*This page may contain affiliate links which may allow us to collect a commission when you click and make a purchase through the links on our site. There is no additional cost to you for doing so.*

Title: Japanese Art Nouveau Tarot
Author by: Debora Mayfair
Art by: Marga Biazzi
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Price: $28.95
Number of cards: 78
Card size: 4.75 x 2.75 in
Box size: 5 x 3 x 2 in approx
Guidebook pages: 128 (42 in english)
Purchased or gifted?: review copy gifted by Llewellyn Books
Absolute favorite card: High Priestess
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved): Ace of cups, queen of cups, four of swords, Judgment, four of wands, nine of wands
Notable detail: n/a
Season: Spring
Sabbat: Lammas
Sign: Virgo
Element: water
Deck compliment: Yokai Oracle
Collective Pull: Three of Wands

Add to Your Altar

First Impressions

I was excited to see this deck for the first time. I, like a lot of people, love Japanese culture. There are several Japanese concepts that I think speak to me on a deep and meaningful level. But I don’t pretend to have knowledge about Japan, especially as it is not my cultural heritage. Still, I truly believe we can be inspired by other cultures and work with cultural energy that isn’t ours in an ethical way. Having a deck that represents a culture is a great way for me to do that since I love working with cards. I guess I just assumed the deck was made by a Japanese creator. But upon receiving it, I see that it is not.

Not too long ago, I was on a panel with a Japanese deck creator who spoke about how she didn’t appreciate people outside of her culture depicting her culture. And I think this deck really speaks to what she said. Is it pretty? Absolutely. Is it well done? We’ll see about that in a moment. But should there have been at least one Japanese creator involved? Yea, probably. So let’s dig deeper to see if you agree and whether or not you’ll add this to your altar.

The Packaging

The box is standard issue Lo Scarabeo. Certainly an upgrade from the little tuck boxes of old but nothing super special either. It will get the job done for sure and this type of box is pretty easy to store which is always nice. My main issue is that the box lifts from the top. The bottom always slides out and I can't tell you how many times I've dropped a Lo Scarabeo box and everything inside it. So much so that I find myself unintentionally avoiding these boxes.

Now you might be thinking the packaging doesn’t matter. It’s the cards that ultimately count and if you are thinking that, I completely disagree. Everything matters. Say what you will but tarot and oracle decks is a product which means it has a consumer which means user experience is a part of the process. You may not realize that something is bothering you but subconsciously, you’re taking note of all of the things that are annoying, frustrating or out of place. For me, perhaps not for you but for me, the bottom slipping out all of the time is frustrating to the point that I just don’t want to invest my energy into that. Moving on.

Cards are also standard cardstock. A pretty good size considering it's a tarot and I maintain that thinner cards are better for tarot because of the amount of cards. The box is full color print all around including the bottom of the box that slides into the top. In fact it's the exact same pattern found on the back of the cards.

But oh how I wish there had been gilding. A soft, metallic blue or a stormy grey blue would’ve been chef’s kiss. I’ll talk about the art later but this deck is so pretty that gilding would’ve instantly made this an aesthetic favorite.

*Queen of Cups, Ace of Cups & Judgement*

The Guidebook

The guidebook is pretty minimal. It does have some color but you won’t find any images of the cards themselves. And that’s mostly for a practical reason. For one, the book needs to fit inside of the box and there isn’t much room. But two, Lo Scarabeo almost always includes four languages inside the guidebook so most of the book is going to be useless for you unless you speak multiple languages. For example 42 out of the 128 pages are in English. The rest are in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and I believe the last one is Russian but I’m not completely sure. For each section you will find:

An introduction
How to use the deck’
Two spreads
Card meanings

One thing I appreciated is that the spreads don’t include a one card draw. I know it’s a foundational thing to include in a deck but I find myself wondering if we actually need to include that as a spread. Surely that can just go in the “how to use this deck” section.

