Snowy's Semi-Comprehensive Guide to Buying Joshi Merchandise Online
Helpful resources and tips for navigating the convoluted world of buying things from Japan, joshi merchandise edition
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This comprehensive guide is aimed at fans of joshi wrestling who are first-time merchandise buyers and live outside of Japan. Any costs discussed in this guide will be listed in both yen and United States dollars, as the author is of American nationality and the merchandise list prices use yen (hopefully this second part is obvious). Whatever payment service you use will automatically convert currencies using the current exchange rate during the transaction, but you may still want to run your own conversions before making any purchases so the amount you spend is displayed in a way that you are familiar with. In the interest of brevity, links will also be provided for the stores of promotions only and not individual wrestlers. All Japanese terms presented are romanized using the Modified Hepburn system for clarity. As always, you can contact me on Twitter (snoedo_tai) if you have any questions, particularly if it involves wrestler stores.
Have you ever seen joshi promoting merchandise and wished you could get your hands on it yourself? Has it ever frustrated you that most promotions won’t ship overseas and left you wishing you lived in Japan instead? With more people discovering joshi wrestling and wanting to monetarily support their favorite wrestlers, you are definitely not alone. Whether you like tees, towels, or trading cards, or you’ve discovered something new and aren’t quite sure what exactly it is, this guide will help you with the process of finding and buying merchandise from outside of Japan, with some food for thought at the end.
WHAT KINDS OF MERCHANDISE ARE THERE?
There are many different kinds of merchandise sold by promotions. Goods are often analogous to the merchandise sold by Western promotions—clothing, event programs, and the like are common items. However, some other items common to joshi may not be as common elsewhere. Portraits, cheki, photobooks, and support towels come to mind.
Portraits (ポートレート、potoreto) are A4-sized pictures of one or more wrestlers. These are often signed and dated, and wrestlers will address them to you as well, although this is much more common among portraits bought at an event. Promotions will occasionally host signing sessions for portraits. Sometimes signings happen at meet-and-greets, and other times they will be online before items are shipped. Keep an eye out for word from a promotion regarding signings, especially regarding addressed portraits!
Cheki (チェキ) is a Japanese term for instant film photos—if you’ve ever taken pictures with a Polaroid or Instax camera, you will already be familiar with the concept. The photo is taken, printed from the camera, and it develops on the spot. These are generally more commonly taken at the venue, as you can often get a photo taken of yourself with the wrestler, but sometimes promotions will sell them online. These are also often listed for sale on secondhand merchandise stores, which are covered later in this guide.
Towels (タオル、taoru) are pretty self-explanatory. They’re small banner-sized towels to be displayed at events or otherwise in support of a wrestler.
Photobooks (フォトブック、写真集、fotobukku/shashinshū) are a bit of a tricky subject but to be as objective as possible in this section of the guide, they are A4-size books of photos of wrestlers. The photos a book contains can cover a wide range of subjects, but most books you can find nowadays are focused on one wrestler. These books often contain content that is suggestive or risque in nature, so buyer discretion is advised. See my closing thoughts for more discussion on the matter, and some advice for you if this kind of merchandise is something you’re interested in.
THE PROMOTION DOESN’T SHIP OVERSEAS, SO WHAT CAN I DO?
This is a common issue you will encounter when trying to buy from joshi promotions. Unfortunately, shipping internationally from Japan can be both complicated and very expensive and many promotions simply don’t have the resources to do this on their own—even if they are part of a much larger organization, it often just isn’t worth the expenditure. While they will not be covered in-depth in this guide, this is especially true for independent wrestlers who have their own storefronts.
As such, you will find that you often need to rely on a proxy. Proxies buy products in Japan on behalf of international customers, store them in their own warehouses upon receiving them, and then ship them internationally. Simply put, the buyer gives the proxy the money for both the purchase and international shipping, the proxy then makes the purchase and has it shipped to their warehouse in Japan, and then finally the proxy sends the item to the buyer. This can be a time-consuming process as the proxy relies on its own human purchasers to order goods, and this is of course only done during business hours.
