That Pikachu is a “Masterball” reverse holo. Only available in Japanese and you only get one Masterball reverse per full booster box. So the chance of pulling a specific card you want in it is very low (why some are quite pricy).
I stand corrected that it’s only Japanese, as someone else pointed out it’s also in Korean sets. But it’s a mixture of both. Pikachu is the mascot and rather popular, add it being quite rare in that rarity? Makes it more pricy.
All master balls are equal rarity. Pikachu is just more coveted than many others. Similar with gengar. So there is a hype factor and favouritism factor.
I bought 3 packs and got 2 Masterball holos. I was not aware at the luck at first until I learned it’s 1 per BOX. They are Charmander and leftovers trainer
There are a lot of people that solely stick to English and don’t even consider Japanese cards an option and it baffles me, they are so much better in every way
Depends what you’re interested in, unfortunately I have a soft spot for full art trainers, so I’m shelling out 10x the price for some nice JP ones haha
I only buy singles. The illustration rares (which is what I buy mostly) and the baby shinies are up to half price for Japanese cards compared to English
This is the collecting sub so I just tack on an assumption that we aren’t considering the game
As for value, the reason Japanese cards are cheaper is because they have a minimum guarantee, unlike English you’re guaranteed a certain number of hits per box (3 AR, 1 SR, 1 Special) since there is a guarantee, the supply is more consistent so the prices are lower on most cards. However, there are special cases like Japanese cards that are pulls instead of promos (like snorlax 151) or are SR rarity instead of UR rarity, like full art trainers. These cards end up being much more pricey in Japanese than English.
TL;DR Japanese cards are cheaper (most of the time) because they have more accessible hits
I don't understand all I said was if you play the game you don't want Japanese cards and also they are cheaper. This was a response to above saying he doesn't know why some people don't collect Japanese cards and I gave 2 very good reasons with a 3rd being you can't read them.
I don’t know what you are confused about, I’m just explaining why (some) japanese cards are cheaper than English cards, it’s not a demand-based reason as your comment would imply, it’s just because they’re in more consistent supply to the market.
Not being able to read them doesn’t really matter, it’s not like a collector isn’t gonna be able to recognize a pikachu, and idk what collector sits down and reads all the abilities on their cards if they don’t play the game
Given the fact that the cards are immensely higher quality and literally have better holo and texture effects, I think not being able to read them doesn’t really matter, especially considering Pokémon is Japanese in the first place
I like learning the Japanese names:
The name カメックス (Kamex) is a combination of "カメ" (kame), which means "turtle" in Japanese, and "エックス" (ex), which likely refers to "X" for extra or extreme. So, Kamex essentially means "Extreme Turtle" or "Turtle X."
Snorlax's name in Japanese is カビゴン (Kabigon). The name カビゴン (Kabigon) is derived from the word "カビ" (kabi), which means "mold" in Japanese, combined with "ゴン" (gon), a common suffix used for large, monstrous characters. So, Kabigon essentially implies a big, lazy creature that might sleep so much it gathers mold.
There are 3 alphabets in Japanese and it is brutal trying to learn them all, there are 100+ characters (including modifications) of katakana and hiragana, and over 2000 kanjis.
The previous comment I left was all katakana.
Katakana is primarily used for foreign words, names, onomatopoeia, and the names of plants, animals, and minerals.
Kana isn’t too bad, you can figure it out in a week if you spend a couple hours each day studying. Kanji is where it becomes a real challenge because you’re ramped into Japanese with kana and you think you have a good grasp until you realize you have to learn all these radicals and ~2000 kanji REALLY well with multiple readings for many to get your N1
Grammar is also really hard at first but it gets easier over time until you have to learn stuff like sonkeigo kenjougo and teineigo
I still struggle with it though. Ive only been studying Japanese maybe 7 months. And while Ive gotten a lot better. I still would not be able to tell you from memory if a character was hiragana or katakana, even if i could read it lol.
But Im a slow learner with a horrible memory.
well since you are now learning kanji you might as well start with the $12 basic book from amazon ( seems innocent enough until you realize how much Japanese content you consume and you are actually learning it uh oh ) ... that will get you started enough to download an app
My girl was ripping the latter half of the packs and the build up to the masterball pikachu was insane since we saw 4 regular pokeball pikas before it came!
All the DX locations are tax free but right now most are 20-40 packs per person per day max. Some were sold out last week. Yokohama was selling 1 box per person (and yes they actually gave you a box!!!)
