Welcome to the Imaginatorium Shop, now in our eleventh year!
From our base in Japan (here!), 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.
Golden Week
Golden Week holidays are now over, and we are back to business as normal.
Discount
Currently we are giving 15% on all puzzle orders.
- Contents page - full shop guide, including navigation links at the top of each page
- Bargains! - reduced prices on selected puzzles
- 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!
- Forum ... share comments and ideas
Feature of the month for May
The four protector-gods: legends from ancient China, these are Genbu (snake-plus-turtle) to the North, Seiryu (blue dragon) to the East, Suzaku (red bird) to the South, and Byakko (white tiger) to the west. Three versions, and the Kayomi one featured above is available in both 1000 and 3000 pieces. An extra 10% off these puzzles...
See all special offers.
(All special offers subject to current stock availability)
15% discount on all puzzle orders
Our special tenth anniversary discount of 20% ended successfully, but meanwhile the yen refuses to lie down. So instead of reverting to the previous 10%, we will keep trying to help with price levels with an across-the-board 15% discount. (This applies on top of special offer discounts.)
The yen exchange rate exploded in the crash at the end of 2008: as shown in the graph on the right, this means falling purchasing power in the currencies our customers use, and effectively rising puzzle prices. In 2012 there has been just a suggestion that the yen may have turned a corner, but who knows?
And more bargains!
Over the years we've accumulated a collection of puzzles that have been lingering in stock for too long, so we are offering at least 50% off (in addition to the standard 15% discount)... here are just some of the puzzles:
...and more, in the bargain sale.
Latest additions
Latest mythical animals from Kayomi...
Latest animal puzzles by Kentaro Nishino...
Jolly puzzles by Hajime Okamoto, and more historical portraits by Tsuyoshi Nagano...
More auspicious puzzles for the Year of the Dragon — lots of dragons of course, but also other lucky symbols...
Double-sided puzzles — one of a number of new "features" introduced recently by Epoch...
New puzzles from Americana artist Charles Wysocki (1928-2002)
And more...
Chit-chat
—April—
It does seem incredible to think that we started the puzzle shop just ten years ago: it opened on 15th April 2002. I suppose at first I thought of it as a hobby/experiment, since we started with a fixed page containing six scenic puzzles, but things grew and grew in that amazing Internet way.
Unfortunately, everything changed with the financial crash in 2008, as the yen exchange rate climbed to crazy levels. In a time of general economic depression, our prices have kept rising in terms of other currencies. There is not much we can do about this, but we give discounts to try and compensate. For our tenth anniversary we have had a special 20% discount off all puzzle prices, which is due to revert to the previous 10% at the end of the month. When I was changing the discount figure (yes, I know this looks a bit hacky, but) I found this fragment:
// ****************************************
// while yen index < 400
if ($puzcount > 0) return 10;
// ****************************************
This "yen index" is a crude assessment of the yen level: add together the number of yen you get in a PayPal conversion of one pound, one euro, and one US dollar. Currently the figures are €=103, £=127, $=77, total 308. Not much chance of getting back to 400, but for the time being at least I've decided to make the standard discount 15% while this index is below 350.
* * *
On a personal note, I underwent hip replacement surgery on March 14th. I was out of hospital on the 24th, and I am now well on the way to recovery. Hip replacements are definitely one of the great success stories of medical engineering — basically I have a new bearing! But after three or four years of being a "passenger", my left leg has a lot of muscle to restore, so I am engaged in a strenuous, but enjoyable rehabilitation regime, of long walks every day. It's wonderful that walking can be fun again. Thanks for the many messages of support.
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.
- Yes, we sell glue! Yanoman puzzle glue (200 g), 350 yen Add to basket (Standard PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) puzzle glue - every puzzle that we sell includes a small packet, but when you need extra, one of these bottles should be enough for around six 1000-piece puzzles.)
- Manufacturer details:
Apollo -
Appleone -
Artbox -
Beverly -
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.
Click "Buy this puzzle" to go straight to the checkout with a single puzzle, or "Add to basket" to carry on shopping. At the checkout, you can select the shipping method, then choose how you are going to buy the puzzle(s). 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 most convenient way to pay in yen (charged in your 'home currency')
Purchase from 2checkout.com: by credit card worldwide - no signup required
You can pay by major credit card, eCheck in the US,
and bank transfer in many countries.
As you can see in the pile of puzzles on the left, most of the writing on the box is in Japanese, so we also include printed details with each shipment. Click these thumbnails for descriptions...
(Sorry! You can't see the "pile of boxes", because your browser does not support the functions necessary.)
Other items from Imaginatorium Shop
Français - Deutsch - Italiano - Español
If you're an enthusiast who would like to share in marketing in other languages, please contact me.
Finally...
The Shop is only part of my website, the Imaginatorium - I hope you will have time to explore some of the other pages!
