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Kurushii

Importing 101

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[table="align: center"]
[tr][td]Table of Contents[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]


    [*]How to Make a Japanese PSN Account
    [*]Where to Purchase Japanese PSN Cards
    [*]Where to Purchase Japanese Games
    [*]Putting ¥ or DLC Codes into Your Account
    [*]Navigating the Japanese PSN Store
    [*]How to Purchase Guilty Gear Accent Core +R
    [*]How to Purchase Blazblue Chronophantasma
    [*]How to Purchase BBCP Color 23 and 24 Magazine DLC

    [/table]

    [table="align: center"][tr][td][INFO=FAQ]
    Tired of scrolling through the guide to find the section you want?
    Just click on the section you want in the table of contents above to go straight there.

    If I purchase a Japanese physical game do I have to use a Japanese account to play it?
    No, you can use an account from any region you like.

    If I purchase/obtain a digital game or dlc from the Japanese PSN Store do I have to use my Japanese account to play it?
    No, you only need the Japanese account to download it. As long as the Japanese account is still active on the console you'll be able to play the content with any other account on the same console. This excludes avatars as they are locked to the account they are purchased on.

    If I use my North American account to play a Japanese game will I still get Japanese trophies?
    Trophy languages for a game are installed the first time you play the game. The trophy language it installs is based on your XMB language set and not your account region. The majority of Japanese games only have Japanese language trophies available at launch, but if the game gets localized then more languages are added to the trophy lists for that game. PSN remembers your language you had set at the first play. So if your XMB language was English at first play of the game, your trophy language will only be in Japanese until the English trophy language is available for that game.

    If I purchase a Japanese game will I be able to play against other regions in online multiplayer when their versions come out?
    Some games region lock their online multiplayer, or set priority on match making. When it comes to Arc System Works titles, every game they have released thus far has been fully open for cross region play against each other in online multiplayer.

    Can I purchase avatars with my Japanese PSN account and use them on another account active on the same console?
    No, all avatars are locked to the account they are purchased on.

    If I purchase Japanese DLC will it work on other region versions of the same game?
    Majority of the time it won't work but there has been a few cases of DLC working on other region versions.

    Can I use my credit card instead of Japanese PSN Cards to make purchases off of the Japanese PSN Store?
    No, unless your credit card is from Japan you can not use it to make purchases directly from the Japanese PSN Store.

    What about Hong Kong versions of games?
    See Where to Purchase Japanese Games section.

    Found an error (incorrect information or invalid link), or want to contribute something?
    Send me a PM here or contact me on twitter @Kurushii.
    [/INFO][/td][/tr][/table]

    [/td][/tr]
    SPECIAL THANKS TO

Team St1ckBuG, Chaoschao222, and Japan. Stay godlike!

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How to Make a Japanese PSN Account

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Step 1: Start by going to the far left of the XMB menu and selecting Create New User.

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Step 2: Enter your new user name. Does not have to be the same name as the PSN account name you plan to create.

The user name is only used on the console side and can be changed at any time.

Log into the user you just created by selecting it on the same column on the XMB.

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Step 3: Go one column right to the Settings column and select System Settings.

Select System Language. Then select Japanese (look at the picture as it'll be in Japanese text).

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Step 4: Go to the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB and select サインアップ.

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Step 5: In the new window that appears, select the first option for Create a New Account (New Users).

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Step 6: Select the "Next" button.

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Step 7: Leave the Country and Language boxes alone as it'll default you to the correct choices since your XMB language is in Japanese.

For Date of Birth select your year, month, then day from the dropdown menus that appear.

Then select the Next button.

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Step 8: Press Right on the D-pad to skip scrolling through the licensing agreement.

Then select the Agree button.

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Step 9: In the first box, put in the Email Address you want to use with your account. (You can't use an email that's already tied to another account.)

In the second box, type your Password.

In the third box, type the same Password again. (Passwords must be 8 letters long, have at least 1 number, and must not have the same letter 3 times in a row)

Check the small box under your Password to save it so that you don't have to retype it every time you want to log into PSN.

Then select the Next button.

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Step 10: Type in your desired PSN ID. (If you get an error message with some red text, try again as the name you chose is already taken.)

Then select the Next button.

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Step 11: In the first box, put your Last Name.

In the second box, put your First Name.

