself is covered step by step in the Mercari ordering guide.

For expensive cards, Mercari offers to send the item to an inspection body in Japan before it leaves the country; you tick it at checkout. Who does the check, and what happens to your money if a card fails, is in our piece on Mercari's card inspection.

What to check before you order

A second-hand sealed box: look at the seam on the side of the wrap. Factory wrap has one thin line. A wavy or lumpy seam, loose film, or corners rounded by heat are signs the box was opened and rewrapped. The production number on the bottom should still be there; if it has been scratched off, walk away. Listing photos usually show only the front, so message an admin on LINE and they can ask the seller for shots of the side and the bottom.
Packs sold one at a time: some people in Japan sort packs by weight, because a foil rare is very slightly heavier than a common card, so a loose pack may be one already sorted out and left behind. If you want to open packs yourself, a box with intact wrap is the safer buy.
A PSA-graded card: enter the certification number from the label into the cert lookup on PSA's website. The card name, year and grade it returns should match the card in the photos. If you would rather not check yourself, graded cards and sealed boxes on SNKRDUNK go through the site's own inspection centre before they reach the buyer, and an admin can order them for you from a link. More in our SNKRDUNK article.

Our ordering fees are on the fee table.

Frequently asked questions

Thai cards are just as official, but most Thai sets come from Japanese sets released earlier, so they arrive later, and some are merged or renumbered in translation. Items sold only at Pokémon Center in Japan and Japanese magazine promos have no Thai version.