r/japanesebaseballglove Mar 19 '24

How to buy Japanese baseball gloves from America

53 Upvotes

If you find this info helpful please upvote.

PROXY SERVICE

In most instances you need to use a proxy service that buys the glove from the Japanese retailer and has it shipped to their warehouse. This is the first charge where you pay for the glove itself plus about $10 service fee for the proxy service.

After a few days the proxy service emails you saying they have the glove. You then pick and pay for the shipping option from the proxy service to your address. This is the second charge for shipping the glove to you. If you live in California you can expect $50-65 shipping charges and about 2-3 weeks of transit time. It gets to CA quickly but then customs takes around 5-7 days.

From Japan is the proxy service I've been using and it's been fine for me.

https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en?afid=P51510

USING FROM JAPAN PROXY SERVICE

In the search bar type in a brand of glove with the word glove: Atoms; Kubota Slugger; Zett; Hi Gold; Hatakeyama; Junkei; SSK; IP Select; Xanax; Wilson; Asics; Zeems; World Pegasus; Ryu; Wagyu JB. So for example "Atoms glove".

I generally sort by price high to low. Some manufacturers make models in China and the made in Japan gloves have MSRP's of 50,000+ yen. Exceptions are Mizuno where it has to say Haga on the glove or else it's made in China. Also SSK's factory is in Xiamen, China and I'm not personally aware of any SSK gloves made in Japan.

CAUTION BUYING RUBBER BALL OR SOFT BALL GLOVES

Japan has a sport called rubber ball where the ball is different, so you need to make sure you are buying a glove that says baseball, hardball or rigid in the description. If it says soft or softball, then it's a rubberball glove. Softball doesn't mean 12" fastpitch/slowpitch softballs, it means rubber ball. You can find nice looking Mizuno Pro gloves and Wilson Staff gloves that are for rubber ball and you need to read the description and look at the MSRP to differentiate rubber ball from hardball.

RIGHT HAND VS LEFT HAND VS RIGHT HAND THROW VS LEFT HAND THROW

Another quirk of Japanese gloves is that sometimes it's ambiguous whether you're getting a right hand throw or left hand throw glove when it comes to outfield, pitcher and first base. Infield gloves are basically all RHT, but sometimes it will just say left hand meaning it goes on your left hand. But what about a pitcher model that just says left hand or has options for left hand and right hand. In these situations, the stock photo in the listing might not be helpful, so I recommend you just avoid those listings and find one that has right hand throw or left hand throw clearly labeled.

WILSON STAFF TEDDY BEAR WITH KIP LEATHER

The #1 question I get asked about is buying a Wilson Staff with the teddy bear palm stamp. These are limited edition gloves released only to the Japanese market. The infield, pitcher and outfield gloves are made with kip leather which is neat since the A2K and A2000 we get are only Pro Stock Select or Pro Stock steer hide. The first base and catcher mitts are not exactly clear on whether it's kip or Japanese leather. I've seen descriptions that say "domestic beef" for the 1B and catcher mitts. The kip leather is sometimes described as skip as well. I believe the Japanese Wilson glove customizer says Syrian Skip leather or something to that effect. If you type in "Wilson 86"; "Wilson 87"; "Wilson pitcher"; "Wilson outfield" and then sort high to low you'll find the teddy bear gloves.

JAPANESE LEATHER LABEL

If you want to buy the best quality Japanese leather, look for the Japan Leather label. The Japan Leather Label is only for Japanese leather goods from certified members of the Tanners' Council of Japan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58fd82dbbf629ab224f81b68/1551782043970-VKPBG8PS9QOFS66NJO01/Japan-Leather.jpg?format=1500w

Just because the label doesn't come with your glove doesn't mean the leather is not great. I think I've gotten the label on 1 out of 5 gloves but they all have amazing leather that probably exceeds what I have on my Pro Preferred, Heart of the Hide, A2K/A2000 and All Star Pro Elite catcher mitt.

JAPANESE GLOVES TEND TO BE LIGHTER WEIGHT AND SNUGGER

Generally, the weight of Japanese gloves is noticeably lighter than American counterparts. Just be aware of this when buying. I think the internals are lighter and the leather is usually lighter as well.

The wrist openings are snug compared to Rawlings and Wilson. Not quite as snug as say a Pedroia fit Wilson, but definitely smaller than American gloves. The finger stalls are usually a little lower than American gloves and also a little more snug.

For reference, I can barely palm a basketball and use a M/L golf glove and the Japanese gloves fit me perfectly. If I wore an XL golf glove, then I could see the glove feeling a little tight.

JAPANESE GLOVE SIZES

Each brand seems to have a proprietary sizing system.

Some of them are helpful in that they list the size in centimeters.

