Pokemon TCG players baffled as English products spotted in Japan

It can be quite hard to get Pokemon cards from another country, and as such, Pokemon TCG players were recently perplexed as they spotted English products in Japanese Pokemon Centers.

Picking up Pokemon cards and merch from another country can be tricky. You need to find a solid retailer to sort the import for you and trust in the shipping method, which can be a lengthy process depending on where you are in the world.

Pokemon TCG players in Japan were recently baffled by the introduction of English products in Pokemon Centers, seemingly for no reason. It’s not entirely unheard of, but it is certainly unusual.

Pokemon TCG players spot English merch in Japanese stores

Spotted a day ago and originally reported on by PokeBeach, some Pokemon Centers in Japan were seen stocking English language products with an ‘overseas’ label on them.

The products feature everything from the Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars set, up to Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved, with some notable inclusions being various Scarlet & Violet Elite Trainer Boxes, Pokemon Go Premium Collections, and heaps of premium card sleeves.

Fans were confused by these products appearing at Pokemon Centers in Japan, with Pokemon players online deeming it “weird” and a card game store employee saying that it had their “business mind racing” to see them.

This story has led to a lot of fan theories about why Japanese stores may be stocking these products and what could be next as a result of this.

Right now, many fans believe that the stock is leftover from the Pokemon World Championships in Yokohama, which would make sense based on which sets dropped just before Worlds and what was in stock on-site during the event.

Alongside this, Pokemon TCG players also noticed that English playmat designs have appeared on the Japanese Pokemon Center website. It’s possible that we could see even more English language stock on the Japanese website, but that’s just speculation on our part.

The release of these products in Japanese stores is certainly curious, especially as it happened so close to Pokemon Day. While we don’t know for certain, it seems that many fans would like this trend to continue to have easier access to a bigger variety of cards.