Kirk here. I just shared an English-language article about the new One Piece cards. Here's a translation of a Japanese-language article that notes that many foreigners (you, perhaps?) stood in line to get the cards and that they quickly sold out.
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On April 22, the “One Piece Premium Card Collection: Kumamoto Prefecture Special” was re-released in Kumamoto Prefecture and drew a strong response. The cards sold out at all 15 participating stores, and many foreign customers were seen visiting shops to purchase them.
According to store staff and others involved, “About 60% of the customers were foreigners,” and “most were Asian visitors,” once again confirming the global popularity of the manga One Piece.
Meanwhile, there were reports of people rejoining the line multiple times after making a purchase, leading to concerns that some may have been buying the cards for resale purposes.
A representative from Kumamoto Prefecture commented, “We are very grateful for the strong response. We hope this will serve as an opportunity for people to visit Kumamoto.”
Regarding the concerns about reselling, the prefecture noted that there is a rule limiting purchases to “one item per person,” and added that “going forward, it will be necessary to consider measures in cooperation with retailers and sales outlets.”
The cards were reissued by Bandai as part of the “Kumamoto Reconstruction Project,” a collaboration between the prefecture and the popular manga One Piece.
The level of enthusiasm was remarkable. At one store, a parent and child reportedly set up a tent with the store’s permission after closing the day before the sale and spent the night waiting for the store to open.
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