Concerts in Japan

9 comments

1. It was the same as any other concert I went to in my home country. Very long lines for merch but Tokyo dome is larger than the type of arena I was used to, so there was just a ton of people in general. The only thing was they had a no photo/video policy which of course we didn’t listen to, just had to be discreet about it.

2. Step 1: Figure out how you go to attend a concert in your country

   Step 2: Do that

   Pro tip: You show up, stand in line, show your ticket, and sit down or stand up to attend the concert.

3. It’s the same as anywhere else, for the most part. The few exceptions I’ve noticed at the ones I’ve been to:

   – Getting tickets can be the hard part since they’re often by lottery and fan clubs get the earliest/best seats in their lotteries.

   – Merch is sold in advance, so if you want something, buy it online before the concert. Most people will be wearing that show’s merchandise (rather than merch from previous tours).

   – No filming. This is fantastic because you don’t have to peer through everyone’s raised phones and cameras. You can actually enjoy the show and being in the moment.

4. Been to 75+ concerts in Japan since 2010 (pre-pandemic), every venue from very small to Dome/Stadium. Every type of group from indie to mainstream, and genre (pop, rock, enka lol)

   The only reason to go early is for the merch (can sell out fast / long lines). But these are almost always outside of the venue – so you get a lot of fans/resellers who may not be attending there. Concert itself, I’ve made it with 10 minutes to spare once due to a train delay. Most of the time I get there an hour or so in advance to people watch and enjoy the atmosphere.

   The venue entry itself has always been very smooth. Even when there has been ID check/bag check (including one where they did facial scans), it was pretty fast.

   You usually have assigned seating, But if it’s GA or standing in the larger venues, they number tickets or have groups in which you line up outside to enter.

   It’s a great experience – some of the best concerts I’ve ever been too have been in Japan. Have a great time!

5. so i’ve been to a few shows in 2016 and 2018. (yousei teikoku in nagoya, nocturnal bloodlust in roppongi, undead corporation / gyze in shibuya).

   for the show in roppongi, they had a weird entry system where they lined people up in groups by their ticket number, so people with lower numbers got to go in first.

   for the other 2 shows i went to, it was just like any other show back home where you get in line and when doors open the line goes in.

   if you care about merch, ABSOLUTELY get that as soon as you possibly can. stuff sells out crazy fast, especially the stuff in normal sizes. when i saw yousei teikoku the only shirts left **when i walked in the door** was extra small.

   as far as the shows themself go though, you won’t miss anything by not getting there super early. of course, there may be some “your mileage may vary based on venue/genre”, but it’s unlikely you’ll find anything drastically different.

6. Depends on the artist / venue, for most of the ones I’ve gone to (GA only) you get a random number assigned on your ticket and they invite you into the venue based on that number. Fanclub tickets get the first round of numbers, then everybody else. You typically have to pay a drink fee of around 500 yen cash upon entry, which you can use to grab a water bottle or other beverage once inside.

   Everybody is pretty respectful in the venue, nobody squishes together or tries to push in front of you. During the concert there might be coordinated hand movements that the fans have developed, these typically align with specific beats of the song. **Do not film or record**, can’t stress this enough

   Merch is typically sold a few hours beforehand so that you can pick it up, bring it home and come back without having to carry things around, but it will still be available at the venue. Depending on the concert merch may be cash-only

7. You don‘t really have to come hours in advance, the reason most people come hours in advance is because there‘s often special merch that’s only being sold at the venue, plus there‘s other stuff like gift boxes and flower stands for the performers. You have to come several hours earlier if you want to see those things. If you just want to enter the venue, you can come 30-60 minutes before the concert starts, that‘s when they let everyone in. You should get at least 1 light stick and if it‘s an idol concert you can learn some calls. Like others already said, filming is prohibited, even before the concert starts they don‘t allow you to photograph the venue. Some people are sneeky about it, but in my case tickets were 99,000 yen, so there‘s no way I was going to risk it lol.

8. Depends massively on the individual concert.

   Are you going to a festival with a million people or a dingy underground punk show with 30?

9. If you want those limited edition goods from the concert you need to head it down early. Concerts are standard and the seat is preassigned so people mainly going there early for the merch.