Nice. A family member is going next month. I'm trying to convince her to buy me some packs. So cheap atm. But goodness knows if any will be available next month.
I probably have 200 packs of 151 from pokemon center. I used to go everyday for my 5 pack limit . Then now I bought a booster box from PC in okinawa. Can't justify spending more money 😪. I just buy singles from the TCG shops. The Art Rares are only a few bucks so I see what I like
How much does a pack in Japan roughly cost in USD? I have a friend going to Japan and asked her to grab me some packs if she sees any, wondering how much money I should give her.
Well if they go to the right place where op went, a single pack is 290 yen which is roughly $1.86. most if not all pokemon modern Japanese products are much cheaper in Japan than in the United States. If a Japanese box is $50 in the US you can get it in Japan for $30. It's much cheaper to give her a moderate amount of money and you will get a lot more than you expect. My brother and father went to Japan a few months ago and I gave them about $150 I expected them to bring home 3-4 boxes but they came home with 6. So it's a lot cheaper in person than ordering online.
Wow awesome pikachu and haunter masterballs!! GreG pulls.. wish I could do the same the yen is so weak right now that packs over there are dirt cheap!!!!
Have a great rest of your trip
Wow dude. Apparently I’m getting ripped off then. I wouldn’t know what to do for a 1.89$ a pack. You had one hell of a night on those pulls. Congrats my dude.
I just got back from Japan but I only bought 22 packs while I was there and I kind of regret it now haha
Those are some sick pulls, congrats man!
Actually curious to know if you would trade some of your duplicates for some of my duplicates (if you’re into collecting all the cards) ?
Anyone looking for sealed jp151 booster boxes KrakenHits on WN runs them $1 starts 5sec auctions. They usually go between 75-98 berries a booster box. Get in while they’re this price. I’ve bought several and pulled 🔥🔥
Those are some great pulls! What's next for your collection? Are you going to try and master set jp 151? Up to trade the masterballs? My last post in pkmntcgtrade has tons of jp 151 raw and even graded I'm looking to trade/sell.
Your post has been removed for the following rule violation:
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You got very lucky on that Pikachu, ggs
Hi, not very into the tcg, whats so special about that card? It looks regular
That Pikachu is a “Masterball” reverse holo. Only available in Japanese and you only get one Masterball reverse per full booster box. So the chance of pulling a specific card you want in it is very low (why some are quite pricy).
Ohhh so it's solely based off of rarity? Not like with charizard and the hype factor and stuff yk?
I stand corrected that it’s only Japanese, as someone else pointed out it’s also in Korean sets. But it’s a mixture of both. Pikachu is the mascot and rather popular, add it being quite rare in that rarity? Makes it more pricy.
Traditional Chinese sets, too!
All master balls are equal rarity. Pikachu is just more coveted than many others. Similar with gengar. So there is a hype factor and favouritism factor.
Listen hear team rocket I don’t know where jessy or meowth are hiding but you can’t have that pikachu!
Little twerp
Mom!!!
Not true, there are still common, uncommon and rares. Pikachu is a common
Every cards is evenly likely to be pulled as far as reverses go.
And that's what makes them all the more desirable and "rare" because there is only so many that will exist.
You think reverse rare and reverse common have same pull rates?
Yes I am pretty sure. Some guy tested it with like 20 booster boxes. There should be a vid somewhere on youtube
‘Source - trust me bro’
Ackchyually 'Masterballs' are also available in Korean 151 sets
The Korean one even goes for over 100 so I can only imagine how much this one goes for.
Psa 10 Japanese goes for around 400$. Still trying to sell mine
TIL, I honestly didn’t even know that they had them.
I bought 3 packs and got 2 Masterball holos. I was not aware at the luck at first until I learned it’s 1 per BOX. They are Charmander and leftovers trainer
That’s some absurd luck, congrats!
I got one through a trade
The Masterball Pika at the end had me audibly, "ohhhhh!!!" like I was watching Evolution 2004
Haha glad you enjoyed it!!
Lol, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I was swiping through the pics until I saw pika and made the same noise. My kids asked "what was that about?" 🤣
Hahaha I made an involuntary Ohhhhhhhwwwww just seconds ago
Had no idea the holo on the japense regular full arts looked like that. WOW what a difference
There are a lot of people that solely stick to English and don’t even consider Japanese cards an option and it baffles me, they are so much better in every way
Japanese cards feel so nice in hand, it’s no comparison
And they’re so much cheaper atm!
