{"id":1783,"date":"2026-10-18T07:01:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/?p=1783"},"modified":"2026-10-19T13:37:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:37:02","slug":"sumo-tickets-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/sumo-tickets-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Sumo Tickets and Event Tickets in Japan 2026\u20132027: Sumo, Kabuki, Concerts and How to Get In"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sumo tickets for the next Tokyo tournament (10 to 24 January 2027 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan) go on sale on 5 December 2026, through the official Ticket Oosumo site. The November 2026 Kyushu tournament in Fukuoka (8 to 22 November) is listed as sold out on every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This hub covers every 2027 sumo date and release date, then kabuki, Takarazuka, football, baseball and J-pop concerts. You also get the lottery system, ID rules, konbini payment and a calendar of big ticketed events from November 2026 to March 2027. It is updated monthly.<\/p>\n\n\n

5 Dec 2026<\/p>

January basho tickets on sale<\/p><\/div>

From \u00a53,500<\/p>

Kokugikan chair seat (weekday C)<\/p><\/div>

From \u00a51,500<\/p>

Kabukiza single-act ticket<\/p><\/div>

Credit card only<\/p>

Ticket Oosumo English<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

\"Wrestlers
A grand sumo tournament in Sumida City, Tokyo. Photo: Gun Kuntara Adhiarta \/ Pexels. Photo: Gun Kuntara Adhiarta<\/a> \/ Pexels, Pexels License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Which event tickets are easiest to get in Japan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you only have a few days, start with whatever has the simplest English booking path. Here is how the main options compare for a visitor booking from abroad in late 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event<\/th>Cheapest verified ticket<\/th>Book in English?<\/th>Hardest part<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Sumo (Kokugikan)<\/td>Chair seat C, about \u00a53,500 on weekdays<\/td>Yes, Ticket Oosumo<\/td>Sells out fast; print at Seven-Eleven in Japan<\/td><\/tr>
Kabuki (Kabukiza)<\/td>4th-level single act, \u00a51,500 (Oct 2026)<\/td>Yes, Shochiku multilingual site<\/td>Unreserved single acts are sold on the day only<\/td><\/tr>
Takarazuka<\/td>Check the official site<\/td>Yes, official English ticket site<\/td>No subtitles or audio guide in Tokyo<\/td><\/tr>
J.League football<\/td>Varies by club<\/td>Yes, via Ticket Pia English pages<\/td>Each club sells through its own page<\/td><\/tr>
J-pop concerts<\/td>Varies by tour<\/td>Partly (e+, Lawson Ticket)<\/td>Lotteries need Japanese membership; name checks at the gate<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sumo and kabuki are the safest bets for a first trip: both have official English sales and clear release dates. Concerts are the hardest, so treat a big J-pop show as a bonus, not the reason for your trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When do sumo tickets go on sale for 2026 and 2027?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are six grand tournaments (honbasho) a year, each 15 days long. Tickets go on sale four to eight weeks before day one, according to the Japan Sumo Association schedule<\/a>. The November 2026 tournament was already listed as sold out on every day by 18 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tournament<\/th>Dates<\/th>Venue<\/th>Tickets on sale<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
November 2026 (Kyushu)<\/td>8\u201322 Nov 2026<\/td>Fukuoka Kokusai Center, Fukuoka<\/td>Since 19 Sep 2026 (listed sold out)<\/td><\/tr>
January 2027 (Hatsu)<\/td>10\u201324 Jan 2027<\/td>Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo<\/td>5 Dec 2026<\/td><\/tr>
March 2027 (Haru)<\/td>14\u201328 Mar 2027<\/td>EDION Arena Osaka<\/td>6 Feb 2027<\/td><\/tr>
May 2027 (Natsu)<\/td>9\u201323 May 2027<\/td>Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo<\/td>10 Apr 2027<\/td><\/tr>
July 2027 (Nagoya)<\/td>11\u201325 Jul 2027<\/td>IG Arena, Nagoya<\/td>15 May 2027<\/td><\/tr>
September 2027 (Aki)<\/td>12\u201326 Sep 2027<\/td>Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo<\/td>7 Aug 2027<\/td><\/tr>
November 2027 (Kyushu)<\/td>14\u201328 Nov 2027<\/td>Fukuoka Kokusai Center, Fukuoka<\/td>18 Sep 2027<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the November 2026 tournament, sales opened at 10:00 Japan time on 19 September. Set an alarm for 10:00 JST on the release day for January and March. For the July tournament in Nagoya, see our Nagoya sumo basho guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kabukiza
Kabukiza in Ginza, home of kabuki in Tokyo. Photo: Nichika Sakurai<\/a> \/ Unsplash, Unsplash License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do you buy sumo tickets from overseas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use Ticket Oosumo English<\/a>, the official seller run with Ticket Pia and linked from the Sumo Association ticket page<\/a>. You pick a day and seat type, then pay online. For the November 2026 tournament, the English site took credit cards only and charged a \u00a52,000 service fee plus a \u00a5550 special sales fee per ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catch: tickets can only be printed at a Seven-Eleven in Japan. Your pickup details come on the completion screen and in the confirmation email. Tickets cannot be changed or cancelled, and lost tickets will not get you in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sumo seat types and prices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Box seats (masu-seki) are floor cushions in a box for four, sold per box. Chair seats are normal stadium seats upstairs. These are the Sumo Association’s approximate prices; they vary by venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seat<\/th>Weekend and holiday<\/th>Weekday<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Masu box B (4 people)<\/td>\u00a542,000<\/td>\u00a540,000<\/td><\/tr>