In the third box pick your Gender from the dropdown menu. 男性 = Male, 女性 = Female

Then select the Next button.

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Step 12: For this page you can either put gibberish into each box (highly unrecommended), or go to Tenso to get your own Japanese mailing address to use legitly for free.

In the first box, type in your Zip Code. (If you click the orange button next to the Zip Code box after putting in your Zip Code, it will fill in some of the following boxes with the matching information.)

In the second box, choose your Prefecture from the drop down list.

In the third box, type in your City.

In the fourth box, type in your Street Address. Additional room for your address is in the next box.

In the six box, type in your Apartment Name/Room Number.

Then select the Next button.

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Step 13: Check the checkbox if you want to Signup for PSN info and newsletters to the email account you put in Step 9.

Then select the Next button.

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Step 14: Scroll through and review all of your information to make sure it's correct.

Then select the Next button.

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Step 15: Gradulations you now have a Japanese PSN account. Press Circle to go to the Japanese PSN store, or press X to return to the XMB menu.

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Step 16: Once you are returned to the XMB menu head over to the Settings column, which will be labeled 設定.

Select System Settings, which will be labeled 本体設定. Select Display Language, which will be labeled 表示言語. Then pick your native language.

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Where to Purchase Japanese PSN Cards

The following sites are recommended for purchasing Japanese PSN Cards:

Play-Asia
http://www.play-asia.com/
Â¥1000: $14.99 (~49% Markup)
Â¥3000: $38.99 (~30% Markup)
Â¥5000: $59.99 (~20% Markup)
Â¥10000: $114.90 (~15% Markup)
While they do provide physical cards, their digital card service is extremely fast if you use PayPal as your payment type. On average you should receive your code by email within seconds to a few minutes.

Japan-Codes
http://www.japan-codes.com/
Â¥500: $9.99 (~100% Markup)
Â¥1000: $13.99 (~40% Markup)
Â¥3000: $37.99 (~27% Markup)
Â¥5000: $58.99 (~18% Markup)
Â¥10000: $113.99 (~14% Markup)
They rarely carry physical cards, as their primary business is digital card services. Average time you should receive your code by email is 30 minutes to a few hours. Have been occasions where their service gets behind and takes up to 24 hours.

Nin-Nin Game
http://www.nin-nin-game.com/lang-en/
Â¥3000: $38.03 (~27% Markup)
Â¥5000: $58.50 (~17% Markup)
Â¥10000: $115.83 (~16% Markup)
Code sent by email within 24 hours. I personally have yet to use their digital card services to see it's average speed of service.

NIPPON-YASAN
http://www.nippon-yasan.com/lang-en/
Â¥3000: $37.14 (~24% Markup)
Â¥5000: $56.96 (~14% Markup)
Â¥10000: $108.43 (~8% Markup)
Code sent by email within 24 hours. I personally have yet to use their digital card services to see it's average speed of service.

Solaris Japan
http://www.solarisjapan.com/
Â¥1000: $12.74 (~27% Markup)
Â¥3000: $33.81 (~13% Markup)
Â¥5000: $55.37 (~11% Markup)
Â¥10000: $107.80 (~8% Markup)
Code sent by email within 24 hours. I personally have yet to use their digital card services to see it's average speed of service.

*Prices change daily. Prices listed is as of 02/17/2014.

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Where to Purchase Japanese Games

Remember when you are purchasing games that Asia/Hong Kong versions are not the same as Japanese versions. Asia/Hong Kong versions are commonly cheaper than Japanese versions but use the Hong Kong PSN Store instead of the Japanese one. So you would have to create a Hong Kong PSN account to use or purchase DLC. Hong Kong PSN Cards are not as easy to obtain than Japanese ones. Very few stores sells them and which ones do have only one or two different values available. Hong Kong PSN Store doesn't share the same releases or sales as the Japanese one. Overall I recommend sticking to Japanese versions when all possible.

If you don't care about having a physical copy, then you may want to just purchase your game through the Japanese PSN Store. You'll avoid shipping costs and can get your title within hours of downloading. The Japanese PSN Store has been pretty good about having all new titles up on day one for digital download. The only excepts are titles with high Cero ratings. For example Killer is Dead, which has a Cero Z rating, was never made available on the store.

