Japanese vs US Blu-rays

[WickyWoo]

- I've noticed that for the same BR, I usually pay more in Japan than online US prices. Is there a reason for that? Is it because of the Japanese voice actors that need to be paid or the exchange rate of the dollar-yen?

It's because of several things:

1- The yen was revalued back in the 1980s. Where 5800yen was standard pricing for a video and the equivalent of $29.95US, it essentially doubled overnight, while still remaining the same relative price in Japan. Studios naturally enjoyed this sudden revenue boost, and it also still needs to be higher for the lower volume/higher cost of doing business in Japan

2- Japan's distribution system is so fractured. A disc can literally pass through half a dozen pairs of hands between plant and your local store, each one taking its own share

I've met a lot of seiyuu, and I don't think any of them have ever mentioned royalties.

I often see that some US BR's have a lot of subtitles, including Chinese and Korean but often Japanese is left out. Are there various versions, among which one where Japanese subtitles are included?

2 reasons-

1- To keep Japanese people from buying the cheaper versions available outside the country
2- A Japanese studio (Toei, Toho, Pony Canyon etc) owns the Japanese rights

Do you guys have interesting online shops that sell Japanese BR's cheaply, aside from Amazon Japan?

Amazon has lower prices than anyone, and since you don't have to ship them...hey.

I wish more Amazon-J Marketplace sellers would ship outside the country, there's a lot of JPop/Rock used DVDs that are signifigantly cheaper, and it's far easier than scouring 57 used disc shops in Japan.