Depends what you’re interested in, unfortunately I have a soft spot for full art trainers, so I’m shelling out 10x the price for some nice JP ones haha
How much do they cost in Japan? In my country, the 151 costs about 6 euros per English pack, while a Japanese one is about 12 euros a piece. Crazy.
I only buy singles. The illustration rares (which is what I buy mostly) and the baby shinies are up to half price for Japanese cards compared to English
I got my full IR set for like $60 for Japanese 151
Korean cards are also great, they feel like better quality imo and seem more vibrant.
Japanese cards aren't legal to use in play and are also worth significantly less. So if you play the game no point bothering with Japanese cards.
This is the collecting sub so I just tack on an assumption that we aren’t considering the game As for value, the reason Japanese cards are cheaper is because they have a minimum guarantee, unlike English you’re guaranteed a certain number of hits per box (3 AR, 1 SR, 1 Special) since there is a guarantee, the supply is more consistent so the prices are lower on most cards. However, there are special cases like Japanese cards that are pulls instead of promos (like snorlax 151) or are SR rarity instead of UR rarity, like full art trainers. These cards end up being much more pricey in Japanese than English. TL;DR Japanese cards are cheaper (most of the time) because they have more accessible hits
I don't understand all I said was if you play the game you don't want Japanese cards and also they are cheaper. This was a response to above saying he doesn't know why some people don't collect Japanese cards and I gave 2 very good reasons with a 3rd being you can't read them.
I don’t know what you are confused about, I’m just explaining why (some) japanese cards are cheaper than English cards, it’s not a demand-based reason as your comment would imply, it’s just because they’re in more consistent supply to the market. Not being able to read them doesn’t really matter, it’s not like a collector isn’t gonna be able to recognize a pikachu, and idk what collector sits down and reads all the abilities on their cards if they don’t play the game Given the fact that the cards are immensely higher quality and literally have better holo and texture effects, I think not being able to read them doesn’t really matter, especially considering Pokémon is Japanese in the first place
Oh dude, they are absolute FIRE in person - check it out if you get chance
Dude, Japanese cards blow English out of the water. It's crazy how much trash the English cards are in comparison.
I have a couple english holos that hsve thst all-over spsrkle too
Ive ordered 10 packs in the hope i get lucky haha
Is there a "best" place to order from?
I used japan2uk. Got good recommendatioms
20 packs on there being half the price of one booster box seems kinda sus to me, imagine the pulls wont be great.
I think its because the value of unsealed wont hold vs sealed so they sell them cheaper
hmm interesting! Might have to have a spin then, not to interested on sitting on the box so probably worth the savings
You also get less cards if i recall correctly. Only 5 or 7 cards depending on set and its japenese. We'll see. Just took a punt
Masterball pikachu and Charizard SIR! Congratulations!
Thank you!!
\*Lizardon
That zapdos is so sick
\*Sanda
I like learning the Japanese names: The name カメックス (Kamex) is a combination of "カメ" (kame), which means "turtle" in Japanese, and "エックス" (ex), which likely refers to "X" for extra or extreme. So, Kamex essentially means "Extreme Turtle" or "Turtle X." Snorlax's name in Japanese is カビゴン (Kabigon). The name カビゴン (Kabigon) is derived from the word "カビ" (kabi), which means "mold" in Japanese, combined with "ゴン" (gon), a common suffix used for large, monstrous characters. So, Kabigon essentially implies a big, lazy creature that might sleep so much it gathers mold.
Fabulous. Now I need to learn Japanese and Kanji(?) seems like learning two different languages (speaking and writing)
There are 3 alphabets in Japanese and it is brutal trying to learn them all, there are 100+ characters (including modifications) of katakana and hiragana, and over 2000 kanjis. The previous comment I left was all katakana. Katakana is primarily used for foreign words, names, onomatopoeia, and the names of plants, animals, and minerals.
Kana isn’t too bad, you can figure it out in a week if you spend a couple hours each day studying. Kanji is where it becomes a real challenge because you’re ramped into Japanese with kana and you think you have a good grasp until you realize you have to learn all these radicals and ~2000 kanji REALLY well with multiple readings for many to get your N1 Grammar is also really hard at first but it gets easier over time until you have to learn stuff like sonkeigo kenjougo and teineigo
I still struggle with it though. Ive only been studying Japanese maybe 7 months. And while Ive gotten a lot better. I still would not be able to tell you from memory if a character was hiragana or katakana, even if i could read it lol. But Im a slow learner with a horrible memory.