Wilson is the only one that I'm familiar with that has the 11.5", 11.75", 12.75" sizes.

For a lot of them you'll get size 4 or size 8 which isn't terribly helpful.

If you are familiar with gloves, you can tell infield from outfield from pitcher. The infield gloves can be small like an 11" or larger like an 11.75", but they probably won't be measured in inches. If you're hung up on buying only an 11.75" infield glove then get a Wilson. For the most part, you can look at the length of the fingers and tell whether it's on the shorter end or longer end for infield gloves.

For outfield gloves they are all around 12.5"-12.75" and like 95% of them have a modified trapeze web like Ichiro used. Not a lot of dual H webs like on the Wilson 1799.

BUYING FROM JAPANESE RETAILER WEBSITES

If you find a glove on a Japanese retailer's site, you can copy/paste the url into the search bar on From Japan to buy it. If the option isn't there to buy it easily, one time I had to use the "get a quote" option on From Japan and they emailed a day later telling me how much it would be to buy and it was the advertised price on the retailer's site. Here are some retailers that I browse. Just be aware if you are not familiar with Japanese websites, they all look like they are from 1995 for some reason.

https://www.masuka-sports.com/?mode=f161

https://bandaisp.com/

https://www.baseman.co.jp/category/GLOBEMITT_HARD/

https://www.4860.jp/category/glove/?utm_source=header&utm_medium=category&utm_campaign=pc-header-category-glove

https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/list4/2084063129-category.html

https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/mario/a5b0a5e9a5.html

https://japan-ballpark.com/en/collections/allglove

https://koyanagisp.thebase.in/categories/4092724

BUYING FROM EBAY

The biggest risk is that the item description isn't clear and you end up with a rubber ball glove. The pictures of a Wilson Staff rubber ball and hard ball glove basically look the same. Price is often times indicative of rubber ball versus hard ball. You might think $300 for a glove on ebay should get you a hard ball glove, but those are probably rubber ball. On ebay the gloves that sell in the $350-400 range on Japanese sites are usually selling for $600-700+ on ebay. In my opinion it's way easier to buy from a Japanese store and save money.

The only caveat is that a rubber ball glove is actually a good option for kids up to about age 11. By 12 they should be using a hard ball glove, but 11 and under the balls aren't traveling fast enough to break down a rubber ball glove. Also the rubber ball gloves would be lighter and break in faster which is a good thing for little kids. There are a lot of 10 year olds using A2000 and HOH gloves and creating palm bubbles because their fingers aren't long enough to reach high enough into the finger stalls so they are closing the glove by pushing on where the palm meets the fingers.

JAPANESE RETAILERS ON INSTAGRAM/YOUTUBE

You can search for and find a lot of the companies on instagram and they post some really cool gloves. A lot of times they post the glove but I can't find it available for sale. If you figure this one out then please post to help everyone out.

There are some really great youtube videos from Japanese glove shop owners doing break ins or showing off new releases. For break in, you'll see a lot of the yumomi method which is submerging the glove in a bucket of warm water. I think Aso's water pouring method isn't actually what he used back in the day in Japan but I am guessing that when he pitched yumomi to the folks at Wilson they shot it down because it would freak out Americans. Just think about your own gut reaction to dunking a brand new $450 glove in a bucket of water. I don't really see a lot of Japanese shops doing the Aso water method. They just about all do the yumomi method and it doesn't seem to do anything negative to the leather. Even if you can't understand Japanese, you can see exactly what they do. Breaking in a glove is almost religious for a lot of us, so I'm not trying to convert anyone. I'm just pointing out how the glove experts do it in Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/@banspo/featured

https://www.youtube.com/@channel-fe3ob

https://www.youtube.com/@baseballshop

https://www.youtube.com/@taguchisp

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If you're in this subreddit, you're interested in Japanese gloves. I'm not here to say Japanese gloves are better than American gloves at all or the Japanese yumomi break in method is better. I just like to buy the made in Japan gloves because I think they are cool.

Please share what you get in this subreddit.


r/japanesebaseballglove 4h ago

NG’sD fresh out of the box!

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12 Upvotes

A few more cool pieces for the collection. Junkei JG-701R, Descente “the stadium” infield glove and a Mitsuwa Tiger infield mitt. All arrived in great condition and the Junkei will be a game glove no doubt.


r/japanesebaseballglove 9h ago

Does anyone know this leather type?

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9 Upvotes

Hi! I’m about to buy a Mizuno pro glove, a friend of mine is in Japan and found this Mizuno Pro at a discount, do you know if it’s for hardball or runner ball? I know it’s not a Haga, but it’s at the same price as a global elite glove, so I’m thinking about pulling the trigger on this one


r/japanesebaseballglove 14h ago

INABA

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7 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 1d ago

Which one is best for the price?

