Live house glossary: 60 Japanese terms in romaji and English
Key findings
- This glossary covers 60 Japanese words in six groups, from the flyer and the entrance to the merch table and seated clubs.
- At JGIG-listed shows, OPEN comes a median of 30 minutes before START (395 shows in Tokyo and Osaka, 20 Oct – 31 Dec 2026).
- The 1D on a flyer usually means ¥600: at JGIG-listed shows that list a drink fee, 88.5% charge ¥600 (279 shows, 20 Oct – 31 Dec 2026).
- The median listed ticket price is ¥3,800, using 前売 (advance) when listed and 当日 (door) otherwise (440 shows).
- Not every schedule adds the drink on top: one Shimokitazawa venue's schedule uses (D付) for a ticket with the drink included.
By JGIG editorial · Updated Oct 20, 2026
At a glance
The short version
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English |
|---|---|---|
| 開場 / OPEN | kaijō | Doors open |
| 開演 / START | kaien | The first act begins |
| 前売 / ADV | maeuri | Advance ticket price |
| 当日 / DOOR | tōjitsu | Door price on the day |
| 1D / +1D | wan dorinku | A one-drink fee paid at the entrance |
| 整理番号 | seiri bangō | Your place in the entry order |
| 取り置き | torioki | A reservation paid in cash at the door |
| 対バン | taiban | Several acts share the night |
| 撮影禁止 | satsuei kinshi | No photos or filming |
| 物販 | buppan | Merch sales |
Table 1. The ten words to learn first
Note: The full list of 60 words follows, in six groups. Meanings are JGIG's plain-English summaries. Examples come from official event pages checked on 20 Oct 2026.
Why a glossary?
Event pages and flyers in Japan mix Japanese, English and short codes. How to read a Japanese gig flyer explains the five words on most flyers. This glossary goes wider: the entrance, the rules, the merch table, seated clubs and the words bands use for booking. Each word has romaji, so you can say it, and a plain English meaning, so you can read it.
Which words are on the flyer or event page?
Table 2. Flyer and event page (20 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 開場 / OPEN | kaijō | Doors open; people start going in | At listed shows, a median of 30 minutes before START |
| 開演 / START | kaien | The first act begins | Not necessarily when the act you came for plays |
| 前売 / ADV | maeuri | Advance ticket price | Shinjuku LOFT pages write ADV |
| 当日 / DOOR | tōjitsu | Price of a ticket bought at the door on the day | Can be higher than 前売. See Advance vs door tickets in Japan: how much more at the door? |
| 料金 / CHARGE | ryōkin | The price | Some schedules use CHARGE as the price heading |
| 1D / +1D | wan dorinku | A one-drink fee, paid at the entrance on top of the ticket | 440's schedule legend explains (+1D) this way |
| D付 | dī-tsuki | Drink included in the ticket price | Shinjuku PIT INN writes 1DRINK付 |
| ドリンク代別 | dorinku-dai betsu | Drink fee charged separately | For example, DRINK代別¥600 |
| 出演 | shutsuen | The acts on the bill | |
| 対バン | taiban | Several acts share the night and play in turn | See How a live house night works: taiban, set times, end times |
| ワンマン | wanman | One act plays the whole show | |
| ツーマン | tsūman | Two acts share the night | |
| タイムテーブル | taimu tēburu | Set times for each act | Not every organizer posts one |
| 一般発売 | ippan hatsubai | General sale: tickets go on sale to everyone | |
| 先行 | senkō | An early sale period before the general sale | |
| 完売 / SOLD OUT | kanbai | Sold out | See The show is sold out. What can you still do? |
| 年齢制限 | nenrei seigen | Age limit | Check the official event information |
| 中止 | chūshi | Cancelled | |
| 振替公演 | furikae kōen | A rescheduled show | |
| 払い戻し | haraimodoshi | Refund | Follow the organizer's official notice |
Which words matter for tickets and the entrance?
