Can you buy tickets at the door (当日券) in Japan?

Why can't you count on a door ticket?

A door ticket depends on space. The venue sells them only if the room is not full after advance sales. That is why many official pages confirm door sales only shortly before doors. A door price on a flyer tells you what a door ticket costs. It does not tell you that any will be left.

How can you tell if your show sells door tickets?

Read the price line on the official event page. You can open it from the JGIG show page.

• 当日 or 当日券 is listed. The show plans to sell door tickets. The price next to 当日 is what you pay at the door.
• Only 前売 (advance) is listed. The page does not say. Plan for an advance ticket or torioki instead.
• 完売 or SOLD OUT is shown. Advance tickets are gone. Whether any door tickets remain depends on space, so read the latest post on the day.

For what each word on a flyer means, see How to read a Japanese gig flyer.

When can a door ticket fall through?

• The room fills up. If there is no space, there are no door tickets, even if a door price was listed.
• A popular act is on. For popular acts, lines may start earlier than usual.
• The plan changes. Promoters sometimes change prices, times or lineups at short notice.
• You arrive late. Door sales are often settled before doors, so arriving at the start time can be too late.

How do you try for a door ticket?

1. Pick a show for tonight or your date on JGIG, and note the Doors time on the show page.
2. Open the official event page. Look for 当日 or 当日券, and note the door price.
3. On the day, check the official page and the acts' posts again for updates.
4. Arrive before doors. Bring cash for the door price and the drink fee.
5. At the entrance, say that you want a door ticket, or show the same-day ticket phrase from the ticket phrasebook.
6. Wait until staff call door-ticket holders. You go in after people with numbered tickets.

What if there are no door tickets?

• Try another show that night. Open tonight's shows in Tokyo and look for a venue near the one you are at.
• Reserve for another night. Torioki lets you reserve with the organizer and pay at the door. See What is torioki and how do you reserve a ticket with a band?.
• Stay with official sales. Buy only from the organizer, the venue or the ticket site linked on the official event page. For other ideas, see The show is sold out. What can you still do?.

What if you are alone, have no Japanese or cash, or buy at the door?

• Going alone: You only need one ticket and one place in line. Stay near the entrance after doors, so you hear when door-ticket holders are called.
• No Japanese: Show the same-day ticket phrase from the ticket phrasebook at the entrance. JGIG's guide suggests this for same-day tickets.
• No cash: JGIG's ticket guide advises cash for door tickets and drink fees. If you can't carry cash, an advance ticket bought online leaves only the drink fee to pay at the door. See How to buy live house tickets in Japan.
• Door ticket with a friend who has an advance ticket: You will go in at different times, because door-ticket holders go in last. Agree on a place to meet inside.

What to do next

What to do next