{"id":5176,"date":"2026-11-09T03:41:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T03:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/?p=5176"},"modified":"2026-11-09T03:41:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T03:41:36","slug":"how-to-buy-concert-tickets-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/ja\/how-to-buy-concert-tickets-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Buy Concert Tickets in Japan: 2026\u201327 Tourist Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is how to buy concert tickets in Japan: for most big shows you enter a lottery (fan club first, then pre-sales on e+, Ticket Pia or Lawson Ticket), pay within a few days if you win, then collect a paper ticket at a convenience store or an e-ticket in an app. As a tourist, your best routes are the overseas-friendly sales pages, a Japanese phone number that can take calls, and official resale only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide covers every stage, from fan-club lotteries to the anti-scalping law. It also covers the things most guides skip: which resale site shut down in 2025, the 13-digit pickup numbers, holiday delivery freezes, and the big 2026\u201327 shows that are easiest to buy from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n

4 stages<\/p>

Fan club, official, play-guide pre-sale, general sale<\/p><\/div>

3\u65e5\u9593<\/p>

Usual Lawson Ticket store-payment window<\/p><\/div>

\u00a5165<\/p>

Ticket Pia FamilyMart issue fee per ticket<\/p><\/div>

14 Jun 2019<\/p>

Anti-scalping law in force<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

\"How
Japan’s biggest tours play the dome stadiums, and those tickets go by lottery. Photo: fuktaro<\/a> \/ photo-AC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do concert tickets work in Japan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Japan sells popular concerts by lottery (\u62bd\u9078, ch\u016bsen), not first come, first served. You apply in a set window, wait for a results email on a fixed day, then pay quickly. Miss the payment deadline and the seat goes back into the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most big tours release tickets in the same order. Each round has fewer and worse seats than the one before, so the earlier you get in, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage<\/th>Who can apply<\/th>What tourists should know<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1. Fan-club pre-sale (FC\u5148\u884c)<\/td>Paid fan-club members<\/td>Best odds and seats. Read the joining terms before paying: some ask for a Japanese address or phone number.<\/td><\/tr>
2. Official pre-sale (\u30aa\u30d5\u30a3\u30b7\u30e3\u30eb\u5148\u884c)<\/td>Anyone registered on the artist or promoter site<\/td>Often run on an e+, Pia or Lawson page linked from the artist’s site. Follow the artist’s newsletter and social accounts.<\/td><\/tr>
3. Play-guide pre-sale (\u30d7\u30ec\u30a4\u30ac\u30a4\u30c9\u5148\u884c)<\/td>Free members of each ticket site<\/td>Separate lotteries on e+, Ticket Pia, Lawson Ticket and others. You can usually enter several.<\/td><\/tr>
4. General sale (\u4e00\u822c\u767a\u58f2, ippan hatsubai)<\/td>\u8ab0\u3067\u3082<\/td>First come, first served, often from 10:00 Japan time. Big shows can sell out in minutes or skip this stage.<\/td><\/tr>
Official resale (\u516c\u5f0f\u30ea\u30bb\u30fc\u30eb)<\/td>Registered users<\/td>Face-value tickets from fans who can’t go. Usually opens in the last weeks before the show.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seat numbers are often only revealed when the ticket is issued, sometimes a few days before the show. That is normal, not a sign of a scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which ticket sites can tourists use to buy concert tickets in Japan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Japan’s ticket agencies are called play guides (\u30d7\u30ec\u30a4\u30ac\u30a4\u30c9). Four dominate. Each has different rules for people outside Japan, so it pays to know which one your show uses before you start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u30b5\u30a4\u30c8<\/th>English or overseas page<\/th>Key rules for overseas buyers<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
e+\uff08\u30a4\u30fc\u30d7\u30e9\u30b9\uff09<\/a><\/td>Yes: eplus.tickets, a separate site for overseas customers<\/td>Credit card; Alipay and WeChat Pay only for first-come sales, not lotteries; tickets as a QR code or 7-Eleven pickup in Japan<\/td><\/tr>
\u30c1\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u3074\u3042<\/a><\/td>English menus plus an English event list<\/a> for international shows<\/td>Phone verification by call for new members and many purchases<\/td><\/tr>
Lawson Ticket (Loppi)<\/a><\/td>English top page and a guide for non-Japanese customers<\/a><\/td>From abroad: general-sale tickets only, no membership, credit card or store payment only<\/td><\/tr>
\u697d\u5929\u30c1\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8<\/a><\/td>No; the site is in Japanese<\/td>Rakuten Points can be used for ticket payment; best left to buyers with a Japanese Rakuten account<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

e+ (eplus): the overseas site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

e+ runs eplus.tickets<\/a> for overseas customers. Its payment page lists credit card, plus Alipay and WeChat Pay for first-come, first-served sales only (not lottery applications). If you use a debit card, check your balance first, because lottery payments are taken later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets arrive as a QR code (show a screenshot or a printout) or as a 7-Eleven pickup in Japan. At 7-Eleven you give the cashier your 13-digit payment slip number; the multi-copy machine is not used. Handling fees vary by show, and the site is closed from 2:00 to 8:00 on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month for maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ticket Pia: English event list for international acts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ticket Pia’s English menus cover the main site, but the easiest entry point is PIA’s English event list<\/a>, which sells international tours and classical concerts to buyers abroad. In November 2026 it listed shows such as Diana Krall, Megadeth at the Nippon Budokan and TOTO in Osaka (see the table further down).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pickup options on the Japanese site include 7-Eleven and FamilyMart paper tickets, e-ticket apps (MOALA, tixeebox and the Tixplus app), and delivery to a Japanese address. Pia’s delivery guide<\/a> says postal delivery is suspended from 16 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, so pick a store or e-ticket for New Year shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawson Ticket: general sale only from abroad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lawson Ticket is honest about its limits. Its guide for non-Japanese customers<\/a> says only general-sale tickets can be bought from overseas, no membership can be created from abroad, and existing members cannot log in from outside Japan. Its English FAQ<\/a> adds that advance-sale registration is for residents of Japan only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From abroad you can pay by credit card or by store payment at a Lawson in Japan. Overseas-issued cards may be refused, delivery is not available, and e-tickets need a smartphone contracted in Japan. Store payment is usually due within three days, and an unpaid booking is cancelled automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fan clubs and artist sites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For J-pop, K-pop and anime acts, the fan club is where most tickets go. Many official artist sites and fan clubs now have English menus and English FAQ pages, but each sets its own rules on overseas members, so read the joining terms before you pay a fee. Tickets won this way are often e-tickets tied to the member’s phone number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need a Japanese phone number to buy concert tickets in Japan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Often, yes. The problem is not just signing up: many sites verify you with a phone call or SMS, and e-ticket apps check that your number matches the one used to buy. A data-only travel eSIM loads the website but cannot pass a call check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n