Table 3. Tickets and the entrance (12 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 当日券 | tōjitsu-ken | A door ticket, sold on the day if there is space | See Can you buy tickets at the door (当日券) in Japan? |
| 当日券なし | tōjitsu-ken nashi | No door tickets for this show | 440's schedule writes 当日 ¥なし |
| 取り置き | torioki | A reservation with the act or organizer, paid in cash at the door | See What is torioki and how do you reserve a ticket with a band? |
| 予約 | yoyaku | A reservation | At Shinjuku PIT INN, reserved guests enter first, in booking order |
| 整理番号 | seiri bangō | Your place in the entry order | See What does the ticket number (整理番号) mean at Japanese gigs? |
| 入場順 | nyūjō-jun | Entry order | |
| 電子チケット | denshi chiketto | An e-ticket shown on your phone | |
| おひとり様◯枚まで | o-hitori-sama ◯-mai made | A limit of ◯ tickets per person | A Shinjuku LOFT page sets a limit of 4 |
| 受付 | uketsuke | The reception desk at the entrance | |
| ドリンクチケット | dorinku chiketto | A ticket you swap at the bar for one drink | Soft drinks are usually on the menu |
| 再入場 | sai-nyūjō | Re-entry after stepping out | Rules vary. One Shinjuku LOFT page asks you to tell reception, and charges another drink fee |
| お目当て | o-meate | The act you came to see |
Which words set the rules inside?
Table 4. Inside the room and house rules (17 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| フロア | furoa | The audience floor | Usually standing |
| 最前 | saizen | The front row, right by the stage | |
| 後方 | kōhō | The back of the room | A calm place to watch |
| コインロッカー | koin rokkā | Coin locker | Some venues have none. See Lockers, bags and re-entry at Japanese live houses |
| クローク | kurōku | Cloakroom | |
| 撮影禁止 | satsuei kinshi | No photos or filming | Shinjuku PIT INN bans photos and video during performances |
| 撮影可 | satsuei ka | Photos allowed | Often with conditions. At TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2026, only at camera-marked stages |
| 録音・録画禁止 | rokuon rokuga kinshi | No audio or video recording | |
| フラッシュ禁止 | furasshu kinshi | No flash | |
| モッシュ | mosshu | Moshing | See Moshing and diving at Japanese punk and hardcore shows |
| ダイブ | daibu | Stage diving or crowd surfing | |
| リフト | rifuto | Lifting another person above the crowd | TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2026 banned moshing, diving and lifts |
| 注意事項 | chūi jikō | Notes and rules for the event | Read these first |
| 禁煙 | kin'en | No smoking | Tokyo's rules make most indoor spaces smoke-free in principle; some venues have smoking rooms. See Can you smoke at Japanese live houses?. |
| 耳栓 | mimisen | Earplugs | WHO's safe listening standard asks venues to make hearing protection available |
| 転換 | tenkan | The changeover between acts | A good moment to visit the bar or the merch table |
| 終演 | shūen | The end of the show | Plan trains from this, not from START |
Which words come up at the merch table?
Table 5. Merch (5 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 物販 | buppan | Merch sales, or the merch table | See Band merch at small gigs in Japan: payment and etiquette |
| グッズ | guzzu | Goods: T-shirts, towels, CDs and more | |
| チェキ | cheki | An instant photo | Sold as merch at idol events. Each group sets its own rules. See Underground idol shows in Japan: cheki, rules and how to go |
| 特典 | tokuten | A bonus that comes with a purchase | |
| 現金のみ | genkin nomi | Cash only | See Do you need cash at Japanese live houses? |
Which words do bands and seated clubs use?
