#OnlineShopping
Shopping in Japan often leads to Kakaku.com (literally “Price.com”), the country’s most powerful price-comparison engine. While it doesn’t sell items directly, it aggregates prices from thousands of retailers (including giants like Amazon and Rakuten, plus tiny specialty shops) to find you the absolute lowest price.
Here is how to navigate and make the most of Kakaku for your shopping needs in 2026.
How to Use Kakaku Like a Local
Since the site is primarily in Japanese, use Google Chrome’s “Translate to English” feature (right-click anywhere on the page).
- Search: Enter the model number or product name in the search bar. Using Japanese (e.g., “iPhone 17” or “Sony WH-1000XM6”) gets the best results.
- The “Lowest Price” (最安値): The product page will highlight the cheapest price in big red numbers.
- Check the “Price Trend” (価格推移グラフ): Look for the graph icon. It tells you if the current price is a historic low or if it’s currently spiked.
- Filter by Shop Reliability: Don’t just go for the cheapest. Check the Review Stars (満足度) of the shop. Stores like Map Camera or PC Koubou are highly trusted for electronics.
Top Categories to Buy
As of early 2026, these are the most popular items to track on the platform:
- Smartphones: The Google Pixel 9a and AQUOS sense10 are currently dominating the rankings for value-to-performance.
- Home Appliances: Look for Daikin Air Conditioners (F-Series) and Zojirushi Humidifiers, which are trending due to the winter season.
- Gaming: Search for “Switch 2” or “Nintendo Switch 2” packages, as demand remains high.
Pro Tips for 2026
- Payment Methods: Many of the cheapest “Kakaku-only” shops prefer Bank Transfer (銀行振込) or PayPay. If you want to use a foreign credit card, you may need to stick to the slightly more expensive listings from Amazon or Rakuten linked on the page.
- Shipping (送料): Check if shipping is included (送料無料). Sometimes the second-cheapest item is actually cheaper overall because it includes free shipping.
- In-Store Price Matching: If you are shopping at a physical store like Bic Camera or Yodobashi Camera, show them the Kakaku price. While they won’t always match the absolute lowest (which are often online-only “warehouse” shops), they will often give you a discount or extra points to get closer.
kakaku.com
https://kakaku.com/
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