To give children in Japan a chance to get their trading cards again, Pokémon cards are no longer being sold to adults in some stores.
Akihabara is a district of Tokyo and is arguably the pop culture heart of the city. Hundreds of stores around anime, manga, video games and tons of related merchandise make this district essentially the “nerd stronghold” of Japan and a must-visit for any tourist.
But Akihabara is also a fixed travel destination for the Japanese population to stock up on games, merchandise, or the latest Pokémon cards.
Those are now denied to adult customers. A first shop in Akihabara no longer sells the new Pokémon packs “Clay Burst” and “Snow Hazard” to adults.
What does a shop in Japan do? As Kotaku reports, the shop “Hareruya 2” – claiming to be the world’s largest specialty store for Pokémon trading cards – has now created an additional area just for children and teenagers. Only 10 packs may be purchased here per day per person, and they check IDs to ensure that only teenagers and young adults can buy the cards. Even parents are not allowed to buy packs there.
Why are adults no longer allowed to buy cards? This is primarily to ensure that children who are genuinely interested in the hobby have a chance to purchase Pokémon cards.
Anyone who has looked into the topic even a little knows that Pokémon trading cards are much more than just playing cards for pure fun. The rarest cards are often significant investments, with the hope that the value of a card will rise drastically. Therefore, many adults purchase several hundred booster packs (“displays”) to hopefully get possession of the most coveted cards.
These are then sold online to collectors at exorbitant prices. Even if the plan doesn’t always work out, it is
Sometimes the displays are also sold only after many years – for example, to unboxing YouTubers, who are willing to spend six or seven figures for them.
People camp on the street to buy Pokémon cards
How intense the “hype” for new Pokémon cards is, as reported by some Twitter users. These are conditions one usually only sees during the release of a new iPhone.
Several dozen meters of people are already sitting on the ground for hours before the stores open, forming a long line to secure the newest cards and hopefully obtain some of the most valuable collector’s cards.
What do you think about this approach? A good thing to bring Pokémon cards back to their original purpose? Or unfair to exclude adults from purchasing?
Logan Paul once bought Pokémon cards for 3,000,000 dollars – and they were fake.