Another form of proxy service assigns the buyer a proxy Japanese address (such as a warehouse plot) and allows them to directly make the purchase so that they don’t have to wait on the proxy, assuming the seller supports a payment method that an overseas buyer can use (i.e. PayPal). This is more the exception than the norm. Once the purchase has been shipped to the address, the process is the same as having a proxy buyer make the purchase.
Many of the more well-known proxy organizations provide both services, so they can fairly easily suit your needs.
Note that some promotions do ship internationally, as does the general merchandise store mentioned in this guide.
PROXY INFORMATION
There are a number of different proxies you can use and all will ultimately fulfill the same purpose. They all generally use the same overseas shipping methods, relying on either Japan Post or a global logistics company (i.e. FedEx or DHL) for airmail. For buyers in the United States, if DHL is delivering your package, you will likely either need to sign off on the delivery or waive the signature, so keep that in mind. I am unsure if this is DHL’s standard procedure in other countries. That said, here are the five proxies that I am most familiar with. Note that you will need to provide acceptable documents that verify your identity (passport, driver’s license, etc.) to use address services. This is required by Japanese law.
Tenso Buyee—Buyee is a proxy buying service offered by Tenso, which also provides an address service under the corporate name. To use Buyee, you only need to make an account and provide a billing address. The primary means of payment for either service is PayPal. You can directly shop from a portal within Buyee’s site, as they have official partnerships with many stores (although you can buy from most Japanese sites by filling out a request form), including Stardom’s official web store. See the promotion-specific section for more information regarding how to use Buyee with the Stardom store.
Japan Rabbit/Blackship—Formerly known as White Rabbit Express, Japan Rabbit is one of the most comprehensive proxy services, as it can support many different kinds of purchases and provides other useful services such as on-location pickup, in-person shopping for you, and convenience store printing, although much of their offerings are beyond the scope of this guide. It is important to note that Japan Rabbit is not partnered with any stores, and you will have to provide them with the item URL and other details for them to make the purchase. They also offer an address service called Blackship, and you can forward your Japan Rabbit purchase to your Blackship address once it arrives at Japan Rabbit’s warehouse. While they did at one time, they do NOT accept PayPal anymore, so you will have to use a credit card. Their service fees can be expensive, so keep that in mind as well.
WorldShopping—WorldShopping, much like Buyee, has official partnerships with many online stores, and they provide a comprehensive list of stores they partner with divided into item categories. While I have never used WorldShopping myself, it appears that you do not need an account to buy through their service. PayPal is the primary method of payment but they also accept credit cards.
BuyFromJapan—BuyFromJapan was the first proxy I ever used. You do not need to create an account to use their service and they do not partner with any stores—you must provide the item URL and its details for them to be able to make the purchase. They also offer the option to inspect the package and verify they bought the correct item (they don’t open the item’s packaging, only the box it was shipped in) for a small fee. They also have service fees, which can be expensive, so keep that in mind. PayPal is the primary method of payment.
BuyJP/ShipJP—ShipJP is an address service that works in the same way as Tenso or Blackship, while BuyJP is a proxy buying service. BuyJP does not partner with any stores, and you need an account to use their service. You will also need to provide them with the item URL and other details so they can make the purchase. PayPal is the primary method of payment.
GENERAL STORE INFORMATION
Tōdōkan (闘道館)—This is a popular merchandise store located in Tokyo, and it has been a respected name in the world of merchandise collecting for over twenty years. They ship their goods internationally and take payments via PayPal, and staff are very prompt about contacting you regarding orders (the store is open every day from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm JST). You can find pretty much anything from just about any wrestler you can think of here—some of their best current offerings are authentic used wrestler masks from names such as Utami Hayashishita and Io Shirai! They also carry goods related to boxing and MMA. Be sure to give them a visit as they carry a lot of secondhand and older goods that are difficult to find nowadays—some of their offerings are truly one-of-a-kind! Note that in order to for them to ship their goods internationally, the cost of your order must be at least ￥5,000. Any orders shipped domestically must have a value of at least ￥1,000.