The guidebook entries are pretty minimal too. You get a short description of the card’s image, some keywords and then the card's meaning. It’s very limited so you don’t get a lot here but way back when decks weren’t super popular, you only got that little white book that had even less than this. We’ve gotten spoiled in the past ten years or so with expanded guidebooks which I think is for the best. But this is more than enough to get you started, especially if you have a full tarot book to reference.

Theme

The theme of the deck is pretty true to its name. It’s a Japanese art style deck that has obvious elements of art nouveau. Imagine if Alphonse Mucha did Manga. I would bet it would look something pretty similar to this.

The Artwork

This deck is beautiful. Art nouveau is a natural compliment to Japanese art because Japanese culture directly inspired the art nouveau movement after Japanese art started flooding Europe; particularly Ukiyo-E style art.

I’ve changed my favorite card so many times while working with this deck. My gut was Judgement. I always know when I truly love a card if I can imagine it as art on my walls. I have a lot of art and I am always on the hunt for more art. I think art, more than anything else, represents what you truly love because art is so subjective. Ten people can look at the same image and each person could feel something completely different. Every time I look at the judgement card from this deck, I feel calm. I feel settled. I keep thinking this image looks like the convergence of earth and water. Grounded fluidity I guess you can say and in a way, that is the message of this card. You’re answering a call but doing it with deep self-awareness. If you ask me, that's earth and water combined.

“This deck is heavily influenced by the principles of Japanese Culture—the same principles that now inspire the soul of millions, fascinated by the ancient traditions of a people poised between the past and modernity.”

I’m also quite fond of the ace of cups. It reminds me of the wallpaper in my parents bedroom growing up. The colors were exactly the same and the paper had pink flowers all over it just like this. That room was always calming for me. It had a huge window that flooded the room with light and their furniture was huge and heavy but painted in a soft greyish white that looked like a cloud. That with the pale blue walls felt like walking into the sky.

I guess what I’m saying is that this deck is so peaceful. The art may not be by a Japanese artist but I would be lying if I said I didn’t love it. It’s blue but still feels really earthy and grounded. I keep coming back to this idea of earth meets air meets water. It feels like it has so much flow but also depth but then it's like I can almost hear wind blowing when I pull cards or a wind chime in the recess of my mind. I describe things like that because I’m clairaudient so I’ll often hear something that represents the deck for me and I hear wind chimes every time I look at it.

Anyway, that’s just me romanticizing this review. I’m also really fond of the ace cards.

Reading With this Deck

I’m enjoying this deck quite a bit. I have found it to be exceptionally accurate and straightforward. It doesn’t play games or mince words. It doesn’t hide under subtleties either nor does it feel aggressive or even soft. It just tells me what I need to know in a way that is clear and easy to understand.

This deck told me it's the magician and I really like that description for it. The card draws feel confident. By that I mean, it's like the deck knows exactly what to say in every situation in a way that always makes me feel more clear.

I don’t mind a tough deck but sometimes, I just don’t want the tough love especially not with a deck I’m using everyday. This deck could easily become one that sits on my desk. I have a small stack of cards that I use throughout the day to check in with myself and I really want to keep this one around.

I’ve been reading tarot for well over a decade and strangely, I’ve always had an affinity for it so I don’t need the guidebook. And if ever I want to check my interpretations, I often read my own tarot guidebooks mostly because well, I know I’m a good writer and it's taken me years to say that and believe it but also because it's in my own words. My point is that not having a good guidebook here for me doesn’t make a difference so I’m easily able to connect with this deck.

But even if you are someone who needs an expanded guidebook, I can honestly say that in my experience, you couldn’t ask for a better personality in a deck.

Ready to get this deck?

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

Every now and then, I get a deck that doesn’t line up into a neat bow when it comes to the seasons. This is definitely one of those times. I chose Spring for the season. Between the colors, the scenes and the overall lightness of the deck, both in terms of aesthetics and the guidebook, Spring felt like the appropriate answer. It’s very pretty but not at all something that I think will psychologically push you. Maybe you don’t want that and if so, that’s totally fine. But I just get a lighter energetic feeling from this. Almost a nascent energy too.

