Buying games on the Japanese eShop is surprisingly easy, even if your Japanese isn’t quite up to RPG protagonist standards. Just make a Nintendo account set to Japan—no need for a local address or magic sword—then load up yen using prepaid cards from places like Amazon Japan or PlayAsia. Browsing can be tricky thanks to those kanji menus, but filters and franchise logos help. Wondering which exclusive you’ll stumble onto next? You might want to keep going.
Diving into the Japanese eShop might sound like an adventure best left to language experts, but for Nintendo Switch owners, it’s surprisingly straightforward—and no, a secret residency in Tokyo isn’t required.
Creating a Japanese Nintendo account is just a matter of visiting the Nintendo website, choosing Japan as your region, and—well, that’s basically it. No need to fake a Tokyo address or borrow someone’s cousin’s Japanese credit card. It’s also possible to create multiple Nintendo accounts with different regions on the same email address by using tricks like Gmail’s “+something” feature, making it easy to manage several eShop profiles at once.
Getting a Japanese Nintendo account is as easy as picking Japan as your region—no fake address or local credit card needed.
Thanks to the Switch’s region-free design, you can have multiple accounts from different regions on the same console, switching between them with a few taps. Nintendo’s account system doesn’t force players to juggle devices or worry about complicated logins. The Japanese eShop layout is very similar to other regions, with sections for Search, Pickup, New, Sale, Ranking, Coming Soon, and Nintendo Switch Online.
Link your new Japanese account to a user profile, and suddenly, the eShop’s sprawling digital storefront of exclusive titles opens up. Of course, the interface is in Japanese. But with game icons, genre filters, and familiar franchise logos, maneuvering doesn’t require a crash course in kanji.
Worst case? Rely on visual cues, or just try a little trial and error—nothing explodes if you click the wrong thing.
When it’s time to pay, things are invigoratingly flexible. Prepaid eShop cards, available digitally from places like Amazon Japan or even physical retailers like PlayAsia, let you add funds without sweating over international credit card forms.
Most online stores, including Amazon Japan, accept non-Japanese credit cards for digital code purchases, and PayPal is often an option, too. Enter the code on the eShop, and you’re ready to start shopping.
Pro tip: avoid scalpers and overpriced cards—Amazon Japan tends to be quick and reasonably priced.
Exclusive games, including Japan-only releases and niche genres like otome, are all within reach. Some even offer language options, so you might luck out with an English menu.
Browsing is straightforward if you stick to genre filters and best-sellers, and systematic searching by price or keyword helps.
Sure, the language barrier exists, but between icons, filters, and a little patience, almost anyone can maneuver through the Japanese eShop—and maybe discover a hidden gem Nintendo never brought west.