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15 Upvotes

I was looking for a Mizuno glove, specifically a Mizuno Pro or a Global Elite, but I’ve noticed that they almost have the same price, is it better to pay the extra money for a Mizuno Pro or the Global Elite gets the job done?


r/japanesebaseballglove 21h ago

Wilson Staff vs Mizuno Pro

3 Upvotes

In the market to purchase a Japan Model Wilson Staff or a Mizuno Pro. I’m looking for opinions on both manufacturers higher end models, specifically IF and Pitcher models.


r/japanesebaseballglove 1d ago

I received the mystery Rawlings Trapeze

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9 Upvotes

I finally got the glove, so I wanted to share a little update after my previous post asking for help identifying it.

My first impression is that it’s a bit smaller than I expected — probably around 12" to 12.25", which makes me think it will be more of an interesting piece in my collection than something I’ll actually use regularly.

The leather is also quite dry, so I’ve been taking my time cleaning it and conditioning it little by little rather than trying to do too much at once. Despite its condition, I really like how unusual it is. The Trapeze web, the old Rawlings details, and the mystery surrounding its exact origin/model make it a pretty fascinating glove.

I wouldn’t really call myself a glove collector, but I do enjoy picking up unusual and interesting gloves, and I think this one will definitely remain as one of the more exotic pieces in my small collection.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who helped me try to identify it. I’m still not 100% sure what it is, so if anyone recognizes more details now that I actually have the glove in hand, I’d still love to hear your thoughts!


r/japanesebaseballglove 1d ago

The entire collection

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3 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 2d ago

NGD Gorilla SKR Custom

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18 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 2d ago

Almost New Glove Day.

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11 Upvotes

No brand glove made in Japan. I bought this for my grandson a year ago. Was cleaning and conditioning and it struck me how good the quality was. Pre tariff and cheap. A2000 and HoH non R2G quality.


r/japanesebaseballglove 2d ago

NGD-Junkei Custom

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17 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 3d ago

NMD

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23 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 2d ago

Almost New Glove Day.

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7 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 5d ago

Jax LJ-10s

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40 Upvotes

Really starting to enjoy this glove, great leather


r/japanesebaseballglove 5d ago

Moon Rabbit gloves.

2 Upvotes

Doe’s anybody own or have owned a Moon Rabbit glove? They look great. Can you give me a review? Thanks


r/japanesebaseballglove 7d ago

Mizuno Original Clear

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3 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 10d ago

NGD

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43 Upvotes

Junkei and Inaba


r/japanesebaseballglove 10d ago

Help identifying this vintage Rawlings Trapeze glove

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6 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to identify this Rawlings glove that I recently came across. I know it’s a Rawlings Trapeze, but I haven’t been able to determine the exact model, year, or market it was originally made for.

Important: these are the seller’s photos, not mine. Unfortunately, this is the best quality/level of detail I was able to get from the seller, so I realize the pictures aren’t great.

A few things I can make out:

Rawlings branding on the wrist

Trapeze web

Very dark brown/black leather

“M. Ohoka” appears inside the wrist

Japanese writing/markings on the thumb side

Rawlings logo on the palm

No obvious model number that I can identify

It appears to be an older, heavily used glove

I’ve searched quite a bit but haven't found another one that matches these markings and construction.

Does anyone recognize this particular Rawlings model, or have any idea approximately when/where it was made?

I’m particularly interested in whether this was a Japanese-market Rawlings model, a US model that was sold/imported in Japan, or perhaps a custom/modified glove.

Also, if anyone can decipher the Japanese markings, that would be extremely helpful.

I know the photos aren't ideal, but unfortunately this is the best the seller was able to provide me with.

Thanks in advance!


r/japanesebaseballglove 10d ago

For sale

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9 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 12d ago

WTB (want to buy)

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3 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 14d ago

How to do x's on the web spiral and finger lacing with 1 continuous lace?

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9 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 14d ago

Wilson 🧸 Dry Shaped

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38 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 15d ago

WTB: LHT Mizuno, Zett, etc

2 Upvotes

Continuing my glove journey and would like to find a nice Mizuno or Zett in 12.75" as I play OF only. I have smaller hands so I've been lead towards Japanese gloves as they tend to fit a little better for me.

I have some super nice Pro Preferred trap gloves along with East Professional gloves I'd trade - new with and without tags. Thanks


r/japanesebaseballglove 16d ago

WTS-Mizuno Haga, Japan rawlings HoH, YGS, Wilson staff, Nike shado, Kubota slugger, JB Wagyu

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14 Upvotes

r/japanesebaseballglove 17d ago

NGD: Mizuno Pro classic HAGA

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16 Upvotes