I used to buy ebooks on Amazon JP, but they eventually region blocked me, and I don’t feel like messing with VPNs just so that I can maybe get Amazon to take my money, so I wanted to ask y’all if there are any alternatives that don’t require you to live in Japan.
Also, I’d like to invest in an e-reader, since I’m sick of reading on my phone. I’d just get a Kindle, but see above.
I get a lot of stuff from Bookwalker: https://bookwalker.jp/
Their selection is good, and there is no region restriction. They have samples, so you can see if the level is reasonable before buying.
They also have translated versions at https://global.bookwalker.jp/ so you can sometimes get the same manga in English and Japanese.
Kobo doesn’t require a VPN or anything. They have their own e readers but I have not used one so I can’t vouch for that, but I buy japanese books via Kobo and haven’t had issues.
I buy my manga on cmoa.jp, you technically cannot download them but if you look around you can find some userscripts that allow you to rip them off and download them as cbz (or epub) and import them into calibre. I personally think this is valid because I paid for them, but some people might disagree.
As an ebook reader I use a Boox Color go 7, I read mostly LNs on it (using TTU reader + yomitan), however I do read a fair amount of manga too. The screen is a bit small but it’s sharp enough and it looks really nice:
To read manga I use an android app called Kuro Reader, but the Boox software itself also supports reading manga natively I think. I push them to the device using calibre, it’s pretty trivial.
I have a Rakuten Kobo and like it a lot. Mostly because it accepts a bunch of file formats instead of being tied to Amazon’s market.
You can use ttsu reader and use yomitan for Quick Look ups when reading
I just bought some ebooks from Amazon japan 2 days ago without VPN and I don’t live in Japan. If you follow this guide: The Best Japanese E-Book Retailers for Japanese Learners, you should only need to use VPN once for the first purchase. Do you face region block on certain titles or just every ebook?
You can also use Renta to buy or rent digit manga. It doesn’t have any region block.
Where to get, not sure, but I personally use a Kobo. I feel like it works better for manga than a Kindle, mainly the physical buttons and the overall responsiveness.
I use honto.jp but right now you cannot get a copyable file.
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard of Kinoppy that I don’t think is region locked.
Why did they region locked you? I still ise amazon japan to buy ebooks
i use mihon to read manga, there’s kimi no nawa, yotsuba, shirokuma cafe, highschool babysitters, doraemon, and others. tho some manga have missing chapters or no chapters at all, but it maybe a location/address problem? some also have furigana (it can be a little blurry, so it’s up to luck if you can find a manga you’re looking for with a clear furigana) it’s free too 
Jidoujisho + Jitendex dictionary (download from learnjapanese.moe or Smth)
Probs better than most ereaders unless you absolutely want one
I use Mihon for manga and it’s honestly soo good. Once you configure it you just search any manga and it will appear.
For the Japanese store there is partial region restriction, at least for me I see several books in my wishlist that are only available for purchase when I go in with VPN:
Yeah bookwalker has got a great collection.
My partner has a Kobo ereader and we love it. Highly recommend.
I was looking more for a standalone device, like Kindle Paperwhite.
I used to be able to buy ebooks from Amazon JP just fine (using an account with a Japanese address) until one day I couldn’t. I always get the “we’re unable to verify your location” error.
