Stores and trade shows
We go to stores and trade shows in Japan for you
A product page or a press release tells you what was planned for a shelf or a stand (booth). It doesn't tell you what's on the shelf today, where it sits, or what the price label says.
If you need to know what's actually happening at a store or a trade show in Japan, we go in person and send you what we saw and heard, in plain English, with photos where we're allowed to take them.
It's a record, not a review. We tell you what we saw, what staff told us and what we couldn't check. We don't add opinions or ratings.
Store Check — ¥50,000 per store
For example: is your product on the shelf at a particular store? How is it displayed, and what's next to it?
- Up to 60 minutes in one store
- Up to five products you name, each recorded as we find it: the name and product code on the label, the price shown, whether tax is included, any member or sale conditions, where it sits on the shelf, and how many are facing out
- Up to five questions about the products (price, stock, specifications, terms), asked to store staff in Japanese
- Photos of the shelves and labels, where the store allows them
- A written report in English within 2 business days of the visit
Another store on the same day, in the same area: ¥25,000.
We only take on stores where we're allowed to take photos. Before you pay, we ask the store. If photos aren't allowed, we don't take the job.
If we can't see a product, we write down where we looked and at what time. We don't say it's sold out or not stocked. An empty space on a shelf at 2 pm tells you what was there at 2 pm, nothing more.
Trade Show Visit — ¥80,000 half day, ¥120,000 full day
For example: what's on a particular stand at a trade show in Japan? Is your product on show there?
| Half day | Full day | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ¥80,000 | ¥120,000 |
| Time at the show | 3 hours | 6 hours |
| Stands you choose | Up to 3 | Up to 6 |
| Questions to exhibitors about the products (price, stock, specifications, terms) | Up to 10 in total | Up to 20 in total |
- We only take on shows where visitors may take photos and where we can register as visiting for someone else. Before you pay, we check the organiser's rules. If the show doesn't allow photos, or doesn't allow visiting on someone else's behalf, we don't take the order.
- We photograph a stand only with that exhibitor's permission, and we follow the show's own rules on photos. If an exhibitor says no to photos, we record that stand in writing only, and the price stays the same
- Busy stands can be hard to see. From experience, the most popular stands, especially those with promotional models, can be surrounded by photographers, and it isn't always possible to get close to the products or take a clear photo. We record what we could and couldn't see
- We record what's on show: product names, model numbers and what the exhibitor told us about them. A price or a delivery time said out loud at a stand is marked as Reported, not as a quote
- Entry tickets are charged at cost, and we agree them with you before you pay
- We go in under our own name. At a show for trade visitors only, we register as ourselves and say we're visiting on behalf of a client. We only give your name if you ask us to. We don't pretend to be your staff
- A written report in English within 3 business days of the visit
Travel and extra charges
The same as for our car viewings. Within 40 km by road of Kuwana Station (Nagoya Station is about 27 km), travel is a flat ¥5,000. Further away, it's ¥110 per km of the round trip, by the driving route on Google Maps from Kuwana Station, whether we go by car or train. We quote it before you pay.
We usually go and come back on the same day. If a venue is far enough that we'd need to stay overnight, accommodation is a fixed rate: ¥25,000 per night if the dealer, store or show is in Tokyo's 23 wards or in the city of Yokohama, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka or Sapporo; ¥15,000 per night anywhere else. We say in your quote whether a visit needs one, and if hotels on that date cost more than the rate, we tell you before you pay.
| Weekends and Japanese public holidays | +30% of the fee |
| Visit within 3 business days of booking | +30% of the fee (when we can fit it in) |
| If both apply | +60% of the fee |
Prices don't include Japanese consumption tax where it applies. We confirm this in your quote.
If it doesn't go to plan
We hold your card when you book and take the payment after the visit.
- The store says no, the show is cancelled, or you cancel, before we set off: you pay nothing, except accommodation or a trade show entry ticket that can't be refunded, if your quote lists them.
- We arrive and the store won't allow photos after all, or we can't get into the show: you pay only the travel charge in your quote, plus any entry ticket or accommodation we've paid for and can't get refunded.
- A product isn't on the shelf, a stand isn't there, or staff don't answer a question: that's what we report. The price stays the same.
The full rules are in our Cancellation & Refund Policy.
What the report looks like
The same as our car reports. Every item is marked as one of four things:
Every photo has a number, and every Observed line points to one. We refer to staff by their role (for example, "store staff" or "exhibitor's sales staff"), not by name.
Our sample report is from a car viewing. Store and trade show reports use the same layout.
What we don't do
- We don't review your product or your market. We tell you what we saw and heard. No opinions, ratings or market analysis.
- We don't judge whether a product is genuine, or its quality.
- We don't check on people or companies. No checks on whether a company really exists, whether it's still trading, who works there, whether it can be trusted, who visits a stand, or how a store's staff behave.
- No hidden cameras, and no photos without permission. If a store doesn't allow photos, we don't take the job. The same goes for a trade show that doesn't allow photos.
- We don't buy or ship products for you, and we don't sell, negotiate or collect contacts on your behalf.
- No live video calls. You get the report afterwards.
Not sure whether your request fits? Tell us the store or the show, and what you want to know. We'll say yes or no before you pay anything.
How it works
- Email us with the store or the show, the products or stands, your questions and when you need the report.
- We check with the store, or check the show's rules, and send you the price, any travel cost and the earliest date we can go.
- We go, and record what we see and hear as described above.
- You get the report with all the photos.
If you'd like a store or a stand looked at in Japan, send us the details. We reply in English within 2 Japanese business days.