Shopify development for stores selling in Japan

Who a Japan Shopify project is for

Two groups ask us for this. The first is a Japanese brand moving off a marketplace or an older cart to run its own store. The second is a foreign brand entering Japan that wants a Japanese storefront connected to its existing catalog. Both need the same things: a store that reads naturally in Japanese, shows tax-inclusive yen prices and takes the payment methods local shoppers use.

Store setup for Japan

Check provider availability and fees on the provider's own site, since they change. Stripe, for example, publishes how konbini payments work.

Theme, apps and speed

Japanese fonts are large, so theme work includes subsetting and font fallbacks. We keep the app list short, since each app adds scripts and monthly cost. We prefer a tested theme with custom sections over a heavy page builder. Product pages carry size charts, care notes and delivery information in Japanese, because shoppers read these closely before buying.

Search setup is part of the build: Japanese page titles, clean URL handles, structured data and a sitemap. See Shopify SEO for Japan for the longer programme.

Invoices, B2B buyers and the qualified invoice system

Business buyers in Japan may ask for a receipt or invoice that meets the qualified invoice system, which began in October 2023. If your company is registered, your invoice needs to show the registration number, tax rate and tax amount by rate. Shopify's default documents may not do this out of the box, so we can add a custom invoice template or connect an invoicing app. Your accountant should confirm the format. The National Tax Agency publishes the rules.

How the project runs

1. Scoping callBooked in your afternoon. Japan is 3.5 hours ahead of India, so 10:30 in Pune is 14:00 in Tokyo.
2. Setup and themeStore settings, payment test mode, theme sections and translations on a development store.
3. Content and dataProduct import, collections and Japanese copy from your native writer.
4. Test orders and launchTest orders for each payment and shipping option, then launch away from Golden Week and the year-end break.

Foreign brands entering Japan

If you already sell abroad on Shopify, a Japanese storefront can often be added as a market or a separate store. A separate store gives you a Japanese domain strategy, yen pricing and a clean legal setup. A market keeps one catalog but adds more settings to manage. We compare the two against your catalog size, stock and team before recommending one.

• Product titles and descriptions rewritten in Japanese, not machine-translated from English.
• Sizing converted for Japanese expectations, with measurements in centimeters.
• Delivery promises, import duty and returns wording that match what you actually do.
• LINE connection, where relevant, through an app or the LINE API, checked at scoping.

We do not have an office or staff in Japan. Fulfillment, a returns address and customer replies in Japanese need someone on your side or a logistics partner you choose.

Price

Projects start at $1,500, with a rate of $30 an hour, and a fixed quote follows a short call on the contact page. Catalog size, custom features, number of integrations and translated pages move the price. The Shopify store cost guide lists the drivers, and the Shopify launch checklist covers what to prepare. General background is on our Shopify development service page.