Overview

Nick Katz, an Amazon seller who moved to Japan after university, now runs a store on Amazon.co.jp that exceeds $500,000 in yearly revenue. His growth stems from a deliberate mix of language‑first listings, local fulfillment, and price tuning that matches Japanese buying habits. Sellers eyeing international expansion can adopt his playbook to sidestep common obstacles and capture market share in Japan.

Key Points

• $500K+ annual revenue — Katz’s Japanese storefront consistently tops half a million dollars, showing that a focused entry can become a major profit center.
• Relocation advantage — Living in Japan gave him direct insight into consumer preferences, supplier networks, and on‑the‑ground support, shortening feedback loops.
• Japanese‑only copy — All titles, bullet points, and descriptions are written in native Japanese, which lifted organic visibility and conversion rates.
• FBA deployment — Storing stock in Amazon’s Osaka and Tokyo fulfillment centers cut delivery times to 1‑2 days for most buyers, meeting local expectations.
• Culturally tuned pricing — Prices were set against Japanese purchasing power and competitor benchmarks, creating a price point that resonated with local shoppers.

How Katz’s Amazon Japan Strategy Works

1. Market validation — He first checked demand with Japanese keyword tools, such as Amazon’s autocomplete and third‑party search‑volume data; a query for “silicone kitchen utensils” returned several thousand monthly searches, confirming a viable niche.
2. Listing localization — Native copywriters rewrote every element of the listing, turning an English “compact” claim into the Japanese phrase “省スペース” (space‑saving) to align with local terminology.
3. Regulatory compliance — Each SKU was audited against Japan’s Product Safety Act, labeling rules, and the Food Sanitation Act where relevant, and the required certifications were secured before any shipment.
4. FBA integration — Inventory was sent to Amazon’s fulfillment hubs in Osaka and Tokyo; the Prime eligibility that resulted boosted the buy‑box win rate by roughly 15 % compared with merchant‑fulfilled orders.