Update!

(15 August) The database should now be fixed, so there are no more stray funny characters... but there may still be glitches. I just discovered that all of the Peanuts puzzles had disappeared, because "artist=peanuts" was not matching "Peanuts"; so there is more to do in sorting out case-insensitive matching.

Database problem!

Apologies! A recent database upgrade has left lots of Japanese text corrupted, and also some variant characters, such as the e-acute in "Pokémon," not showing correctly. I am working to correct this but may take some days...

申し訳ありません 現在、データーベースの問題でほとんどのパズルの詳細などの日本語が文字化けになっています。修復するまで何日かかかるかも知れません。ご了承ください。

Jigsaw puzzles from Japan

500-piece scenic puzzles

Orbit of the dream

Kagaya's photographic interpretation of a Kyoto scene...

Born in Saitama (just north of Tokyo) in 1968, Kagaya spent his childhood in wonderment of the stars in the sky, and never stopped painting them. He has had a successful career as an illustrator for astronomical books and magazines, and many of his works have been turned into jigsaw puzzles, among other products. Since 1996, he has worked exclusively in the digital medium, using a Macintosh. Perhaps that is why he does not appear to sign his pictures.

He goes by his family name; his given name appears to be Yutaka, but in English you will also find him called Joh Kagaya (Jô is the Chinese reading of his name).

This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle.

In stock
A Yanoman puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: Y051015 (05-1015 on package)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$13.51 €12.50 £10.47)

All about ordering (please read first)

Fuji with pagoda

The most sought after view of Fuji, from the park including this five-storied pagoda to the north-east of the mountain.

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05110 (05-110 on package)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38)

All about ordering (please read first)

Steps to Bishamon Hall

Steps strewn with brilliant fallen maple leaves form the approach to the Hall of Bishamon, part of the Jingo-ji complex in Kyoto. Although almost all of the picture is foliage, this framework will make the puzzle a pleasure to do.

Wikipedia articles on the Jingo-ji temple site; and Vaiśravaṇa, the original Bishamon

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05114 (05-114 on package)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38)

All about ordering (please read first)

Pink-tinged Fuji

A beautiful example of the classic view of Fuji, tinged with pink, and soaring over the surrounding ocean of clouds...

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05085 (05-085 on package)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38)

All about ordering (please read first)

Cat life in Kyoto

The stone statue is a maneki neko, or "beckoning cat", traditionally seen as beckoning good fortune. And the cat seems to have the same idea!

Mitsuaki Iwagō (born 1950) is a very well known Japanese wildlife photographer, whose photoessay on the Serengeti, "Natural Order on the African Plain" became an international best-seller. But he is also known for cute photographs of more domesticated animals...

(His family name is often written without the long-vowel mark, as Iwago.)

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E06083 (06-083 on package)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$13.51 €12.50 £10.47)

All about ordering (please read first)

Diamond reflection

A dramatic view of Shirogane Blue Pond, right in the middle of Hokkaido...

He goes by his family name; his given name appears to be Yutaka, but in English you will also find him called Joh Kagaya (Jô is the Chinese reading of his name).

This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle.

In stock
A Yanoman puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: Y051014 (05-1014 on package)
Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$13.51 €12.50 £10.47)

All about ordering (please read first)

Misty morning over Takeda castle

An atmospheric shot of this unique ruined hilltop castle which appears to float in a sea of clouds.

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05092 (05-092 on package)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38)

All about ordering (please read first)

Angkor Wat

This is the largest in the complex of temples at Angkor in Cambodia. From here a powerful family of kings ruled much of south-east Asia, from around the year 900 to 1432. The city was then abandoned, and more or less lost to the jungle, until rediscovered by a French explorer, Henri Mouhot, in 1860.

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: A05254 (500-254 on package)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38)

All about ordering (please read first)

Sumidagawa firework display

Sumidagawa is the great river through Tokyo that is the site of this annual summer firework display.

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E79104 (79-104 on package)
Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42)

All about ordering (please read first)

Miyajima fireworks

The great torii, or Shinto ceremonial gateway of Itsukushima shrine stands vividly silhouetted against a firework display. Completed in 1875, this torii is somewhat unusually sited in the tidal part of the bay, and is famous as one of the traditional "Three sights of Japan."

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 380 x 530 mm (15" x 21")
Code: E79105 (79-105 on package)
Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42)

All about ordering (please read first)

Rurikoin temple view

A spectacular mass of autumn foliage seen from within Rurikō-in, one of the many temples of Kyoto.

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05203 (05-203 on package)
Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42)

All about ordering (please read first)

Thailand lantern festival

Lanterns shimmer over the lake in front of a Thai temple complex.

The box has a disclaimer that this is a "digitally processed" image, and may not be an exact representation of reality...

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05202 (05-202 on package)
Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42)

All about ordering (please read first)

Mont St Michel

A spectacular night view of the island of Mont St. Michel, off the coast of Normandy in France. It was joined to the mainland by a causeway, but in 2014 this was replaced by a bridge.

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E05090 (05-090 on package)
Normally ¥1600 - special offer 20% off: ¥1280 (approx. US$8.65 €8.00 £6.70)

All about ordering (please read first)

Nagaoka firework display

The famous firework display in Nagaoka, on the banks of Shinanogawa, the longest river in Japan...

In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 500 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15")
Code: E79174 (79-174 on package)
Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42)

All about ordering (please read first)

Deleted puzzles

For reference: you can view all the 500-piece scenic puzzles that are out of print in the Attic.