A two-story trading card facility sits on Sakaisuji Street in Osaka’s Nipponbashi district, housing 210 battle spaces across floors dedicated entirely to competitive card gaming. Playze Osaka Nipponbashi Honten opened February 23, 2022, operated by Kaji Corporation’s Otakara Souko Group, establishing itself as one of western Japan’s largest dedicated TCG venues.
The flagship store anchors the company’s Kansai operations from 3-7-6 Nipponbashi, Naniwa Ward, in the Nipponbashi Musen Building. Store Manager Maeda runs daily operations at the location, which stays open until 10 PM on weekdays and weekends.
Table of Contents
The Facility
Two floors contain separate zones for different card games. The ground level handles sales, buying operations, and roughly half the battle stations. The second floor expands the tournament space with additional seating arranged for both casual play and sanctioned competitions.
Players use the space throughout operating hours without reservation for free play. Tables accommodate standard two-player matches plus multiplayer formats. Store staff maintain the tournament area and handle event registration at dedicated counters.
The buying desk operates noon to 8 PM daily, processing card collections across all supported game systems. Evaluations happen same-day, with immediate payment available for accepted inventory.
Game Selection
Core Inventory:
Pokemon Card Game singles and sealed products dominate floor space, reflecting current market demand. Yu-Gi-Oh OCG and Rush Duel maintain dedicated sections with extensive single card stock. One Piece Card Game inventory expanded significantly since the game’s 2022 Japanese launch.
Duel Masters, Weiss Schwarz, and Cardfight Vanguard occupy established shelf positions. Newer releases like Hololive OCG, Union Arena, and Gundam Card Game get rotating display space based on tournament schedules.
Supply Section:
Protection sleeves from manufacturers including KMC, Dragon Shield, and Ultra Pro line multiple aisles. Deck boxes, playmats, storage solutions, and tournament accessories fill dedicated areas near the checkout counters.
Access and Hours
Location:
The store sits 45 seconds walking from McDonald’s along Sakaisuji Street’s main corridor. Nipponbashi Station (Sakaisuji Line) provides direct access via Exit 5. Namba Station connects through a five-minute walk east across multiple subway and rail lines.
Operating Schedule:
Monday through Friday: 12 PM to 10 PM
Weekends and national holidays: 10 AM to 10 PM
Card buying: 12 PM to 8 PM (all days)
Phone: 06-6684-8444
The shop maintains year-round operation with no scheduled closure days. Tax-free shopping processes for international visitors at the main counter.
Tournament Programming
Monthly event calendars list sanctioned tournaments across multiple game formats. Recent schedules included Pokemon Card Game weekly competitions, Yu-Gi-Oh structured events, and Championship Series qualifiers for various TCG systems.
Store Championships run on weekend schedules, typically drawing 30 to 60 participants depending on the game. Entry fees vary by format, with most events ranging 500 to 1,000 yen. Prize support comes through booster packs, promotional cards, and store credit.
Staff Fight events pit employees against customers in exhibition matches. Format-specific competitions target Legacy, Modern, and Standard players in games supporting those structures.
The store celebrates November 23 as “Playze Day” annually, marking the company’s founding date. The 2024 celebration featured giveaways including sealed booster boxes and exclusive merchandise across all chain locations.
Den Den Town Context
Nipponbashi functions as Osaka’s concentrated hobby retail district. Yellow Submarine operates multiple locations within three blocks of Playze. Big Magic, Dragon Star, Card Kingdom, and Hareruya all maintain storefronts along the same commercial corridor.
The competition creates shopping routes where collectors visit five to ten card shops in a single afternoon. Playze differentiates through its battle space capacity and extended evening hours, staying open two hours later than most competitors.
The district draws both local players and tourists. International visitors treat Nipponbashi as a destination comparable to Tokyo’s Akihabara, though more compact and walkable.
Business Operations
Kaji Corporation positions Playze as the specialized card shop brand within its larger Otakara Souko Group, which operates approximately 50 retail locations nationwide. The parent company handles games, figures, hobby items, and vintage clothing across different store concepts.
Multiple Playze locations operate in Osaka, including separate shops in the Namba entertainment district and along Otaroad. The Nipponbashi main store serves as the regional flagship, coordinating tournament schedules and inventory distribution for other branches.
The company maintains online sales through playze.jp, with in-store pickup available at all locations. Social media updates flow through X account @Preyz_N_honten, posting daily inventory arrivals and event announcements.
Market Position
The store’s 210-seat capacity ranks among the largest dedicated TCG facilities in the Kansai region. Most competing shops maintain 30 to 80 seats for tournament play. This size difference allows Playze to host larger Championship Series events and multi-game tournaments simultaneously across both floors.
The 2022 opening timing positioned the store to capture post-pandemic growth in trading card games. Pokemon Card Game experienced record sales in Japan during 2021-2022, while new launches like One Piece Card Game created additional market demand.
Four years into operations, Playze Osaka Nipponbashi Honten holds regular position in tournament circuits for major TCG systems. The venue hosts regional qualifiers and attracts competitive players from across western Japan who value the facility’s capacity and equipment quality.
Players looking for pureizu osakanipponbashi honten find it where Sakaisuji Street meets Den Den Town’s card shop concentration, operating daily with battle spaces available from noon until the 10 PM close.
Store Details:
3-7-6 Nipponbashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka 556-0005
06-6684-8444
playze.jp
