Juumou's Guide to Research
* Japanese search terms mega-refreshed on 7/21/2014 *
Hello and welcome to Juumou’s guide to research! Now with English and Japanese!
This tutorial will cover how to effectively use eBay, Google and Yahoo!Japan auctions in your quest for finding your most-wanted Pokemon items, as well as undiscovered ones. This is meant to benefit collectors in their hunt for Pokemon goods. Good luck, everyone!
For the length of this tutorial, I will be using ニューラ, Nyuura, Sneasel, as an example for searching.
Key guidelines to finding what you want
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Main_Page
For finding Japanese names, enter your desired Pokemon’s name in English in the search box to the left. Click on your result, and then copy and paste the Japanese in parentheses. Ctrl + C is the shortcut for “copy”, and Ctrl + V is the shortcut for “paste” for PC’s. For Macs, replace Ctrl with the Apple sign.
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/katakana.htm
For learning katakana. This is important if you are looking at an auction and need to find out what the item is. Katakana is used mostly for English words. So if you can read the katakana, it will sound close to the English equivalent! For example, コスプレ reads kosupure, which is Cosplay!
And last, it is always helpful to keep a (digital) list of goods you own and want, with links, sources, etc. There is a download to a template that I made for your list at the bottom of this post. Here's what mine looks like:
How to effectively use eBay
http://www.ebay.com
Type in your Pokemon’s name in English, or Japanese. For Japanese, make sure to put it into Romajii (Nyuura as opposed to ニューラ), and you may find even more items! Google’s “negate” option works in ebay as well. You can type “Sneasel -card -ex -holo” and you may find 500 unnecessary auctions gone.
Worldwide Search: This searches auctions from global ebay sites. They are not always in English, and can be translated using http://www.altavista.com ‘s Babelfish.
Search Titles and Descriptions: This is good for searching for items that might be in a lot. There can be an auction titled “Lot of 53 Pokemon Toys” with that rare item in it that you might miss if you don’t select this box.
If you use eBay regularly, I also recommend sorting your auctions by “Date listed”.
Don’t forget to check eBay stores for your item too! At the bottom of the page of auctions, there is usually a link called “See additional Buy-It-Now items” that you can click on to show more auctions.
How to effectively use Yahoo!Japan Auctions
Shopping Mall Japan
http://community.livejournal.com/pkmncollectors/290193.html
Copy and paste your desired Pokemon or search term (from bulbapedia or glossary below) in Japanese letters in the search box. There is no way to search through descriptions, or negate certain terms in Y!J Auctions, unfortunately. Rarer or smaller items can be found by digging through lots, most often titled Pokemon Sets.
You will often be able to tell what is in an auction from the image. If you want to translate an auction, you can use Shopping Mall Japan to do so, without placing a bid.
https://shoppingmalljapan.com/yhjbid.html
This link is used to place bids, but it does not place your bid until you type your password into the verification slot on the next page near the top right. If you input your user name, password, auction id number and the minimum bid, you will be taken to a page where you can “Translate your auction first” by using several services. I recommend the google service, but whichever works best for you.
How to effectively use Google
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html
The “negative terms” tool is VERY useful! eg. -ebay, -blog, -card
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html#cached
Cache’d links: Good for old blogs or info that is now gone.
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html#translation
Web page translation. Not perfect, but one of the best free services out there!
http://www.google.com/products
Google Shopping - Froogle!
Basic: A very effective way to use google would be to copy/paste the Pokemon’s name in google, in English or Japanese.
When doing so in English, you may want to type “-ebay” along with your search. If you are noticing a lot of “junk” searches that are not what you are looking for, find those key phrases and negate those from your search as well.
With Japanese, it is recommended to copy/paste the sign in for yen, and then type “-auction” as it would give a lot of results that can be searched on Y!J anyway. Doing this will give you a list of blogs and websites with ordering information, and fans who posted detailed info about an item. i.e.
“ニューラ 円 -auction”
When browsing Google in Japanese, it can be overwhelming. Looking at the source URL(the green text) can give you an idea of what kind of sites are listed.