You can also find merchandise on sites like eBay or Yahoo! Japan Auctions from time to time, but be careful as some sellers don’t have their customers’ best interests in mind (scalping, fake merchandise, etc.).
PROMOTION-SPECIFIC STORE INFORMATION
NOTE: This list only covers joshi promotions and promotions that have a significant number of joshi signed to their roster. I recommend using Japan Rabbit in most cases where a promotion doesn’t ship internationally and doesn’t have an officially-supported proxy. Given that shipping/service fees are expensive and will only get more expensive over time, you should only buy if your order has enough monetary value to justify said fees, and obviously you should only buy things if you can afford them. If you’re looking for older merchandise that isn’t available through a promotion’s store anymore, Tōdōkan is your friend; their listings are updated regularly as new stock arrives.
Actwres girl’Z—AWG does not have one individual place where they sell all their merchandise, but rather an assortment of places depending on the item in question, which are all accessible through the link provided. Some of their merchandise is sold through Amazon, accessible from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, and Amazon France in addition to Amazon Japan. Since many of AWG’s wrestlers are involved in ventures outside of wrestling, some have their own stores. Rensan, Natsuki Buta, Natsumi Sumikawa, and Yui Tenshoku have their own stores, as do the unit Hagakure and Yumi Agawa, AWG’s ring announcer. I would like to thank sadjabroni for his help with AWG’s merchandise—he is a great resource for pretty much anything involving AWG and can definitely help you out if you need it!
Diana—Diana only has a Japanese store and you will need to use a proxy of your choosing. They have a small roster which is generally well-covered by their offerings, although they usually only sell portraits (sometimes they offer time-limited items such as tees). They also sell tickets from the store.
Gatoh Move—In addition to their Japanese store, Gatoh Move has an international storefront that you can access here. There is a slight difference in product offerings depending on which store you buy from—both stores allow you to support the promotion by buying the famous ChocoBouquet or through one-time/regular donations, as well as sending money to a wrestler of your choosing. Note that Gatoh Move doesn’t necessarily produce a lot of merchandise, so keep an eye on the promotion’s social media for announcements—they will sometimes have online signing sessions after the order window closes!
Ice Ribbon—Ice Ribbon’s store is hosted by Yahoo! Japan Shopping, which officially partners with Buyee for overseas orders, so it’s not hard to get their merchandise. The store has lots of offerings from each year of Ice Ribbon’s existence (the promotion was founded in 2006), many of which are show recordings on DVD.
JTO—I believe it is possible to order from JTO’s store overseas, as they accept overseas cards, although I have heard multiple reports suggest that it doesn’t work very well. Consider using a proxy if you would rather not worry about dealing with any issues. The joshi roster of JTO is relatively small and is pretty thoroughly covered by their offerings, although Tomoka Inaba and rhythm have the majority of goods available (rhythm has her own pastry store, but fans from the United States will likely not be able to buy these goods because of CBP restrictions) at this time. JTO frequently sells special goods such as rhythm’s masks, so check frequently if you have the money and interest as these items are one of a kind!
Marvelous—Marvelous’ online store appears to be Japanese-only so you will likely need a proxy of your choosing. The website design is archaic but I can confirm that it does have some up-to-date offerings. They are definitely a promotion that you would be better off getting items from at a show, and this has become more of a reality as some of its roster members have been going on excursions to the United States—Chigusa Nagayo, Takumi Iroha, Mio Momono, Maria, and Riko Kawahata have all appeared at shows in the United States since 2022, so the promotion does have a fair bit of international outreach.
OZ Academy—OZ Academy’s merchandise is sold through the same vendor as its online tickets, so you will need a proxy of your choosing for overseas shipping. The majority of their offerings consist of DVDs of past shows and some basic OZ Academy-branded goods. Many of their roster members freelance and have their own stores, so you might have better luck finding their goods that way.