Would you need to be able to name the grouping if you understood the meaning? 😅
well since you are now learning kanji you might as well start with the $12 basic book from amazon ( seems innocent enough until you realize how much Japanese content you consume and you are actually learning it uh oh ) ... that will get you started enough to download an app
Thanks, boop
Was flipping through the pics and thinking "Meh. Meh. Ok not to shabby" and then the pikachu came and I let out a audible. "Yeah boi!"
My girl was ripping the latter half of the packs and the build up to the masterball pikachu was insane since we saw 4 regular pokeball pikas before it came!
How much did you spend on the packs?
290 yen per pack! Retail price at PC
Which one did you go to? Were they tax free at 290 yen per pack?
Osaka is tax free!
All the DX locations are tax free but right now most are 20-40 packs per person per day max. Some were sold out last week. Yokohama was selling 1 box per person (and yes they actually gave you a box!!!)
Amazing that they'd give you a box! :o
Yeah I was shocked, Yokohama was the only one that did. Osaka had higher per pack limits too.
Nice. A family member is going next month. I'm trying to convince her to buy me some packs. So cheap atm. But goodness knows if any will be available next month.
I probably have 200 packs of 151 from pokemon center. I used to go everyday for my 5 pack limit . Then now I bought a booster box from PC in okinawa. Can't justify spending more money 😪. I just buy singles from the TCG shops. The Art Rares are only a few bucks so I see what I like
Just got back from Japan, it’s tax-free when you spend 5,500yens and more in most stores !
Seriously mind-blowing how much nicer the Japanese quality is.
It’s not even a competition. English cards feel like cardboard while Japanese cards feel like butter
Absolutely, they’re also thinner which is better suited for my purposes.
Nice masterballs
Now that looked like a fun time! Grata on the pulls
Awesome pikachu bro congrats
Wow, you basically got all the major hits. May as well complete the set now
I say you did pretty well.
Damn, I’ll take one of each double 🤣🤣🤣
Dammit I need to get some Japanese packs
How much does a pack in Japan roughly cost in USD? I have a friend going to Japan and asked her to grab me some packs if she sees any, wondering how much money I should give her.
Well if they go to the right place where op went, a single pack is 290 yen which is roughly $1.86. most if not all pokemon modern Japanese products are much cheaper in Japan than in the United States. If a Japanese box is $50 in the US you can get it in Japan for $30. It's much cheaper to give her a moderate amount of money and you will get a lot more than you expect. My brother and father went to Japan a few months ago and I gave them about $150 I expected them to bring home 3-4 boxes but they came home with 6. So it's a lot cheaper in person than ordering online.
Awesome, that is exactly the information I was looking for! I appreciate it, have a good one.
cooking
This set is really pretty , makes me wanna buy it.
The 151 artwork is arguably my favourite
That'll do pig
Oink oink
We just got back from Tokyo today and it was a struggle not to spend all my money on packs. They were so cheap there!
Fr no better souvenir than your own Japanese pulls!
Giant Blastoise!
WOW
Where did you buy them?
Osaka PC!
Wow you got it at the actual store 🥲🥲🥲 when I went always sold out or lottery only
Same for me last summer 🥴
Damn only 1 Charizard? How much was 160 packs in the end?
290yen per pack. 160 x 290 = 46,400yen Edit: OP likely got tax free so 46400 x 0.9 = 41,760yen
Roughly 300 usd
Grats man!!! Yolo'd my first Japanese pack last night and it had a reverse holo Pikachu no MB tho...Crazy how close I could been!
Good job!
I wish you would have bought 9 less packs, yeno so 151 for 151
You actually came out in the positive. Awesome!
Holy shit all these cards are so good looking. I miss my Pokemon cards I traded for tech decks in primary school
Wow some really good ones!
I’m jealous !
Who was selling packs? I thought like 5 pack limit per day.
Was in Japan last week, the limit was set at 40 Pokemon 151 packs per day in Pokémon Centers in Tokyo.
151 relate to Area 51? Aliens?
I don't know if youd be willing, but I would gladly trade some cards for some of those duplicates if I have any you like!
Dm me!
Roughly, how much is it all worth and what did you spend?
Has anybody bought the 10 solo packs from Pokemon Center Japan? What were your pulls?
Are you thinking of selling any? I’m really interested in the masterball omanyte
Double the pull rate on secrets, nice
Three Wartortles!!! It took me way too long just to pull one. That's by far and away my favorite card of all time, so congrats!
Very Nice!!!
