How to find the value of a Japanese Pokémon card

By Eduard Mihaila · June 28, 2026

Valuing a Japanese Pokémon card is harder than valuing a Western one, for two reasons. English catalogues often don’t list Japanese cards at all, and even when they do, the Japanese price is not the same as the English version’s price. The same artwork can trade at a completely different level depending on which market it belongs to. That means a card has to be valued on its own market, in its own currency, to get a number you can trust.

Quick answer: Scan the card with PixelBinder. The app reads Japanese cards, including sets that only release in Japan, and shows their current price on the Japanese market using Cardmarket and eBay data, rather than converting an English price. For valuable cards it also shows PSA 9 and PSA 10 comparables.

How do I find the value of a Japanese card?

The process is three steps, and the app handles the hard parts.

1. Scan the card. PixelBinder automatically detects Japanese from the characters (hiragana and katakana) and identifies the card and its number, with no translating required. If you want to do this by eye first, here’s how to identify a card by its set and number.
2. Read the market price. The app shows the current value on the Japanese market, not a rough conversion of the English price.
3. Check graded comps. For valuable cards, look at the PSA 9 and PSA 10 comparables to see the gap between a raw and a graded copy.

Why is the Japanese price different from the English one?

Because the two markets are independent. Print runs, demand and availability differ between Japan and the West, so the same card can be worth much more, or much less, in its Japanese version. Valuing a Japanese card at the English price gives a wrong number, and it’s the most common mistake collectors make. Pricing each language on its own market is the whole point, and it’s why Japanese cards are often worth more than people expect.

What if the card only exists in Japan?

Many Japanese sets are never translated. An English-only scanner simply won’t find those cards, because they aren’t in its catalogue. PixelBinder uses a multilingual catalogue that includes these Japan-exclusive sets, so the card is recognised and priced instead of coming back as “not found.” If you’re not sure where to point your camera, here’s where to scan Japanese Pokémon cards.

How do I track the value over time?

Prices move, especially for chase cards, so a one-off check goes stale quickly. Each card you scan is added to your collection, whose total value updates automatically from Cardmarket and eBay. Here’s how collection tracking works. That way a Japanese card, a French card and an English card all sit in one place, each priced on its own market.

Where do I start?

PixelBinder scans and values Pokémon cards in English, French and Japanese from your iPhone camera, and prices Japanese cards on the Japanese market, even Japan-exclusive sets. You start free with 25 scans; unlimited scanning and tracking is available with no commitment.