L3SIU

A Foreigner’s Guide to Japanese Concert Tickets Yesterday’s Nano post caused a lot of discussion, and one of the biggest concerns people brought up - right after regional restrictions - was how difficult it is for foreigners to buy concert tickets in Japan. A lot of people mentioned the recent Arashi situation as one of the worst examples of how inaccessible the system can feel for overseas fans. Since I’ve gone through the process multiple times myself, here’s a short guide that may help other overseas fans. To buy tickets in Japan as a foreigner, you basically need 3 things: - A Japanese phone number - An account on Japanese ticketing services - A way to pay with a Japanese-compatible card The good news is: all of these problems can be solved either during a single trip to Japan, or with help from a friend/family member visiting Japan. First: the phone number. The easiest option is getting a SIM/eSIM from services like Hanacell, Sakura Mobile or Mobal. Important: it MUST include an actual Japanese phone number, not just mobile data. Some newer eSIM options can even be shipped internationally to selected countries (sadly not Poland yet). Providers using Docomo infrastructure — like Sakura Mobile and Mobal — also support roaming, meaning in theory you can still receive SMS verification codes and calls in your home country while keeping your Japanese number active. Once activated, just insert the SIM/eSIM into your phone and you’re ready for SMS verification. Next step (registration): registering on ticketing platforms. The most important ones are: Ticket Pia eplus Lawson Ticket (L-Tike) TIGET Most concerts in Japan use lotteries, while some are first-come-first-served sales. Payment compatibility is often the hardest part. eplus usually accepts Revolut cards, but the others can be inconsistent. That’s where ANA Pay becomes extremely useful. If you create an account with ANA, you can activate ANA Pay and generate a virtual Japanese card for ticket purchases. You can top it up like a prepaid card using foreign Mastercard cards. Once you have all of this set up, there’s nothing stopping overseas fans from entering lotteries and buying tickets legally under their own information - no scalpers, no shady middlemen. The Japanese ticketing system is absolutely frustrating at times, but it’s far less impossible than many people think. Hopefully this helps more overseas fans enjoy Japanese concerts properly and without unnecessary stress. Thank you @nanonano_me for opening this discussion. I genuinely hope more overseas fans will be able to support Japanese music and artists properly, and I’m happy to help however I can.

I was hiking today, so of course ASCA was with me too. 🫡

I mean yeah, if you’re not into racing games (like me) it’s probably a play for 10 hours and move on type of experience, but it’s impossible to deny Forza has this completely insane AURA One moment you’re blasting down roads near Fuji, then you catch a random panoramic view of Tokyo, in background some Vocaloid track, there’s anime waifu on your car, and life is good. My only real complaint is that the soundtrack isn’t fully Japanese. To often I have to skip radio stations trying to get back to gatcha radio, and there are no so huge collection of tracks that after a couple hours you start hearing the same songs over and over again.

How exactly are people supposed to “just contact the artist/organizer” for tickets, though? Through what channel? Because for example when I entered lotteries for Minori Chihara or Asaka, there wasn’t exactly some easy magical contact option. Emails usually don’t get replies, and many artists’ Twitter DMs are locked behind verified accounts or closed entirely. And regarding Tiget, LivePocket, Zaiko etc - yes, absolutely. Those are great systems if you mainly want to go to small venues, underground lives, or niche bands in 100-person clubs. I fully agree there. But my whole guide was specifically about participating in lotteries properly before events sell out.

@L3SIU Sorry but this is missing some really important info. 1) Often you can just contact the artist/organiser for a ticket and skip the SIM card headache 2) Tiget, LivePocket, Zaiko and other small vendors don’t require a JP phone no. 3) SIM card is no help if tickets sold out early