Special: There are many Japanese Pokemon campaign items that were give-aways to high-level Daisuki Club members, mail-in purchases, event goods, and so on. These are often logged on the official site, and on several blogs as well. Using google can find these randomly for you.
Mozilla Firefox Translators:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3361
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3343
Japanese Glossary of helpful words and phrases
Recently revamped! Please comment here if you have any suggestions for the list~
A good rule of thumb is to copy and paste words in Y!J and use www.jisho.org to translate them.
The difference between Pokemon/Pocket monsters:
ポケモン Pokemon
ポケットモンスター Pocket Monsters
It's good to check both. Pokemon is more common in English but Pocket Monsters is still surprisingly common in Japanese and still what's listed on a lot of merch so some listers default to that a lot of times.
By Generation
ポケモン AG : AG Generation
ポケモン DP : DP Generation
ポケモン アドバンス : Pokemon Advanced
ポケモン ダイヤモンド＆パール : Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Companies
ポケモン バンプレスト : Pokemon Banpresto
ポケモン バンダイ : Pokemon Bandai
ポケモン TOMY : Pokemon Tomy
ポケモン タカラ : Pokemon Takara Tomy
ポケセンセンター : Pokemon Center
ポケセン : Pokemon Center
ポケモンセンターオフィシャル : Pokemon Center Official
ポケモン キャンペイン : Pokemon Campaign
Types of toys
ポケモン おもちゃ : Pokemon Toys
ポケモン 図 : Pokemon Figure
ポケモン フィギュア : Pokemon Figure
ポケモン ソフビ : Pokemon Figure/Keychain
ポケモン スタンプ : Pokemon Stamp
ポケモンキッズ : Pokemon Kids
立体ポケモン図鑑 : Pokemon Zukan
ポケモンタイム : Pokemon Time
ポケモン ミニコット : Pokemon Minicot
ポケモン ガチャポン : Pokemon Gachapon
ポケモン ガシャポン : Pokemon Gashapon
ポケモン カプセル : Pokemon Capsule (toys)
ポケモン べんと : Pokemon Bento
ポケモン バッジ : Pokemon Badge
ポケモン 消しゴム : Pokemon Eraser
ポケモン ゴム : Pokemon rubber items
ポケモン ケース : Pokemon case
ポケモン ホムメイード : Pokemon home-made items
ポケモン ミニ : Mini Pokemon
ポケモン ボール : Pokemon ball-shaped things/Pokeballs
ポケモン マスコット : Pokemon Mascot
ポケモン 袋 : Pokemon Bag
ポケモン けし : Pokemon Eraser / Rubber items
ポケモン 布 : Pokemon Cloth / Cloth items
ポケモン 鉛筆 : Pokemon Pencil
ポケモン 鉛筆ケース : Pokemon Pencilcase
ポケモン チャーム : Pokemon Charm
ポケモン ジオラマ : Pokemon Diorama
ポケモン メタルチャーム : Pokemon Metal charm
ポケモン キーチェーン : Pokemon Keychain
ポケモン スイング : Pokemon keychain / cellphone strap
ポケモン ゲームケース : Pokemon Game case
ポケモン ゲームソフト : Pokemon Game Software
ポケモン メガブロック : Pokemon Megabloks
ポケモン シャッツ : Pokemon Shirts
ポケモン 服 : Pokemon Clothing
ポケモン バトリオ : Pokemon Battrio
ポケモン マグネット : Pokemon Magnet
ポケモン 超ゲット : Pokemon Chou getto (Super get) figures
Plush terms
ポケモン ぬいぐるみ : Pokemon Plush
ポケモン まんまる : Pokemon newer UFO Catchers
ポケドール : Pokedoll
ポケモン UFO : Pokemon UFO Catcher plush
ポケモン マスコット : Pokemon plush mascots
ポケモン ビックサイズ (or ビッグサイズ): Big Size Pokemon plush (yes, the giants)
ポケモンフレンズ : Pokemon Friends
ポケモン キャンバス : Pokemon Canvas
ポケモン すずなり : Pokemon Bellplush
Flat items
ポケモン シール : Pokemon Sticker
ポケモン デコキャラ : Pokemon Pan (sticker)
ポケモン カード : Pokemon Card
ポケモン コイン : Pokemon Coin
ポケモン クリアファイル : Pokemon Clearfile
ポケモン 下敷き : Pokemon Pencilboard
ポケモン ノート : Pokemon Notebook
ポケモン メモ帳 : Pokemon Memo pad
ポケモン 練習帳 : Pokemon Kanji notebooks
ポケモン 製作用資料 : Pokemon Settei
ポケモン 設定資料 : Pokemon Settei
ポケモン セル画 : Pokemon Cel
Other things great for finding obscure lots
ポケモン セット : Pokemon Lot
ポケモン など : Pokemon Stuff
ポケモン 品 : Pokemon Stuff
ポケモン 種類 : Various kinds of Pokemon
バラエティー : Pokemon Variety