The following sites are recommended for importing Japanese games:

Play-Asia
http://www.play-asia.com/
Great variety of shipping options. Their service with FedEx makes them one of the fastest shipping options available. Their Limited Editions are always in very low quantities that sell out often before they even advertise that they started taking preorders. Their regular edition games are decently priced but expect to pay a huge markup on the Limited Editions. They are based in Hong Kong, you won't find any preorder bonuses that are Japanese store specific. Accepts credit card or PayPal. They bill you immediately if you use PayPal, even if it's a preorder.

AmiAmi
http://www.amiami.com/
Very limited in shipping options. Best option for shipping is EMS, which on average is about 2 - 5 day shipping to the US. Best prices available with very little markup. They are based in Japan so you'll find store specific preorder bonuses offered. Accepts PayPal for payments. When your order is in stock they'll send you a invoice, in which you have a week to pay it by PayPal.

CDJapan
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/
Great variety of shipping options. Their service with FedEx makes them one of the fastest shipping options available. Great prices available with very little markup. They are based in Japan so you'll find store specific preorder bonuses offered. Accepts credit card or PayPal. They bill you immediately if you use PayPal, even if it's a preorder.

YESASIA
http://www.yesasia.com/us/en/home.html
Very limited in shipping options. Best option for shipping is EMS, which on average is about 2 - 5 day shipping to the US. Great prices available with very little markup. They are based in Hong Kong, you won't find any preorder bonuses that are Japanese store specific. Accepts credit card or PayPal. They bill you immediately if you use PayPal, even if it's a preorder.

NCSX
http://www.ncsx.com/
Very limited in shipping options. Only options are UPS and USPS. Horrible prices available with huge markups. They are based in the US but will sometimes have Japanese store specific bonuses depending on where they imported their stock from. Accepts credit card or PayPal. They bill you immediately if you use PayPal, even if it's a preorder.

Nin-Nin Game
http://www.nin-nin-game.com/lang-en/
Decent variety of shipping options. Their service with FedEx makes them one of the fastest shipping options available. Good prices available with very little markup. They are based in Japan but you'll won't find store specific preorder bonuses offered. Accepts credit card or PayPal. They bill you immediately if you use PayPal, even if it's a preorder.

NIPPON-YASAN
http://www.nippon-yasan.com/lang-en/?force=1
Decent variety of shipping options. Their service with FedEx makes them one of the fastest shipping options available. Great prices available with very little markup. They are based in Japan so you'll find store specific preorder bonuses offered. Accepts credit card or PayPal. They bill you immediately, even if it's a preorder.

Solaris Japan
http://www.solarisjapan.com/
Decent variety of shipping options. Their service with UPS makes them one of the fastest shipping options available. Great prices available with very little markup. They are based in Japan so you'll find store specific preorder bonuses offered. Accepts only PayPal. Not a site for doing preorders but great for buying already released merchandise.

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Putting ¥ or DLC Codes into Your Account

The following is the quickest way to put ¥ or DLC codes into your account. You can also reach the code entry screen from the PSN Store (see the Navigating the Japanese PSN Store section for the location).

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Step 1: Start by going to the Playstation Network column on the XMB menu and selecting Account Management.

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Step 2: Select the second option from the top that's labeled コード番号の入力.

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Step 2: Enter the code into the boxes.

Then select the Next button.

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Navigating the Japanese PSN Store

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When you first go to the Japanese PSN Store you'll be stumped with how to get around. No matter what your XMB menu language is, the store with always be in Japanese.

Store | 検索 (Search) | カート (Cart)
----------------
Welcome
ゲーム (Game)
----------------
PlayStation Plus
----------------
ダウンロードリスト (Download List)
コード番号の入力 (¥/DLC Code Entry)

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Selecting ゲーム (Game) will bring you to this screen.

ゲームトップ (Game Top)
特集&キャンペーン (Feature & Campaigns)
新着コンテンツ (New Content)
ランキング (Ranking)
----------------
PS3 コンテンツ (PS3 Content)
PS Vita コンテンツ (PS Vita Content)
PSP コンテンツ (PSP Content)
ゲームアーカイブス (Game Archives)
----------------
タイトル別検索 (Search by Title)
メーカー別検索 (Search by Manufacturer)

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Selecting PS3 コンテンツ (PS3 Content) will bring you to this screen.