A Foreigner’s Guide to Japanese Concert Tickets Yesterday’s Nano post caused a lot of discussion, and one of the biggest concerns people brought up - right after regional restrictions - was how difficult it is for foreigners to buy concert tickets in Japan. A lot of people mentioned the recent Arashi situation as one of the worst examples of how inaccessible the system can feel for overseas fans. Since I’ve gone through the process multiple times myself, here’s a short guide that may help other overseas fans. To buy tickets in Japan as a foreigner, you basically need 3 things: - A Japanese phone number - An account on Japanese ticketing services - A way to pay with a Japanese-compatible card The good news is: all of these problems can be solved either during a single trip to Japan, or with help from a friend/family member visiting Japan. First: the phone number. The easiest option is getting a SIM/eSIM from services like Hanacell, Sakura Mobile or Mobal. Important: it MUST include an actual Japanese phone number, not just mobile data. Some newer eSIM options can even be shipped internationally to selected countries (sadly not Poland yet). Providers using Docomo infrastructure — like Sakura Mobile and Mobal — also support roaming, meaning in theory you can still receive SMS verification codes and calls in your home country while keeping your Japanese number active. Once activated, just insert the SIM/eSIM into your phone and you’re ready for SMS verification. Next step (registration): registering on ticketing platforms. The most important ones are: Ticket Pia eplus Lawson Ticket (L-Tike) TIGET Most concerts in Japan use lotteries, while some are first-come-first-served sales. Payment compatibility is often the hardest part. eplus usually accepts Revolut cards, but the others can be inconsistent. That’s where ANA Pay becomes extremely useful. If you create an account with ANA, you can activate ANA Pay and generate a virtual Japanese card for ticket purchases. You can top it up like a prepaid card using foreign Mastercard cards. Once you have all of this set up, there’s nothing stopping overseas fans from entering lotteries and buying tickets legally under their own information - no scalpers, no shady middlemen. The Japanese ticketing system is absolutely frustrating at times, but it’s far less impossible than many people think. Hopefully this helps more overseas fans enjoy Japanese concerts properly and without unnecessary stress. Thank you @nanonano_me for opening this discussion. I genuinely hope more overseas fans will be able to support Japanese music and artists properly, and I’m happy to help however I can.

Only the main ticket holder needs to verify the app with a Japanese phone number. The other 3 people can enter without needing their own Japanese number at all. That’s why I got lucky - my friend had already activated his account with his number the previous year while attending the festival himself. But for other overseas fans, this can actually be a useful tip: if you know someone already going to Japan Jam or currently in Japan, they may be able to help secure group tickets for you completely legitimately. And like I mentioned in another post: if you live in one of the countries that support it, you can also get a Japanese eSIM with roaming support, so SMS verification codes can still arrive normally even while you’re outside Japan.

@L3SIU Oh really??? I had no idea. I also beleive you need a Japanese phone number verification too? That's especially the tricky part. Especially if you live overseas and your Japanese SIM only receives text messages ONLY when your in Japan

A lot happened over the last few days - mostly negative - so I’m going back to my usual content, but I still have one more concert tip for foreigners visiting Japan! If you’re going to Japan around Golden Week, there’s a festival called Viva La Rock. This year they had artists like Creepy Nuts, AiNA THE END or natori performing. But the best part is that the festival actually supports overseas fans. They have a separate ticket system specifically for foreigners visiting Japan, and it works on a first come, first served basis. And this year, those tickets didn’t even sell out. Meanwhile Japanese attendees usually have to go through lotteries for the same event, so in this case foreigners actually have it easier. It’s honestly one of the best ways to see huge Japanese artists live without having to fight the usual Japanese ticketing system. Highly recommended if you’re planning a Japan trip during Golden Week 🫡

I can actually explain the Japan Jam system pretty well. You need an account in the festival’s official app. I got lucky because my friend attended the festival the previous year, so he already had an activated account. Thanks to that, he was able to buy 4 tickets even though he wasn’t flying to Japan himself this year. The three of us basically covered the cost of his ticket and went as his accompanying group. At entry, you just take a live photo with the QR code in the app and walk in. Completely legit and allowed by the festival’s rules - nothing shady or against the system. He could even try reselling his own ticket later if he wanted to. But it does require someone with an already active festival app account - ideally someone who has applied for tickets before. The tickets exist only inside their app system, which is what makes it more restrictive than something like Viva La Rock for overseas fans.

@L3SIU Another thing is too. There's also a big festival called Japan jam but id MUCH more strict. Viva la rock is the best because its so foreigner friendly! There's not much diffrence between the two so you may as well go to viva la rock!

I can really only speak from a European perspective here. I genuinely didn’t realize things were that rough financially for a lot of Americans. Flights from the US are often even cheaper than from Europe, and the dollar is strong, so I underestimated how difficult saving money can be there. A lot of my friends make under $20k a year and still manage to go to Japan maybe once a year - usually at the cost of not building savings or sacrificing other things. So from my environment, Japan always felt “hard but possible,” not completely unreachable. I’m not trying to shame people for not being able to do it. My entire point was just: if someone is determined to go and support artists live in Japan, there are more ways to navigate the ticketing system than people think. That’s all.

@L3SIU You REALLY expect people to save up for YEARS to go to japan just to set up getting THE CHANCE to MAYBE buy a ticket for a future trip? Extremely unreasonable and frankly classist to say it's an "excuse" to not do this. You are pissing on people and are telling them it's rain.

x.com/i/status/20564… I don't go here & I have no dog in this race but the implication that international travel ISN'T expensive and for most people wouldn't actually be a once-in-a-life-time trip for most people is CRAZY. "Being poor is an excuse. Have you tried being rich?"

@Smthingedgy Thinking like this every guide is "just a list of hurdles"

@L3SIU Look, I get this is written with the best intentions but this isn't advice, this is just a list of hurdles one has to overcome to simply be able to gain access to the Japanese concert tickets market.

