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
"None of the above"
The puzzles on this page are difficult or different, but defy classification
Torture (hardest of all!) -
Just silly fun -
Unclassified -
More puzzler's puzzles
Torture
You could always write a message on the completed puzzle, break it up, and send it to a friend...?
2000 pieces
 White tortureThe ultimate horror: 2000 pieces, every one white. The box does say "For masochists only"... you have been warned.
 In stockA Beverly puzzle: 2000 pieces; 720 x 490 mm (28" x 19") Code: BS62517 (S62-517 on package) Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$20.27 €18.75 £15.71) All about ordering (please read first)
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This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.1000 pieces
 White tortureEvery piece of this puzzle is plain white. Not for the faint of heart!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: BM71847 (M71-847 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Black tortureEvery piece of this puzzle is plain black. Not for the faint of heart!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: BM71848 (M71-848 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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300 pieces
 White tortureEvery piece of this puzzle is plain white. Not for the faint of heart!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: B93123 (93-123 on package) Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38) All about ordering (please read first)
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 White tortureJust 300 little pieces, all white!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 257 x 182 mm (10" x 7") Code: BS73609 (S73-609 on package) Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Blue tortureJust 300 little pieces, all blue!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 257 x 182 mm (10" x 7") Code: BS73611 (S73-611 on package) Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Red tortureJust 300 little pieces, all red!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 257 x 182 mm (10" x 7") Code: BS73612 (S73-612 on package) Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$10.81 €10.00 £8.38) All about ordering (please read first)
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108 pieces
 White tortureEvery piece of this puzzle is plain white. Not for the faint of heart!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 108 pieces; 100 x 147 mm (4" x 6") Code: BM108140 (M108-140 on package) Retail price ¥500 (approx. US$3.38 €3.13 £2.62) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Black tortureEvery piece of this puzzle is plain black. Not for the faint of heart!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 108 pieces; 100 x 147 mm (4" x 6") Code: BM108141 (M108-141 on package) Retail price ¥500 (approx. US$3.38 €3.13 £2.62) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Fine gold tortureA kilogram of fine gold, at least according to the box!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 108 pieces; 100 x 147 mm (4" x 6") Code: BM108204 (M108-204 on package) Retail price ¥800 (approx. US$5.41 €5.00 £4.19) All about ordering (please read first)
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Just silly fun
1053 pieces
 © Epoch Traditional umbrellasA puzzler's puzzle! These are traditional waxed paper umbrellas, of slightly varying shades of red...
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1053 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: E79024 (79-024 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Epoch DahliaThis is a beautiful photograph of a dahlia - no tricks at all. But it will be an interesting challenge!
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1053 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: E71749 (71-749 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Epoch Bouquet reflectionThe bouquet has been reflected into eight-fold symmetry, so if you start with the corners you will get four identical sections to join together progessively. There is lots of variation, though, so in relative terms this should not be too difficult...
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1053 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: E71750 (71-750 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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1000 pieces
 © Beverly Jigsomania 1000The ultimate horror: you start with a pile of puzzle pieces, and when you have completed it, you get a photo of a pile of puzzle pieces!! In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 720 x 490 mm (28" x 19") Code: B61432 (61-432 on package) Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$20.27 €18.75 £15.71) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Beverly Zebra stripomaniaNo description needed: another crazy challenge from Beverly.
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: BM81589 (M81-589 on package) Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$14.86 €13.75 £11.52) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Beverly Jigsomania 1000 microThe ultimate horror: you start with a pile of puzzle pieces, and when you have completed it, you get a photo of a pile of puzzle pieces!!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: BM81573 (M81-573 on package) Retail price ¥2200 (approx. US$14.86 €13.75 £11.52) All about ordering (please read first)
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300 pieces
 © Beverly Jigsomania 300The ultimate horror: you start with a pile of puzzle pieces, and when you have completed it, you get a photo of a pile of puzzle pieces!! In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: B83095 (83-095 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Beverly No smokingSurely no explanation needed! In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 260 x 380 mm (10" x 15") Code: B83050 (83-050 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Rising sunThe flag of Japan. Simple, but an entertaining challenge! In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: B33085 (33-085 on package) Retail price ¥1500 (approx. US$10.14 €9.38 £7.85) All about ordering (please read first)
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108 pieces
 Eye test!The puzzle carries a stern Legal Warning: "This should not be used for real eye tests"... but it looks fun to put together. There is even a cut-out "mini-occluder" on the side of the box (the spoon thingy to put in front of one eye, to test the other).
