Hi everyone. This is a question that is very hard to google so I am asking here. Anyone know of a USA-based online shop for Japanese language books and comics, that ships from within the USA?
Because waiting three weeks for stuff to mmmaybe show up is strictly for the boids!
Thank you!!
Where you ordering from? I get stuff from Amazon Japan, and its been faster than Amazon US.
Seconding the Amazon Japan recommendation. It’s crazy how fast stuff comes from them compared to a domestic retailer.
You could also look into YesAsia which has 3-5 day express shipping to the US. I’ve used them a few times years ago and never had any problems. Kinokuniya is another option but will be more expensive.
I ordered a book through amazon usa, from a japan based third party seller. Feels bad man… i will try amz jp thanks
The only downside to Amazon Japan is the shipping cost. 600￥ per shipment plus 350￥ per book (forget the other per item rates, I’ve only bought books)
I really wish they had a cheaper option. I don’t need my books within a few days. Let me pay a lot less and make me wait a few weeks, its ok. 
Yeah, you definitely don’t want to buy just one book otherwise shipping is almost as expensive if not more than the item price. My last order of 4 sets of graded readers the shipping was 2000 yen vs 9000 yen for the items. So it wasn’t too bad proportionally.
For smaller orders, something like YesAsia may be better. They have a cheaper 6-14 day shipping is $2.99 base price + $1 per item.
I usually buy my paper-based stuff from http://www.cdjapan.co.jp (English language) or https://honto.jp/ (Japanese language).
Interesting. I didn’t realize CDJapan had added DHL and FedEx international options. Last time I used them, EMS was your best option and that was always a pain in comparison to DHL with Amazon.
This technically answers the question, but it’s almost always more expensive than Amazon Japan.
Yeah, I mentioned it above as well, but unless you have a local store and you really can’t wait for shipping I would consider their online store a last resort since it is going to be more expensive than most other places.
Kinokuniya Book Store US Shop
Kinokuniya US Store Locations
Ta-da!
The Kinokuniya bookstore chain has an english website that ya can order from
( look for the [コミック] tag under the Japanese books section)
They have actually stores you can go to in-person and have a good selection of Japanese books besides the typical manga offerings. Sadly, only a few select cities have an in-store in option, but for those who live in the cities seen above, you should totally check them out!
What’s your experience with it? I was thinking of ordering from them but I’m not sure how reliable they are.
For which site? I only have experience with CDJapan but they are definitely a good retailer.
Yeah, I meant CDJapan. That’s good to know, I was a bit worried about such sites.
Yeah, CDJapan is well above board. The only reason why I chose Amazon Japan for years over them was the lack of a DHL/Fedex International option (which I see they have now). I never liked EMS and every other option was way too slow. But other than that, I’ve had no complaints with them for a few dozen orders.
I’ve never had an issue with either of them, everything I’ve ordered has arrived within the expected time.
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