Business Cards in Japan

[NewInJP]

Hi All-

I just moved to Japan (Tokyo) and as a small business owner would like to purchase Business Cards for my business. What are the options for purchasing a small quantity of nice Business Cards at a good price? I’m interested in both options for going directly to a store as well as ordering online.

Can you guys help?

Thanks,

Whitney

[larabell]

Look around for a FedEx near you. They should be able to print the cards. You'll probably need to find someone who speaks Japanese to help with the translation.

Online, I'd suggest Google -- that is, with a simple search you can find any number of places that will design and print your cards and some will even handle the translation. I'd check the size carefully, though. I ordered some two-sided cards from VistaPrint and they didn't match traditional US or Japanese sizes. Either they used a European size or they just didn't think size matters (Vistaprint is in the Netherlands, by the way).

Locally, check out larger stationary stores or shops that create rubber stamps. Maybe a department store at the same counter that handles wedding invitations. I believe Tokyu Hands also does business cards in the stationery department. Again, you'll need to take someone who speaks Japanese if you expect dual-language cards to come out without mistakes.

Way back when I found an ex-pat couple who designed and printed meishi and had them do some personal ones. I found them in the Tokyo Classified, which is now called Metropolis (a free English-language magazine that runs free classified ads). You can usually find Metropolis where ex-pats hang out -- like the English book floor in Kinokuniya. Google the name... the ads are also visible online.