ポケモン 限定 : Pokemon limited (item)
ポケモン グッズ : Pokemon Goods
ポケモン 色々 : Various Pokemon - other spellings are いろいろ or 色色
ポケモン レア : Rare Pokemon
ポケモン 無料 : Pokemon (with free items)
ポケモン くじ : Pokemon Lottery
ポケモン キャンペーン : Pokemon Campaign
ポケモン オリジナル : Original Pokemon
ポケモン 商品 : Pokemon products
ポケモン 新品 : New Pokemon
ポケモン 中古 : Used Pokemon
ポケモン ジャンク : Junk Pokemon
ポケモン 小 : Small Pokemon
ポケモン 大 : Large Pokemon
ポケモン ビッグ : Big Pokemon
ポケモン 小型 : Small Pokemon things
Specific Pokemon
A complete listing is available at bulbapedia.com
Miscellaneous Website Resources
http://www.pokemoncenter.com
Official American Pokemon Center site - yay it's revived!
http://www.pokemon.co.jp/goods/index.html
The official Japanese Pokemon Center site - see what's new once or twice a month!
http://www.bandai.co.jp
Type in a Pokemon's name and see what little goods Bandai has made!
I hope that this tutorial is a helpful resource for the community! I will be adding more information and keeping it as updated as I can. If something is unclear, or if you have any questions or info to add, please let me know so I can update the tutorial :D
Hello and welcome to Juumou’s guide to research! Now with English and Japanese!
This tutorial will cover how to effectively use eBay, Google and Yahoo!Japan auctions in your quest for finding your most-wanted Pokemon items, as well as undiscovered ones. This is meant to benefit collectors in their hunt for Pokemon goods. Good luck, everyone!
For the length of this tutorial, I will be using ニューラ, Nyuura, Sneasel, as an example for searching.
Key guidelines to finding what you want
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Main_Page
For finding Japanese names, enter your desired Pokemon’s name in English in the search box to the left. Click on your result, and then copy and paste the Japanese in parentheses. Ctrl + C is the shortcut for “copy”, and Ctrl + V is the shortcut for “paste” for PC’s. For Macs, replace Ctrl with the Apple sign.
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/katakana.htm
For learning katakana. This is important if you are looking at an auction and need to find out what the item is. Katakana is used mostly for English words. So if you can read the katakana, it will sound close to the English equivalent! For example, コスプレ reads kosupure, which is Cosplay!
And last, it is always helpful to keep a (digital) list of goods you own and want, with links, sources, etc. There is a download to a template that I made for your list at the bottom of this post. Here's what mine looks like:
How to effectively use eBay
http://www.ebay.com
Type in your Pokemon’s name in English, or Japanese. For Japanese, make sure to put it into Romajii (Nyuura as opposed to ニューラ), and you may find even more items! Google’s “negate” option works in ebay as well. You can type “Sneasel -card -ex -holo” and you may find 500 unnecessary auctions gone.
Worldwide Search: This searches auctions from global ebay sites. They are not always in English, and can be translated using http://www.altavista.com ‘s Babelfish.
Search Titles and Descriptions: This is good for searching for items that might be in a lot. There can be an auction titled “Lot of 53 Pokemon Toys” with that rare item in it that you might miss if you don’t select this box.
If you use eBay regularly, I also recommend sorting your auctions by “Date listed”.
