Aura Kobo Aura for Japan region (not yet)

Canuck_in_Japan · 09-29-2013, 09:08 AM

Hope I didn't get anyone's hopes up there. I was interested in getting the Kobo Aura and I live in Japan so I sent off a quick email to Kobo Help and this is their reply:

Quote:

回答メールを使用(石田武司) - 2013年09月29日 15:36
Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting Kobo Customer Care.

Unfortunately, we currently do not have plans yet to release kobo Aura in Japan.
This however, does not mean it will never be released in the future.
We aplogize for not being able to provide you with information regarding this issue.

We appreciate your interest in kobo Aura, and your invaluable feedback will be reported to the appropriate department.
Please do not hesitate to contact us again for further assistance.

Best regards,
Kobo Customer Care
http://rakuten.kobobooks.com/help

That sounds to me a lot like "yes it's coming but we're not ready to let the official details sneak out of the bag". I sent them a similar email when the Aura was released and got a much more certain "We have no plans to release the Aura HD in Japan".
So hopefully it's on it's way some time! The new Kindle comes out at the end of October over here but I guess they must feel confident that they can let them release first.

Canuck_in_Japan · 10-17-2013, 03:43 AM

Thanks to angel999 for posting this link about Kobo in Japan. My kanji isn't great but it looks like it's coming to Japan in December and for 12,800 which is approximately $128. But that's 3000 yen more expensive than the new Kindle so I think they're making a tactical error. Amazon has a lot going for it as it is never mind with a significantly lower price.

http://kobo.rakuten.co.jp/ereaders/k...r_aura20131017

Canuck_in_Japan · 10-17-2013, 04:38 AM

Oh I see that if you pre-order from Rakuten it comes with the slip sleep cover included (limited time). Wow that completely changes things. I assume that the cover is a $30-40 value?
That makes it pretty competitive with Amazon. Now do I want to risk getting a bad version?

*edit* Misread the Japanese. It says "sleep" cover, not slip cover.

Canuck_in_Japan · 10-17-2013, 08:04 AM

Well I just pre-ordered it. Lord, I have no self-control whatsoever. But a $190 value ($214 if you're paying Canada tax) for $130? SOLD!

Antioch · 10-18-2013, 08:07 PM

Yeah, that does seem like a rather good steal. I just wonder if they'll have fixed some of the screen quality issues by then (doubtful) or how good Rakuten's customer care / returns system is. I've never purchased from them, but given how incredible normal Japanese customer service is I'm guessing they're pretty good?

Canuck_in_Japan · 10-19-2013, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antioch

Yeah, that does seem like a rather good steal. I just wonder if they'll have fixed some of the screen quality issues by then (doubtful) or how good Rakuten's customer care / returns system is. I've never purchased from them, but given how incredible normal Japanese customer service is I'm guessing they're pretty good?

That's a good question and I've got my fingers crossed that I never gave to find out.

Antioch · 10-19-2013, 07:45 PM

I wonder if another firmware update is in the works? According to user tls in another thread, his Aura crashes (or handles poorly, I forget which) when loading Japanese ePubs.

10-17-2013, 04:38 AM	#3
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,475 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	Oh I see that if you pre-order from Rakuten it comes with the slip sleep cover included (limited time). Wow that completely changes things. I assume that the cover is a $30-40 value? That makes it pretty competitive with Amazon. Now do I want to risk getting a bad version? edit Misread the Japanese. It says "sleep" cover, not slip cover. Last edited by Canuck_in_Japan; 10-17-2013 at 08:08 AM.

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10-17-2013, 03:43 AM	#2
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,475 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	Thanks to angel999 for posting this link about Kobo in Japan. My kanji isn't great but it looks like it's coming to Japan in December and for 12,800 which is approximately $128. But that's 3000 yen more expensive than the new Kindle so I think they're making a tactical error. Amazon has a lot going for it as it is never mind with a significantly lower price. http://kobo.rakuten.co.jp/ereaders/k...r_aura20131017

10-17-2013, 08:04 AM	#4
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,475 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	Well I just pre-ordered it. Lord, I have no self-control whatsoever. But a $190 value ($214 if you're paying Canada tax) for $130? SOLD!

10-18-2013, 08:07 PM	#5
Antioch Connoisseur Posts: 79 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Nook STR, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2	Yeah, that does seem like a rather good steal. I just wonder if they'll have fixed some of the screen quality issues by then (doubtful) or how good Rakuten's customer care / returns system is. I've never purchased from them, but given how incredible normal Japanese customer service is I'm guessing they're pretty good?

10-19-2013, 07:45 PM	#7
Antioch Connoisseur Posts: 79 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Nook STR, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2	I wonder if another firmware update is in the works? According to user tls in another thread, his Aura crashes (or handles poorly, I forget which) when loading Japanese ePubs.

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