Jigsaw puzzles from Japan
Welcome to the Imaginatorium Shop, now in our twenty-second year!
From our base in Japan (see the map!), we send jigsaw puzzles anywhere in the world. Most of the hundreds of puzzles we have in stock feature oriental themes, but the high quality of Japanese-made puzzles (exquisite printing, really solid card stock, and clean cutting) also makes "reverse imports" highly desirable — puzzles of Peanuts, Disney, and lots of other Western characters popular in Japan. In general, if a puzzle is available in Japan, we can get it for you within a week or so - see the special orders page.
We are operating!
The situation is gradually improving, but there are still many restrictions on shipping options. For many countries this means a choice between EMS for speed or surface for economy (at least on larger orders).
Some prices have increased (Tenyo Disney puzzles in particular), but the yen is currently at a long-time low against major currencies, so overall there are bargains to be had.
- Contents page - full shop guide, including navigation links at the top of each page
- Top ten - best-selling puzzles
- Last chance! - only one left of each of these puzzles...
- Artists - a complete list
- Special orders - when you can't find the puzzle you are looking for
- Missing pieces - help when you have the puzzle but can't find a piece!
(Puzzle of the month suspended)
Calendar puzzles for 2024
Latest additions
Chit-chat
—November—
Well, there is some positive news... There have been a number of minor improvements over the last few months, and now we are at last able to ship to Canada again! (All shipping to Canada was suspended for about a year, so we have a backlog of customer requests to sort out.) There are still many restrictions in place, and it varies wildly from country to country, but we hope that from now on things will gradually get better and better.
Meanwhile there are a few problems. We are experiencing some fairly wild currency fluctuations: the good news is that the yen is falling against most currencies, but the bad news is that this is going to lead to price rises. In particular, Tenyo...
Tenyo price increases - end November
Tenyo increased the prices for almost all puzzles by around 5-10% on the first of September. Using our existing stock, we have been able to hold our existing prices until now, but by the end of this month we will need to update to the new prices. "You have been warned!"
Countries with restricted shipping
Although things are generally getting better, many countries still have very limited shipping options: in particular, Canada, the UK, and the US. Typically these have only express (EMS: fast and expensive) or surface parcel. So for urgent orders there is no big problem, but if you are looking for economy, surface shipping is very slow (around 2 months to UK or Canada; around 3 months to US), and moreover it is only economical for larger puzzles. Many of our regular customers have settled on making large order just occasionally, such as a minimum of four or five 1000-piece puzzles.
Some other countries (particularly in Europe) are only accepting surface mail, so there are no fast services at all. I'm afraid there is nothing we can do about this, other than ask for your patience. In some cases there is also the possibility of express shipping by Yamato (corresponding to UPS in many cases); this is typically fast and expensive, but erratically priced (by shape!), making larger orders sometimes cost competitive with EMS. You will need to ask about the cost for this: we cannot calculate it automatically, because it depends on the dimensions, not the weight.
Read more of these blog entries
- Best-selling puzzles: Top ten.
- Browse the complete list of artists.
- How to display puzzles on the wall without needing to buy a frame: Murals!
- Despite the FAQ, we can supply frames by special order: more information.
- Manufacturer details: Apollo - Appleone - Artbox/Ensky - Beverly - Cuties - Epoch - Road - Tenyo - Yanoman - more historical info
- Any other problems or just questions - please ask!
About ordering
The details under each puzzle show the price, with approximate equivalents in US dollars, euros, and pounds sterling. The new checkout (at imaginatorium.com) should be self-explanatory, but please read the FAQ for more details. If you have any questions or problems, just use the forms provided to ask, and we'll get back to you. Once we receive confirmation of a payment, we aim to despatch puzzles by the next working day.
The total for all PayPal payments is in yen, but you will be charged in your 'home currency', and you will be able to check the final amount before confirming payment.
You can pay by major credit card, eCheck in the US,
and bank transfer in many countries.
Finally...
Imaginatorium Shop started in 2002 as a part of my website at imaginatorium.org; it's still there - the Imaginatorium