Don’t forget to check eBay stores for your item too! At the bottom of the page of auctions, there is usually a link called “See additional Buy-It-Now items” that you can click on to show more auctions.
How to effectively use Yahoo!Japan Auctions
Shopping Mall Japan
http://community.livejournal.com/pkmncollectors/290193.html
Copy and paste your desired Pokemon or search term (from bulbapedia or glossary below) in Japanese letters in the search box. There is no way to search through descriptions, or negate certain terms in Y!J Auctions, unfortunately. Rarer or smaller items can be found by digging through lots, most often titled Pokemon Sets.
You will often be able to tell what is in an auction from the image. If you want to translate an auction, you can use Shopping Mall Japan to do so, without placing a bid.
https://shoppingmalljapan.com/yhjbid.html
This link is used to place bids, but it does not place your bid until you type your password into the verification slot on the next page near the top right. If you input your user name, password, auction id number and the minimum bid, you will be taken to a page where you can “Translate your auction first” by using several services. I recommend the google service, but whichever works best for you.
How to effectively use Google
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html
The “negative terms” tool is VERY useful! eg. -ebay, -blog, -card
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html#cached
Cache’d links: Good for old blogs or info that is now gone.
http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html#translation
Web page translation. Not perfect, but one of the best free services out there!
http://www.google.com/products
Google Shopping - Froogle!
Basic: A very effective way to use google would be to copy/paste the Pokemon’s name in google, in English or Japanese.
When doing so in English, you may want to type “-ebay” along with your search. If you are noticing a lot of “junk” searches that are not what you are looking for, find those key phrases and negate those from your search as well.
With Japanese, it is recommended to copy/paste the sign in for yen, and then type “-auction” as it would give a lot of results that can be searched on Y!J anyway. Doing this will give you a list of blogs and websites with ordering information, and fans who posted detailed info about an item. i.e.
“ニューラ 円 -auction”
When browsing Google in Japanese, it can be overwhelming. Looking at the source URL(the green text) can give you an idea of what kind of sites are listed.
Special: There are many Japanese Pokemon campaign items that were give-aways to high-level Daisuki Club members, mail-in purchases, event goods, and so on. These are often logged on the official site, and on several blogs as well. Using google can find these randomly for you.
Mozilla Firefox Translators:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3361
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3343
Japanese Glossary of helpful words and phrases
Recently revamped! Please comment here if you have any suggestions for the list~
A good rule of thumb is to copy and paste words in Y!J and use www.jisho.org to translate them.
The difference between Pokemon/Pocket monsters:
ポケモン Pokemon
ポケットモンスター Pocket Monsters
It's good to check both. Pokemon is more common in English but Pocket Monsters is still surprisingly common in Japanese and still what's listed on a lot of merch so some listers default to that a lot of times.
By Generation
ポケモン AG : AG Generation