PURE-J—PURE-J’s online store is Japanese-only and I think you will need a proxy of your choosing in order to buy their merchandise. PURE-J has a small roster which is well-covered—most of their goods consist of tees, portraits, and towels. They also sell event posters and show DVDs among some other goods. They semi-frequently update their offerings, so check back often if you’re looking for new goods!
SEAdLINNNG—SEAd’s online store is Japanese-only, but it is possible that they ship some items overseas as they note that some goods may not be available to ship overseas (which logically suggests that they will ship overseas). As such, you may need to use a proxy of your choosing for some items. SEAd has a very small roster that is mostly covered by their goods, which primarily consist of portraits. There are SEAd-branded tees available, and you can also reserve event tickets through their online store.
Sendai Girls’—I believe that Senjo’s online store is Japanese-only and that you will need a proxy of your choosing in order to buy their merchandise, as I don’t believe they ship overseas. Senjo has a small roster which is generally well-covered by their offerings, but they mostly sell tees and DVDs of important shows from the promotion’s history (the promotion was founded in 2006). Sometimes they offer time-limited portraits, so check back often. They also sell tickets from their store.
Stardom—Stardom only has a Japanese store, but officially partners with Buyee for overseas orders, so it’s not hard to get a hold of their merchandise. Speaking of, they make a lot of merchandise and their roster is generally pretty well-covered by the selection, with most goods being released per-unit (with an option for each unit member), and they have a healthy selection of individual wrestler merchandise. Many of their offerings are time-limited but they regularly release new merchandise throughout the year.
TJPW—TJPW only has a Japanese store and you will need to use a proxy of your choosing, as they do not have an official partner for overseas orders. Their product listings and stock are also generally limited, although recent trends indicate that this might be changing. Unfortunately, a lot of the wrestler-specific merchandise they release throughout the year is limited to venue pickup only, as it is signed after the show on a per-wrestler basis (they announce wrestler availability one-by-one after the show ends), and even when it is available for mail order it tends to be limited in stock as previously mentioned. That said, TJPW have recently began selling time-limited portraits without stock limits, so watch for announcements on social media—most of the roster will have online signing sessions after the order window closes! Unfortunately, unless you have someone who will go to events to pick up your merchandise and get it signed, I don’t think there is any loophole for the venue-exclusive merchandise. NOTE: if you are looking for merchandise of the Up Up Girls Pro-Wrestling unit (Miu Watanabe, Raku, Hikari Noa, Shino Suzuki, Uta), they have their own store which is part of the Up Up Girls store.
CLOSING THOUGHTS…
I wanted to use this space as a means to address a couple of elephants in the room: merchandise for kids (as in under the age of 18) and photobooks. These can be sensitive topics that come with a lot of discourse, as neither is particularly common or widespread in Western wrestling. I’ll sum up my thoughts first:
Be responsible and ethical with your decision-making.
It’s okay to get a kid’s merch, be a fan, and support them. They’re out there doing something remarkable and it’s super validating for them to have supporters so early in their careers—they really do appreciate it! The converse is also true, though: they notice when people are being creepy and it definitely causes them to lose sleep at night. I won’t name names here, but this year has seen a high-profile incident or two involving someone behaving inappropriately. Don’t be like that person. Support the kids, they’re doing something I wish I had the opportunity to do at their age.
As for photobooks and that industry in general, it’s a much longer discussion, but the same thing applies—be responsible and ethical with your decision-making. There is nothing wrong with owning socially responsible and accountable photobooks. The subjects consent and get a fair cut of the revenue. There is also nothing wrong with supporting people who make a living in that industry, whether they’re wrestlers or not. A fair number of wrestlers started off in said industry or were fairly involved in it earlier in their careers. However, there are unfortunately some books/other media out there which aren’t responsible or accountable—there are books out there that do include minors. Why they’re in there is a MUCH longer discussion that is beyond the scope of this guide (thankfully this trend is on the decline in modern Japan), and this guide doesn’t exist to start discourse.
Just be socially responsible.
Well written and wowwww that is a complicated but detailed list of ways to purchase wrestling paraphernalia from Japan! Very impressive list of comparisons!
That seems a bit complicated but a great explanation!