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 108 pieces; 100 x 147 mm (4" x 6") Code: BM108171 (M108-171 on package) Retail price ¥700 (approx. US$4.73 €4.38 £3.66) All about ordering (please read first)
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 Rising sunThe flag of Japan. Simple, but an entertaining challenge!
In stockA Beverly puzzle: 108 pieces; 147 x 100 mm (6" x 4") Code: BM108174 (M108-174 on package) Retail price ¥700 (approx. US$4.73 €4.38 £3.66) All about ordering (please read first)
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Unclassified
1000 pieces
 © Beverly Sushi collectionSixty-six varieties of sushi, plus the essential accompaniments of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and ginger. Each delicacy has the photo accompanied by the Japanese name, its English equivalent, and romanization of the Japanese.  In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 720 x 490 mm (28" x 19") Code: B61416 (61-416 on package) Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$20.27 €18.75 £15.71) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory Great wave off Float IslandsPerhaps a classic scene from Kirby's Dream Land (the game known as Hoshi-no-Kaabi in Japanese), in which Mount Fuji has been replaced by... ? In stockAn Ensky (Artbox) puzzle: 1000 pieces; 735 x 510 mm (29" x 20") Code: N10T156 (1000T-156 on package) Retail price ¥3200 (approx. US$21.62 €20.00 £16.75) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Kotobuki Kogei Hina-matsuriA formal, but rather jolly portrayal of the seven-level doll display traditionally provided for the Girl's Festival, on the third day of the third month. The Emperor and Empress on the top level sit in front of a gold screen, and the steps below them range from court ladies, and musicians, down to displays of domestic objects, in the elaborate lacquered style of the Heian period. In stockAn Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 500 x 750 mm (20" x 30") Code: A10664 (1000-664 on package) Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$20.27 €18.75 £15.71) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Fujiya Peko-chan in kimonoPeko-chan is the mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants, "Milky" being their iconic brand of milk candy. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 1000 pieces; 500 x 750 mm (20" x 30") Code: C10060 (1000-060 on package) Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$24.32 €22.50 £18.85) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Appleone Historical Japanese coinsAn amazing collection of coins dating from 1668 to 1917 - shown on the puzzle itself at approximately actual size. The back of the box has a key (in Japanese) to each coin, including the dates it was issued, and details of the composition and weight...
In stockAn Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 750 x 500 mm (30" x 20") Code: A10477 (1000-477 on package) Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$20.27 €18.75 £15.71) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Fujiya Milky Peko-chanPeko-chan is the mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants, "Milky" being their iconic brand of milk candy. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 1000 pieces; 750 x 500 mm (30" x 20") Code: C10058 (1000-058 on package) Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$24.32 €22.50 £18.85) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Beverly 
Map of old EdoA map of Edo dating from 1843, long before it was renamed as the "Eastern capital" (Tokyo). It has the lines of the modern Tokyo Metro rail network superimposed, and also the outlines of the huge areas of reclaimed land in what was once Tokyo Bay; it's interesting that the principal lines we see in the original map are waterways, the canal network carrying all goods around the city, ensuring that the Imperial Palace was supplied with really fresh fish, amongst other things. If you can read Japanese at all you will also notice that the map has been rotated; the custom in that time was for East to be at the top. In stockA Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 490 x 720 mm (19" x 28") Code: B61422 (61-422 on package) Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$20.27 €18.75 £15.71) All about ordering (please read first)
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500 pieces
 © Mitsuaki Iwago 
Cat life in Kyoto (Iwago)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 stockAn 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)
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300 pieces
