Some commercial Japanese games require that, not only the System Locale, but also various other settings on your device be set to Japan / Japanese in order to function correctly.
If you ever encounter a product which spits out an error like "Japan only" or "Japanese only," this is a sign that you will need to follow the instructions provided below.
(* Also, when shopping on the commercial games sections /soft/ /pro/, please assume that all works are likely to behave like this, and that you will need to alter your system's language / region settings to enjoy the product.)
Provided below is a list of possible methods that can be the cause of region related issues, and how to change the settings to overcome each case.
* While some products may intentionally have region restrictions, others will simply have inadvertently caused the problem by not designing the software with non-Japanese operating systems in mind. (i.e. Not programming using international best-practice standards.)
We have listed the settings in order of 'likeliness x simplicity,' so please follow the steps in order, changing your settings one by one until the product works (or you perhaps encounter a different issue).
1. System Locale > 2. Region > 3. Format > 4. Time Zone > 5. Display Language > 6. Keyboard
[Windows 10 Guide/Screenshots] (*with Windows 11 notations)
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1. System Locale (the language used by default for software that is not unicode-compatible.)
(We recommend that all customers of DLsite set this setting to Japanese regardless. DLsite 101.)
How can I set my system locale to Japanese?
2. Region / 3. Format (aka Regional format)
(Commonly used as a means of region restriction. This alone can often resolve something intentional.)
* Press the Windows Button (for the start menu)
Settings (Cog Icon) > Time and Language > Region (on the left)
In the "Region" window, set "country or region" to Japan, and "regional format" to Japanese.
* In Windows 11, the "Region" and "Language" windows have been combined.
4. Time Zone (While this is rare, it is also much simpler to do than the next step.)
* Press the Windows Button (for the start menu)
Settings (Cog Icon) > Time and Language > Date & time (on the left)
In the "Date & time" window, set "Time Zone" to Japan (GMT+09:00) Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo.
* In Windows 11, the design is different from the screenshot below, but functionality remains the same.
5. Display Language
* Please understand the significance of changing this setting.
(Your Windows 10 interface will become Japanese, so turning it back to another language will require that you either know your way around the operating system well, or understand some Japanese.)
* Press the Windows Button (for the start menu)
Settings (Cog Icon) > Time and Language > Language (on the left)
Under "Windows display language," Select Japanese from the list of languages available.
* If Japanese is not available, you will need to "Add a language" (click the + plus icon) below and select 日本語 (Japanese). This will likely result in the installation of a Japanese language pack too, and allow for Japanese keyboard layout / input.
* In Windows 11, the Display Language setting is located in the same place as the "Region" / "Regional Format" settings. (Refer above to step 2 / 3.)
6. Keyboard
While it is very very rare that a game will require Japanese keyboard layout active, if you must, you can change the keyboard layout to Japanese, via the "Keyboard" menu. The button for which is found in the same "Language" window as above. Select "Japanese (Microsoft IME)"
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Links to Microsoft's support pages are provided below if you wish to check the official instructions regarding each of the system settings explained above. (* URLs are alive and active as of June 2021.
[External Links]
- How to change your country or region for Microsoft Store and more
- Change the Windows regional settings to modify the appearance of some data types
- How to set your time and time zone
- Manage the input and display language settings in Windows 10
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* Finally, please make sure to RESTART your PC after you have made these changes.