Masu box C (4 people)<\/td>\u00a538,000<\/td>\u00a534,000<\/td><\/tr>
Chair seat B (1 person)<\/td>\u00a55,500<\/td>\u00a55,000<\/td><\/tr>
Chair seat C (1 person)<\/td>\u00a54,000<\/td>\u00a53,500<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fukuoka is pricier at the top: S boxes for the November 2026 tournament cost \u00a556,000 at weekends and \u00a552,000 on weekdays. Chair seats there ranged from \u00a56,000 down to \u00a52,000. Ringside seats (\u00a520,000 per person) were sold on the Japanese site only, and children aged four and over need their own ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do kabuki tickets and single-act (makumi) tickets work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Kabukiza in Ginza sells two kinds of ticket: full programmes and single-act seats. Full programmes are sold online through the Shochiku multilingual ticket site<\/a>, by phone on +81 3 6745-0888 (10:00 to 17:00 JST, English spoken) or at the box office. Online sales close the day before each show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 2026 is Kanadehon Chushingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), from 1 to 25 November, with no shows on the 9th and 17th. Matinees start at 11:00 and evening shows at 16:30. Seats cost \u00a55,000 (Upper Tier B) to \u00a520,000, and English captioning adds \u00a51,500. The December programme runs 2 to 25 December, again with no shows on the 9th and 17th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Single-act tickets: the cheapest way in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Single-act tickets let you watch one act from the 4th level, or from upgraded seats on the 2nd level. Reserved single-act seats are sold online in advance, and unreserved 4th-level seats are sold on the day at the Single Act Box Office. It is on Level 1, to the left of the main entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the October 2026 programme, 4th-level single acts cost \u00a51,500 to \u00a54,000 and upgraded 2nd-level seats \u00a55,400 to \u00a513,800, according to Kabuki Web<\/a>. English captioning for a single act is \u00a51,000, cash only. Act times are confirmed the evening before the run starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 2027: no Kabukiza programme was listed when we checked. Kabuki Web lists New Year programmes at Asakusa<\/a> Public Hall in Tokyo and Shin-Kabukiza in Osaka instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kabukiza
Kabukiza in Ginza, home of kabuki in Tokyo. Photo: Nichika Sakurai<\/a> \/ Unsplash, Unsplash License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do you get Takarazuka tickets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The all-female Takarazuka Revue plays the Takarazuka Grand Theater in Hyogo and the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater in Hibiya. The Tokyo theatre is a five-minute walk from JR Yurakucho Station. Overseas visitors can buy on the official English ticket site<\/a>, since the theatre’s phone line is Japanese-only and takes no overseas calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Production<\/th>Theatre<\/th>Dates<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Elisabeth: Rondo of Love and Death<\/td>Takarazuka Grand Theater<\/td>17 Oct \u2013 22 Nov 2026<\/td><\/tr>
RRR \u00d7 TAKA”R”AZUKA \u2013\u221aRama\u2013<\/td>Tokyo Takarazuka Theater<\/td>31 Oct \u2013 13 Dec 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Artemis: Shooting for the Heavens \/ Belle \u00c9poque<\/td>Takarazuka Grand Theater<\/td>12 Dec 2026 \u2013 24 Jan 2027<\/td><\/tr>
Elisabeth: Rondo of Love and Death<\/td>Tokyo Takarazuka Theater<\/td>19 Dec 2026 \u2013 7 Feb 2027<\/td><\/tr>
Artemis: Shooting for the Heavens \/ Belle \u00c9poque<\/td>Tokyo Takarazuka Theater<\/td>13 Feb \u2013 28 Mar 2027<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are no English subtitles or audio guides at the Tokyo theatre. Read the plot before you go, especially for Elisabeth, which is sung throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you buy J.League and baseball tickets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The J.League has switched to an August-to-spring calendar: the 2026\/27 season kicked off on 7 August 2026, according to jleague.jp<\/a>. Every J1, J2 and J3 club has an English ticket link on the J.League tickets page<\/a>, which takes you to Ticket Pia’s English pages. Matches at the National Stadium have their own ticket page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese pro baseball (NPB) runs from spring to autumn, so there is no regular-season baseball between November and March. NPB had not published its 2027 schedule on npb.jp<\/a> when we checked. For the 2026 Japan Series, general sale opened at 12:00 on 22 October via Lawson Ticket, e+ and Ticket Pia, with separate overseas sales links on the NPB ticket page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tokyo
Tokyo Dome in Bunkyo, Tokyo. Photo: Adrian Rios \/ Pexels. Photo: Adrian Rios<\/a> \/ Pexels, Pexels License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

