TravPriceProduct note · Japan × US35.7% cheaper in Japan
Is Pentel Graphgear PG5-AD 0.5mm Classic Japanese Professional Drafting Mechanical Pencil (4mm Guide Pipe Tip, Lead Grade Indicator Window) cheaper in Japan? the US vs Japan, a US$3.21 gap | 2026 price check
Cheaper in Japan by US$3.21 (35.7%): Japan ¥880 ≈ US$5.78, the US US$8.99.
01 · Verdict
35.7% cheaper in Japan- Japan list price
- ¥880incl. tax · HANDSpublished online store price incl. tax (yen) · Listed
- Converted US currency
- ≈ US$5.78JPY/USD 0.006564 · Bank of Taiwan board
- US list price
- US$8.99excl. tax · Current US retailer price · In stock
- cheaper in Japan
- US$3.2135.7% · US list price as denominator
US stickers exclude state and local tax; Japan stickers include tax. The bases differ, so this is not a landed cost.
Japanincl. tax、the USexcl. tax; where the tax basis differs, only the list prices are compared; a comparison of two named sources’ list prices, before card fees, shipping and tax refunds. Checked 2026-09-22. Before you order, use theJapan source page and the US source pagecurrent prices.
Japan vs US price table
| Market | List price | Source · checked | Tax basis · stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| JapanHANDSpublished online store price incl. tax (yen) | ¥880 | HANDS網店（ハンズネットストア） ↗ | incl. taxListed |
| USCurrent US retailer price | US$8.99 | St. Louis Art Supply (Missouri, USA) ↗ | excl. taxIn stock |
| Japan convertedJPY/USD 0.006564 (JPY/TWD 0.2076 ÷ USD/TWD 31.625) | US$5.78 | Bank of Taiwan rate ↗ | Spot sellingNot a card or cash rate |
| Gapcheaper in Japan | US$3.21 | 35.7%US list price as denominator | Extra fees not includedCard fee, shipping and tax-free extra |
To use your own FX, fees and shipping, open the Price calculator.
Is it worth buying in Japan?
Japan ¥880, Taiwan NT$378; both are same-day price snapshots taken when checked, excluding shipping, tax refunds, and card fees.
- With a 1.5% foreign card fee: Japan comes to about US$5.86, still below the US by US$3.13.
- Break-even rate 0.0102 USD/JPY: above it the the US sticker is the cheaper one (this check used 0.0066, cross-converted from the Bank of Taiwan yen and dollar rates).
Before you buy
- Only paired when capacity, pack count, and main-unit/refill status match; differences in color, retailer, or stock do not affect the same-product determination.
- The Taiwan price is a retail-channel list price (which may be an authorized import, a parallel import, or a cross-border storefront), not the brand's official price.
- Price and stock follow the page on the day of verification.
05 · Sources
Each price keeps its source link, price kind, tax basis and check date, and is calculated with the TravPrice comparison method. If a price or model is wrong, check the source page and report it.
- Japan price
- HANDS網店（ハンズネットストア） ↗HANDSpublished online store price incl. tax (yen) · incl. tax · Listed · checked 2026-09-11
- US price
- St. Louis Art Supply (Missouri, USA) ↗Current US retailer price · excl. tax · In stock · checked 2026-09-22
- FX
- Bank of Taiwan FX ↗Bank of Taiwan spot selling reference rate; the US dollar is cross-converted · JPY/USD 0.006564 (JPY/TWD 0.2076 ÷ USD/TWD 31.625) · 2026-09-10 23:22:00 (Taiwan time)
- Model match
- Japan ranking listing: JAN 4902506311214; original product name: Pentel Graph Gear Pencil, 0.5mm, PG5-AD/Taiwan product page: 0.5mm, model PG5-ADThe product page's title/model, "PG5-AD," spec 0.5mm, matches the Japan listing's model exactly, live price NT$378. (Retailer: PChome 24h Shopping)
- Official product page
- Brand product page ↗Product images on this site are redrawn illustrations; use the official page for appearance, extras and packaging.
- This page generated
- Generated from the same checked data; it is recalculated when the data updates.
Keep reading
Stationery: 30 Japan–Taiwan matches, 87% of items cheaper in Japan
We compare 30 verified same-product prices: 26 cost less in Japan and 4 cost less in Taiwan. Median Japan savings are 22%; Pentel Graphgear PG5-AD 0.5mm Classic Japanese Pr… has the largest cash gap at NT$195.
02Product detailSee the full comparison for this product
Sources, FX and extra-cost estimates.
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