新着コンテンツ (New Content)
ゲーム (Game)
追加アイテム (DLC)
体験版 (Demo)
カスタムテーマ・壁紙 (Custom Themes, Wallpapers)
アバター (Avatar) [Note: Avatars are account locked. If you purchase one on your Japanese account, you will not be able to use it on another account that's active on the same console.]
PV (Promotional Videos)
アプリ・PlayView (Application, PlayView)

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Selecting a product will bring you to this screen. Using a XBLAZE Custom Theme for the example in this guide.

カートに入れる (Add to Cart)
概要 (Summary)

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買い物を続ける (Continue Shopping)
購入手続きへ進む (Checkout)

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ウォレットへチャージ (入金) (Recharge Wallet (Payment)) [Note: It'll take you to a window with クレジットカード (Credit Card) and コード番号 (Code Number) options.]
購入する (Purchase)

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ダウンロード (Download)
買い物を続ける (Continue Shopping)
ダウンロードリストを表示 (View Download List)

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How to Purchase Guilty Gear Accent Core +R

The following is taking into account that you have read the Navigating the Japanese PSN Store section and just want a fast way to purchase GGAC+R.

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Step 1: Go into the Japanese PSN Store and do a search for "guilty".

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Step 2: Click the GGAC video link.

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Step 3: Click the GGAC game icon on the right hand side.

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*I already had it purchased so the Add to Cart button says ダウンロード (Download) on the screenshot.

Step 4: Click the カートに入れる (Add to Cart) button and purchase it. See the Navigating the Japanese PSN Store section for more information on the purchasing steps.
Edited by Kurushii

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How to Purchase Blazblue Chronophantasma

The following is taking into account that you have read the Navigating the Japanese PSN Store section and just want a fast way to purchase GGAC+R.

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Step 1: Go into the Japanese PSN Store and do a search for "blazblue".

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Step 2: Click the BBCP game link.

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Step 3: Click the カートに入れる (Add to Cart) button and purchase it. See the Navigating the Japanese PSN Store section for more information on the purchasing steps.

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How to Purchase BBCP Color 23 and 24 Magazine DLC
 

 

-The Famitsu with color 23 is no longer available digitally, if you still want it you'll have to find a physical copy of the magazine.-


Since Famitsu and Dengeki Playstation magazines are sold in physical and digital form i'll be showing you how to purchase it in digital form using BookWalker. The Famitsu costs 300 yen and Dengeki Playstation costs 500 yen, but the total cost will be based on exchange rates and your credit card. I will not demonstrate how to navigate their entire site or how to view the books. If you are wondering what color 23 looks like check out this image, or for color 24 see this image

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Registering:
Step 1: Go to https://member.bookwalker.jp/app/03/entry/new *Use google translate built into Chrome Browser to save time. For the hiragana image authentication: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiragana

Purchasing:
Step 1: Go to http://bookwalker.jp/ded3d8b4db-4e18-4f3a-ba7c-1a1d043b53db/週刊ファミ通-2013年11月21日号/ if you want to purchase color 23, or go to http://bookwalker.jp/de5a455deb-c7f9-4ea5-9220-bb97334f6fdd/電撃PlayStation-Vol-554-BOOK☆WALKER特別版/ if you want to purchase color 24.
Step 2: Click the green button with カート (Cart) on the right hand side to purchase the book.
Step 3: Login into your account.
Step 4: Keep clicking the blue buttons until you get to the payment type screen. If you don't want them to save your credit card information then uncheck the box next to 番号を保存 (Save Number). Click the blue button afterwards.
Step 5: Enter your credit card information, then keep clicking the orange buttons.
Step 6: If all went well you should get a screen with "お支払いの手続きが完了しました。 ご利用ありがとうございました。", and a single grey button to return.

Acquiring the DLC Code:
Step 1: Go to https://member.bookwalker.jp/app/03/my/amenity_logs
Step 2: If you purchased color 23, find『ブレイブルー クロノファンタズマ』ファミ通専用キャラクターカラーバリエーション 入手プロダクトコード under the third column. If you purchased color 24, find 電撃PlayStation Vol.554購入特典「BLAZBLUE CHRONOPHANTASMA」 under the third column. You'll see the dlc code to the right of them. Enter it into your JP PSN account.

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