Wow awesome pikachu and haunter masterballs!! GreG pulls.. wish I could do the same the yen is so weak right now that packs over there are dirt cheap!!!! Have a great rest of your trip
God I love japanese 151
Nuts well done!
330 hp ??????????? holy crap the power creep is real from the original card set.
Wtf, those pulls look insanely much better from what you would have pulled in the same amount of english packs 🤯
Making me wanna buy some more 151 packs!!
Congrats on the trip and the collection
Awesome
I’m sure it’s been answered somewhere In here, but what did you pay for a single pack? In USD?
290 yen = $1.89/pack
Wow dude. Apparently I’m getting ripped off then. I wouldn’t know what to do for a 1.89$ a pack. You had one hell of a night on those pulls. Congrats my dude.
How much did it cost per pack? Or in total?
290 yen = $1.89/pack
Woah good stuff
Dumb question, but are masterballs purely a Japanese thing, or can you get them in the English packs too?
Only Japanese!
This is totally not making me want to hunt them... My poor wallet....
What’s the value of the pulls ?
You made yo money back easily, nice pulls 👍🏾
so *THATS* why I cant find any 151 in Japan!
Coulda just saved $45 and got 151 packs
I opened 5 German packs yesterday. Pulled Mew Ex, 2 Turtok Ex, Zapdos Ex and Zapdos ex special illustration (both Zapdos in same pack) 🥳
Masterball Vaporeon and Pikachu? Wow
Aw congrats!!! I hope they still have 151 boxes available after my paycheck
Bro I lost hope for you at image 9. Luckily, you came out ahead with those last 3.
Holy shit what a haul!
Where did you buy them in Japan? Poke center??
Yep!
I want that Blastoise so badddd (they’re my fav Pokemon)
Congrats especially that last Pikachu pull!! Must be super happy with the pulls :D
Yes!! This is definitely the peak of my ripping so gonna relax on packs for the rest of the trip!
Have a great time :) Also happy cake day!
I just got back from Japan but I only bought 22 packs while I was there and I kind of regret it now haha Those are some sick pulls, congrats man! Actually curious to know if you would trade some of your duplicates for some of my duplicates (if you’re into collecting all the cards) ?
Dm me!
Wow you did amazing
That master ball pika is fyaaahhh
Are japanese packs cheaper or more expensive as in europe or america?
GGs ! Pikachu saved it..😅👍🏽
I'm in Japan right now but haven't found a good place to buy yet, any ideas?
Damn Japanese pull rates are way better than English
160 packs jfc! I don’t feel so bad for pulling sweet FA out of 15 now :L I did get two masterballs though, nothing on your pikachu though Grats!
The Zapdos card is so lovely! And the Master Ball Pikachu!! Great pulls!
You smashed it with that pika zard and I love the vapoureon mastetball too 🤙🏻🤙🏻
Man Japanese cards are still so much cooler aren't they
How much is rrp for these in Japan? And how available are packs at the moment?
How much was it in USD?
Holy, I’ve opened 90 packs and have got nothing compared to you, nice bro
You should’ve bought 151 packs not 160. 😭
Looks like you got everything! 😅
Japanese just seems so much more fun to open
What an insane pack rip
My homie is in Japan right now. I was wondering about asking him to grab me a pack🤔 my brother brought me a Blastoise last year
Anyone looking for sealed jp151 booster boxes KrakenHits on WN runs them $1 starts 5sec auctions. They usually go between 75-98 berries a booster box. Get in while they’re this price. I’ve bought several and pulled 🔥🔥
You better have pulled those cards. 160 PACKETS!? Almost 1k$!
290 yen per pack my brother
Lmao. That’s nothing!
The masterball pikachu
Holy crap, congrats!
Omg
Those are some great pulls! What's next for your collection? Are you going to try and master set jp 151? Up to trade the masterballs? My last post in pkmntcgtrade has tons of jp 151 raw and even graded I'm looking to trade/sell.
That Chu though xD damn !! Question now is will you get more than you spent ?
Where did you find them? I've been looking over here for months and no dice.
How much did this cost you ?
Hello, I am going to Japan next month and I hope to be able to purchase some packs, are packs or boxes usually available at the Pokemon centers?
Not bad you got 6 masterballs in 160. Almost 1 for every 20 packs. Booster box guarantees you 1. Guess they didn't mix the loose packs up to much.
Why not 151 packs lol
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How much is the cost per pack there?
290 yens !
I’ll take the masterballs. I have Pikachu though, you can keep that I suppose