Hello, I’m trying to buy tickets to a show from overseas but the English language site seems to no longer be selling tickets? The tickets page just has a message saying all tickets are sold through TicketPia, which requires a Japanese phone number to use. Where are overseas fans getting tickets these days?😵💫
We haven’t been getting tickets these days 💀
Ok real talk though, a lot has changed since Japan was last open to tourists, including deprecating the foreign language ticket sites (RIP, hope they’ll be back since Kishida wants us to spend 5 trillion yen there or whatever), and seriously cracking down on secondhand ticket sales.
Here are the methods I know for sure work right now:
You CAN get a Takarazuka ID that gives you access to the normal Pia ticketing system. I did it with a Skype number which costs about $23 USD a year. VOIP numbers typically don’t accept SMS for verification codes, but in Takarazuka’s case, they allow you to choose between a text and an automated call, the latter of which does work! The recording is in Japanese, so you need to know enough to be able to copy the numbers down. Once you’re in, it seems to be kind of a crapshoot whether your foreign credit card will work or not. They DO accept foreign cards, but some seem not to play nicely for whatever reason. Between my two credit and two debit cards I’ve always gotten one to work. Then once you have all that settled, your reward is you get to join the general sale bloodbath with the rest of the plebeians.
Have a friend in a fan club. Risky because you don’t always know before your departure if you’ll get the ticket, but there have been so many excess lately it’s probably safer than it used to be, at least for now.
Okepi.net is the sanctioned resale service because prices are limited to face value or less. However, it’s less of a resale service and more of a message board where fans can connect with each other to sell and trade tickets, and each fan can set their own requirements (which sometimes include things like "you'll only be considered if you also buy X number of tickets to this other rando non-tkz show no one cares about"). I really only recommend navigating it if your Japanese is really good. Also it’s easiest to use if you’re physically there. I typically use it for any extra unplanned tickets I want after I arrive, because you either need to meet the person to get the ticket, or have a local address to receive it.
I’ve never personally done this because I’ve always been able to navigate the methods above, but the other thing you can consider is going through a travel agency that specializes in Japan.
Good luck to everyone in this terrible new world!
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