@vegetapr69 Could you explain why you think it’s false?

@L3SIU This is so FALSE that it tickles me

@ielingtan So even if I only helped 5 people, that’s still worth more to me than just spreading negativity all day. Have a nice day 🫡

Nowhere did I say “you need friends or family in Japan.” I said that one possible option is having a friend or family member who happens to be in Japan already - even just on vacation or a trip - help with the initial activation step. But I also explained there are other solutions now, like eSIMs with Japanese numbers and roaming support. In some countries, you can literally receive Japanese SMS verification codes abroad without needing anyone in Japan at all. Canada is one of the examples where this reportedly works.

the first point being "have friends or family in Japan" GIRL WHAT

If this information was really “everywhere” and everyone already knew it, then why did so many people comment, bookmark, share, and ask questions under the thread? I’m literally just some random guy from Poland with no audience, yet the tweet blew up because clearly a lot of people didn’t know how any of this worked or were too intimidated by all the doomposting around JP ticketing to even try. And some of the info absolutely was not common knowledge outside more hardcore circles. For example, ANA Pay already had a reputation as “patched” because Visa top-ups got blocked, but a lot of people didn’t realize Mastercard still works perfectly fine. Even that alone already helped people. So yeah, maybe none of this is revolutionary for veterans deep in ticketing communities. But for regular overseas fans, putting all this information together in one understandable post clearly had value.

I’ve been very clear from the start that I’m mostly speaking from the anisong side of the scene and from my own experiences there. I’m also learning new things from people talking about boyband fandoms, Starto, idol culture, or TV celebrities. For me, groups like Snow Man, SixTONES, or some huge TV personality singer are basically a completely different ecosystem too. That’s exactly why I’m open to hearing real bad experiences and learning more about how those systems work. But that only happens when people actually describe what happened to them personally, instead of repeating the same few Starto stories over and over without adding anything new.

@L3SIU Yes, in all YOUR experiences. Just because YOU have not experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't happen rampantly for concerts in other fandoms that YOU are not a part of. I speak from MY experience

So how abt jp address and ID with our face on it since the t&c of some concerts literally state only jp residents are allowed to buy tickets and they literally scan your face and ID before you can enter the venue? Oh silly me, the solution was so simple: just move to Japan!

@rubysp_720 @geopalon_ That’s strange, because I’m pretty sure the Loppi machines only check the reservation/order number. And even if there’s an issue with SMS verification or roaming, the staff would probably help after confirming the person’s details.

@geopalon_ @L3SIU I picked up my ghibli warehouse tickets from loppi (before the went up on klook) and there was a on the spot mobile code confirmation so unless op enables roaming they might have issues?

Yeah, because this guide is mainly for people who are actively following JP concerts long-term and planning trips to Japan every few years, not for a pure “one concert once in a lifetime” situation. For one-shot concerts, honestly your best hope is usually that the artist eventually tours outside Japan. Otherwise you need to be at least somewhat invested in the scene and ecosystem around it. And you can also just keep the number active only during periods when you know you’ll be applying for concerts/traveling.

@summer_queen revolut.com It’s basically a banking/finance app service focused on currency exchange and international payments. You can create virtual cards there very easily, and their currency exchange rates are usually really good too.

@L3SIU Sorry to bug with questions, what is Revolut?

@summer_queen ana.co.jp/ja/jp/amc/ana-… And yes, from my experience only Mastercard worked for topping it up. I personally made a virtual Mastercard in Revolut and ANA Pay accepted it without any problems.

@L3SIU Thanks for the info! A couple of questions regarding ANA pay (which I've never used b/c I have a JP ANA Visa): which ANA website should the account be created on? And only MC will work for topping it off? Amex, Visa, etc can't be used?

@ProviD_ @_Jasumei_ What’s actually useless is being a miserable doomer under every reply instead of contributing anything helpful to the discussion.

@L3SIU @_Jasumei_ Bro your bot is broken, it keeps repeating the same useless information.

Making a long post jumping through hoops just to buy concert tickets and then getting turned away anyway because you’re a foreigner. Seems like you and Nano seem to not understand that shit like this is the problem.

@summer_queen @crosswithyou Can you tell me which artists specifically? I’d genuinely like to learn more about cases like this. A friend also DM’d me saying they had this situation with a Kana-Boon live.

@crosswithyou @L3SIU This. And in my experience, the payment deadline is pretty short, so they know how many tickets are available for the next lottery.

However, if the payment method is combini-only (e.g., Anisama), you absolutely will need someone on the ground to help you. And regarding the esim, wouldn't you need it for a long time? Not just to secure the ticket account, but to distribute electronic tickets?