Big J-pop and K-pop shows in Japan sell mostly by lottery, not first come, first served. The usual order is a fan-club lottery, then presale lotteries on ticket sites, then a general sale (ippan hatsubai) for whatever is left. The best seats go in the lotteries, which often need a Japanese phone number or membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seller<\/th>English option<\/th>What overseas buyers should know<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Lawson Ticket (l-tike.com<\/a>)<\/td>Yes, plus a non-Japanese customer guide<\/td>Only general-sale tickets can be bought from abroad; membership registration does not work from overseas, and overseas cards may be refused<\/td><\/tr>
e+ \/ eplus (eplus.tickets<\/a>)<\/td>Yes, separate English site<\/td>Sells concerts, festivals and stage shows; tickets are collected via AnyPASS; it warns that resale tickets may not get you in<\/td><\/tr>
Ticket Pia (t.pia.jp<\/a>)<\/td>English pages<\/td>Runs Ticket Oosumo and the J.League club ticket pages<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Read the Lawson Ticket guide for non-Japanese customers<\/a> before you try. It says e-tickets need a phone that works in Japan, and konbini payment must be made at a Lawson store before the deadline, usually three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the ID check, face-recognition and resale rules?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Japan’s ticket resale law came into force on 14 June 2019. It bans reselling “specified” tickets as a business above face value without the organiser’s consent. Specified tickets carry a date and venue, a named holder or a seat, and a printed resale ban; breaking the law can mean up to one year in prison, a \u00a51 million fine, or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organisers back this up at the gate. Many check that the ticket holder’s name matches photo ID, and some tours use face recognition: Momoiro Clover Z first used NEC face matching at concerts in 2014, and acts such as B’z and Mr.Children have used it since. If a ticket is in someone else’s name, expect to be refused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you cannot go, use the official resale or trade service named on your ticket page. E-ticket app TixPlus<\/a>, for example, runs an official trade service at face value. Never buy from auction sites or social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Baseball
A baseball game at Tokyo Dome. Photo: HANVIN CHEONG<\/a> \/ Unsplash, Unsplash License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How does konbini payment and ticket pickup work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many Japanese ticket sites let you reserve online, then pay and print at a convenience store (konbini). You get a reservation number, pay at the store before the deadline, and the clerk hands you paper tickets. At Lawson and Ministop you use the Loppi terminal; sumo tickets are printed only at Seven-Eleven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n