 © Fujiya Peko-chan in kimonoPeko-chan is the mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants, "Milky" being their iconic brand of milk candy. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 300 pieces; 260 x 380 mm (10" x 15") Code: C03122 (300-122 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Fujiya Milky Peko-chanPeko-chan is the mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants, "Milky" being their iconic brand of milk candy. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 300 pieces; 260 x 380 mm (10" x 15") Code: C03118 (300-118 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Fujiya Milky Peko-chan in Chinese dressPeko-chan is the mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants; 牛奶糖 (lit. "milk-sugar"） is the Chinese name for their iconic "Milky" confectionery. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 300 pieces; 260 x 380 mm (10" x 15") Code: C03128 (300-128 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Fujiya Pekola-chanPekola-chan is the rival of Peko, and another mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants, "Milky" being their iconic brand of milk candy. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 300 pieces; 260 x 380 mm (10" x 15") Code: C03123 (300-123 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Fujiya Peko-chan happy and sadPeko-chan is the mascot of the Fujiya chain of confectionery stores and restaurants, "Milky" being their iconic brand of milk candy. In stockA Cuties puzzle: 300 pieces; 260 x 380 mm (10" x 15") Code: C03171 (300-171 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Beverly Sushi collectionSixty-six varieties of sushi, plus the essential accompaniments of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and ginger. Each delicacy has the photo accompanied by the Japanese name, its English equivalent, and romanization of the Japanese.  In stockA Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 380 x 260 mm (15" x 10") Code: B300Z018 (300-018 on package) Retail price ¥1800 (approx. US$12.16 €11.25 £9.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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More puzzler's puzzles
A personal selection of puzzles that seem to have been designed to be interesting (or difficult, if you prefer)...
3000 pieces
 © Kazuyoshi Nomachi Uyuni salt flats, BoliviaThree thousand pieces, and all of them are sky! The famous Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia are covered in water during the wet season, and provide this amazing mirror effect. 
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 3000 pieces; 1020 x 730 mm (40" x 29") Code: E21514 (21-514 on package) Retail price ¥4200 (approx. US$28.38 €26.25 £21.99) All about ordering (please read first)
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2016 pieces
 © Epoch
Sagano bamboo grove lit upA night view of the bamboo grove at Sagano in Kyoto. With roughly 1400 pieces of bamboo, and the rest path and brushwood fence, this is a real puzzler's puzzle!
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 2016 pieces; 750 x 500 mm (30" x 20") Code: E23546 (23-546 on package) Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$16.89 €15.63 £13.09) All about ordering (please read first)
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2000 pieces
 © Kazuyoshi Nomachi Uyuni salt flatsA puzzle where all the pieces are sky! The famous Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia are covered in water during the wet season, and provide this amazing mirror effect.
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 2000 pieces; 530 x 380 mm (21" x 15") Code: E54011 (54-011 on package) Retail price ¥2000 (approx. US$13.51 €12.50 £10.47) All about ordering (please read first)
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1000 pieces
 © Epoch Uyuni by starlightThe famous Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia again, this time at night. The surface layer of water provides this amazing mirror effect, so practically every piece is dark purple with either stars or reflections of stars!
In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 750 x 500 mm (30" x 20") Code: E12508 (12-508 on package) Retail price ¥3200 (approx. US$21.62 €20.00 £16.75) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Kagaya The milky way (Uyuni) (Kagaya)Kagaya has used the famous Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia as an unusual setting for a personal view of the Milky Way. 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).
In stockA Yanoman puzzle: 1000 pieces; 750 x 500 mm (30" x 20") Code: Y101294 (10-1294 on package) Retail price ¥3900 (approx. US$26.35 €24.38 £20.42) All about ordering (please read first)
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 © Amanaimages 
Nemophila fields, IbarakiOnce the site of a wartime aerodrome, this hill is now in a seaside park, covered with these pretty blue flowers. It means that most of the puzzle pieces will be blue, of one shade or another... In stockAn Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 750 x 500 mm (30" x 20") Code: E10763 (10-763 on package) Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$16.89 €15.63 £13.09) All about ordering (please read first)
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