ポケモン DP : DP Generation
ポケモン アドバンス : Pokemon Advanced
ポケモン ダイヤモンド＆パール : Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Companies
ポケモン バンプレスト : Pokemon Banpresto
ポケモン バンダイ : Pokemon Bandai
ポケモン TOMY : Pokemon Tomy
ポケモン タカラ : Pokemon Takara Tomy
ポケセンセンター : Pokemon Center
ポケセン : Pokemon Center
ポケモンセンターオフィシャル : Pokemon Center Official
ポケモン キャンペイン : Pokemon Campaign
Types of toys
ポケモン おもちゃ : Pokemon Toys
ポケモン 図 : Pokemon Figure
ポケモン フィギュア : Pokemon Figure
ポケモン ソフビ : Pokemon Figure/Keychain
ポケモン スタンプ : Pokemon Stamp
ポケモンキッズ : Pokemon Kids
立体ポケモン図鑑 : Pokemon Zukan
ポケモンタイム : Pokemon Time
ポケモン ミニコット : Pokemon Minicot
ポケモン ガチャポン : Pokemon Gachapon
ポケモン ガシャポン : Pokemon Gashapon
ポケモン カプセル : Pokemon Capsule (toys)
ポケモン べんと : Pokemon Bento
ポケモン バッジ : Pokemon Badge
ポケモン 消しゴム : Pokemon Eraser
ポケモン ゴム : Pokemon rubber items
ポケモン ケース : Pokemon case
ポケモン ホムメイード : Pokemon home-made items
ポケモン ミニ : Mini Pokemon
ポケモン ボール : Pokemon ball-shaped things/Pokeballs
ポケモン マスコット : Pokemon Mascot
ポケモン 袋 : Pokemon Bag
ポケモン けし : Pokemon Eraser / Rubber items
ポケモン 布 : Pokemon Cloth / Cloth items
ポケモン 鉛筆 : Pokemon Pencil
ポケモン 鉛筆ケース : Pokemon Pencilcase
ポケモン チャーム : Pokemon Charm
ポケモン ジオラマ : Pokemon Diorama
ポケモン メタルチャーム : Pokemon Metal charm
ポケモン キーチェーン : Pokemon Keychain
ポケモン スイング : Pokemon keychain / cellphone strap
ポケモン ゲームケース : Pokemon Game case
ポケモン ゲームソフト : Pokemon Game Software
ポケモン メガブロック : Pokemon Megabloks
ポケモン シャッツ : Pokemon Shirts
ポケモン 服 : Pokemon Clothing
ポケモン バトリオ : Pokemon Battrio
ポケモン マグネット : Pokemon Magnet
ポケモン 超ゲット : Pokemon Chou getto (Super get) figures
Plush terms
ポケモン ぬいぐるみ : Pokemon Plush
ポケモン まんまる : Pokemon newer UFO Catchers
ポケドール : Pokedoll
ポケモン UFO : Pokemon UFO Catcher plush
ポケモン マスコット : Pokemon plush mascots
ポケモン ビックサイズ (or ビッグサイズ): Big Size Pokemon plush (yes, the giants)
ポケモンフレンズ : Pokemon Friends
ポケモン キャンバス : Pokemon Canvas
ポケモン すずなり : Pokemon Bellplush
Flat items
ポケモン シール : Pokemon Sticker
ポケモン デコキャラ : Pokemon Pan (sticker)
ポケモン カード : Pokemon Card
ポケモン コイン : Pokemon Coin
ポケモン クリアファイル : Pokemon Clearfile
ポケモン 下敷き : Pokemon Pencilboard
ポケモン ノート : Pokemon Notebook
ポケモン メモ帳 : Pokemon Memo pad
ポケモン 練習帳 : Pokemon Kanji notebooks
ポケモン 製作用資料 : Pokemon Settei
ポケモン 設定資料 : Pokemon Settei
ポケモン セル画 : Pokemon Cel
Other things great for finding obscure lots
ポケモン セット : Pokemon Lot
ポケモン など : Pokemon Stuff
ポケモン 品 : Pokemon Stuff
ポケモン 種類 : Various kinds of Pokemon
バラエティー : Pokemon Variety
ポケモン 限定 : Pokemon limited (item)
ポケモン グッズ : Pokemon Goods
ポケモン 色々 : Various Pokemon - other spellings are いろいろ or 色色
ポケモン レア : Rare Pokemon
ポケモン 無料 : Pokemon (with free items)
ポケモン くじ : Pokemon Lottery
ポケモン キャンペーン : Pokemon Campaign
ポケモン オリジナル : Original Pokemon
ポケモン 商品 : Pokemon products
ポケモン 新品 : New Pokemon
ポケモン 中古 : Used Pokemon
ポケモン ジャンク : Junk Pokemon
ポケモン 小 : Small Pokemon
ポケモン 大 : Large Pokemon
ポケモン ビッグ : Big Pokemon
ポケモン 小型 : Small Pokemon things
Specific Pokemon
A complete listing is available at bulbapedia.com
Miscellaneous Website Resources
http://www.pokemoncenter.com
Official American Pokemon Center site - yay it's revived!
http://www.pokemon.co.jp/goods/index.html
The official Japanese Pokemon Center site - see what's new once or twice a month!
http://www.bandai.co.jp
Type in a Pokemon's name and see what little goods Bandai has made!
I hope that this tutorial is a helpful resource for the community! I will be adding more information and keeping it as updated as I can. If something is unclear, or if you have any questions or info to add, please let me know so I can update the tutorial :D