I went with Virgo for the zodiac sign. I also considered Pisces which makes sense because Virgo and Pisces are what I call companion signs. I have no idea if that’s the correct term but it essentially means they appear opposite one another on the zodiac wheel and are therefore two sides of the same coin. I mostly chose Virgo because of the restrained nature of Japanese culture. By that I mean, their patience, respect for the living world, commitment and a willingness to work hard. There’s also this overwhelming sense of calm and order, all of which I see within the deck. Also all of which correspond to Virgo. These are values that drive Virgo and while it isn’t said explicitly in the deck, you can see the visuals portraying everything I’ve just said.

I chose Lammas for much the same reasons as Virgo. I find Lammas to be perhaps the most practical sabbat of all. Yes it’s about gratitude and all that but really, it’s about harvesting which is also hard work. It requires discipline to get to that point and it requires discipline to finish the task. You can find beauty in that which is something I have observed Japanese culture doing. You can show up and do the heavy lifting but still find gratitude, beauty and joy in the work. I feel that is something many Japanese concepts excel at and I think it's an interesting shared dynamic with Lamamas.

Finally, I chose water for the element. The imagery in this deck has such a fluidity to it. There’s a lot of air energy here too. Ultimately when I look at the artwork, I feel like I see wind and water so honestly, I’d say both elements are equally represented here.

Collective Pull

I pulled Three of Wands for you. This card shows progress in the journey. You have a little more experience and confidence, putting yourself in a position to contemplate your next steps. Threes in tarot represent growth and expansion. In this context, growth comes in the form of increased opportunities and adventures. It could signify a physical trip such as traveling for work, or something more abstract like expanding your business offerings or perhaps dating people who aren’t your usual type. And of course it can mean expanding your mind. You believe yourself to be worthy of bigger opportunities, opening up the field of what’s available to you.

In some ways, this card represents manifestation in the sense that this is a point where you can see the vision, believe in your ability to achieve it AND take the necessary steps to move forward. It also means you’re aware of the challenges ahead of you but have chosen to bet on yourself anyway.

Deck Companion

I went with the Yokai Oracle. I knew that I wanted a Japanese oracle deck to go with this but I didn’t have another one. I do actually believe the Japanese Gods & Spirits Oracle would be a better fit so I ordered for myself but haven't received it at the time of writing this. That deck is actually by a Japanese writer and illustrator so I’m looking forward to working with it. And of course, if you want a review of it, please let me know.

The Yokai Oracle still fits, just not as nicely especially when it comes to the aesthetics. That’s not the only thing that’s important but I do personally prefer when an oracle and tarot have a similar look. Art is energy after all and when things share a visual language, I feel like it harmonizes the energy.

My Final Thoughts

I’ve decided to take out “Who is this deck for” and replace it with my final thoughts. Ultimately a deck is for anyone who resonates with it. You don’t really need me to tell you if this deck aligns with you. I’m just here to walk you through the deck as a creator myself and show you what I like and don’t like about it. Which is why I’m sharing my final thoughts now to sum up my overall feeling and bookend each review with first impressions and ending thoughts.

Overall, I love the look of the deck but I really do wish the guidebook had more. It’s the very bare minimum and I think in 2026, that just isn’t enough. I absolutely love beautiful decks but I also believe all ritual tools should evolve with time including tarot. There are so many amazing authors bringing really incredible insights to tarot and oracle decks that are useful and meaningful to fans. And those are the people I’d prefer to spend my money on. The ones who open your mind or help you to make sense of how tarot can actually help you. A pretty deck means nothing if the reader doesn’t have the skills to interpret it.

Having said that, if you’re a beginner or still growing in your practice and still feel connected to this deck then don’t feel discouraged. You can also buy a separate tarot book to help you expand your knowledge while using this deck. There are always workarounds.