Jpop CDJapan

YesAsia.com Logo



When it comes to purchasing J-Pop products out of Japan, two of the most popular online shopping sites are namely CDJapan and Yesasia.


Now personally, I've never actually bought anything from these stores before, much less anything online for that matter - lacking a credit card and feeling it too much of a hassle with the inconvenient cheque/money order options. So I can't comment much about their services first-hand.


What I can do though is inform you about the differences between these two sites in terms of the amount of $$$ you're gonna have to shelve out on your much badly desired J-Pop product and shipping charges. Though as true J-Pop fans, there's another issue other than pricing that might affect your decision (more on that later).


Product Pricing
To compare, I've picked a CD and a DVD, Morning Musume's Resonant Blue (Regular Edition) and Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007-2008 Anniversary respectively. On a side note, I find it hilarious how CDJapan lists Resonant Blue as Reasonable Blue. :P

Morning Musume - Resonant Blue (Regular Edition)
CDJapan: 1,000 yen (US$ 9.54)
YesAsia: 1,314 yen (US$12.49)

Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007-2008 Anniversary
CDJapan: 4,800 yen (US$45.79)
YesAsia: 5,341 yen (US$50.75)

At first glance, CDJapan would save you a few bucks for your trouble, right? Right. Now let's take a look at the shipping charges.

Shipping Charges
CDJapan's site has a detailed guide on estimating your shipping charges based on the number of items you bought, or the total weight (which is the actual method by which they determine your fee). Though really, I suggest you just try purchasing said items and see what the estimate is yourself before finalizing your order. Much easier that way.

The shipping charge also varies depending on your shipment option of choice and region.

Shipment options (cheapest to most expensive):
  • Economy Air (SAL)

  • Air Mail

  • Registered Air Mail

  • Express Mail Service (EMS) (online tracking available, recommended)


Regions (cheapest to most expensive):
  • Asia

  • North America/Central America/Oceania/Middle East

  • Europe

  • South America/Africa


Unless you opt for the cheap-ass Economy Air, expect to pay roughly the price of a CD single for your shipping charges with CDJapan. Well, actually more than that if you're buying more stuff...

On the other hand, YesAsia offers free international shipping as long as you meet the minimum purchase requirement:
  • US, Korea, Taiwan, UK & Europe, Asia-Pacific - US$25

  • Canada - US$39

  • Hong Kong - US$12.83

  • Other countries - US$99


Not a bad deal at all really. Otherwise, YesAsia charges you per shipment and per unit. There's Standard and Express Service. Standard's cheaper, but Express is much faster, though more costly.

For a clearer comparison, let's say I'm gonna order the two aforesaid items. Here's what it's gonna cost me (inclusive of shipping charges) through both sites.

CDJapan - US$62.49-US$69.83
YesAsia - US$63.24

In conclusion, as long as you qualify for free shipping, YesAsia would be a slightly cheaper option than CDJapan (except with their cheap-ass Economy Air).

Oricon - Making your purchase count!
Online sales through CDJapan, along with HMV Japan, Amazon Japan and JBook does count towards the Oricon charts. So if you're a real stickler about that, I'd suggest you stick to buying your J-Pop goodies through any of those sites.

YesAsia unfortunately does not, as far as I know. Unlike CDJapan and the other mentioned sites, YesAsia is not based in Japan but in Hong Kong.

In the end though, it's really a personal choice where to do your online J-Pop shopping. Some people would have had either good or bad experiences with any of the sites I mentioned. God knows how many times I keep hearing people on forums getting really impatient with their expected shipments from one service or another.

Previously, Amethyst only provided YesAsia links for any of the new releases she posted up. In the future, I'll be providing both CDJapan and YesAsia links where appropriate for you to choose from. I might also go back and edit the old posts to reflect this new change...I know some of the cover arts needs resizing after the layout change.

Anyways, happy J-Pop shopping!