Table 6. Booking words (3 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ノルマ | noruma | A minimum number of tickets an act is responsible for selling | The act carries the risk of unsold tickets |
| チャージバック | chāji bakku | Part of ticket sales returned to the act | Also called チケットバック (chiketto bakku) |
| 箱貸し | hako-gashi | Renting the whole room | The renter is the organizer, so there is no noruma |
Table 7. Seated music clubs (3 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | Plain English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ミュージックチャージ | myūjikku chāji | The music charge: the admission price | Blue Note Tokyo and Cotton Club charge food and drink separately |
| ワンオーダー制 | wan ōdā sei | A one-order rule: order at least one item | Stated by Blue Note Tokyo and Cotton Club |
| 全席指定 | zenseki shitei | All seats reserved | Cotton Club states that all seats are reserved |
Note for Tables 6 and 7: Booking words follow the HYPE Inc. explainer. Seated-club words follow the clubs' reservation pages. All were checked on 20 Oct 2026.
JGIG data
What the listed shows say
JGIG show pages give 開場, 開演 and 1D in English as Doors, Start and Drink, when the event lists them.
Table 8. What three flyer words mean in numbers
| Flyer word | JGIG figure | Shows counted |
|---|---|---|
| 開場 → 開演 | A median of 30 minutes from doors to start | 395 |
| 1D | ¥600 at 88.5% of shows with a drink fee | 279 |
| 前売 / 当日 | A median ticket price of ¥3,800 | 440 |
Note: Shows listed on JGIG at small live houses in Tokyo and Osaka, 20 Oct – 31 Dec 2026 (computed 20 Oct 2026). The ticket price uses 前売 when listed, otherwise 当日. These figures describe JGIG's listings, not every live house in Japan.
What to do next
What to do next
Open the ticket phrasebookFAQ
Questions people ask
- What does 1D mean on a Japanese flyer?
- One drink. A drink fee is paid at the entrance on top of the ticket. At listed shows, 88.5% of drink fees are ¥600.
- What is the difference between 開場 and 開演?
- 開場 is when doors open. 開演 is when the first act begins. At listed shows, the median gap is 30 minutes.
- What does D付 mean?
- The drink is included in the ticket price, so there is no separate drink fee at the door.
- What is noruma?
- A minimum number of tickets an act is responsible for selling. It is a booking word, not something the audience pays.
Method and scope
- How the 60 words were chosen. Words that appear on event pages, flyers, entrances and merch tables, as covered in JGIG's guides and columns. Booking and seated-club words were added because readers meet them too.
- Meanings. Plain-English summaries written by JGIG. They describe common use, not a legal or dictionary definition.
- Examples. Quoted from official pages checked on 20 Oct 2026. Notation differs by venue and event.
- JGIG figures. From the JGIG Live House Index CSV, computed on 20 Oct 2026. It covers 465 upcoming shows at 16 venues listed on JGIG in Tokyo and Osaka, dated 20 Oct to 31 Dec 2026.
- Not a national statistic. JGIG's figures describe its listings, not all live houses in Japan.
How to cite
- Title: Live house glossary: 60 Japanese terms in romaji and English
- URL: https://www.j-gig.com/columns/live-house-glossary-japanese-terms
- Updated: 20 October 2026
- Data: JGIG listings computed 20 Oct 2026
- Suggested citation: JGIG, "Live house glossary: 60 Japanese terms in romaji and English," updated 20 October 2026, https://www.j-gig.com/columns/live-house-glossary-japanese-terms
Sources
Sources and last checked
- JGIG Live House Index (CSV, computed 2026-10-20; shows listed for 2026-10-20 to 2026-12-31) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- 440 (four forty) schedule: OPEN / START, CHARGE, 前売 / 当日, (+1D) and (D付) legend, 当日 ¥なし · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Shinjuku LOFT event page: ADV / DOOR, DRINK代別¥600, SOLD OUT, limit per person, re-entry note · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Shinjuku PIT INN: price notation (1DRINK付), reservations and entry order · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Shinjuku PIT INN: notice on morning and afternoon sessions (no photos or video during performances, phones included) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Blue Note Tokyo: reservation flow (music charge, one-order rule) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Cotton Club: reservation (music charge, seat charge, one-order rule, all seats reserved) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Cotton Club: FAQ (reserved seating by area) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- TOKYO IDOL FESTIVAL 2026: notes (photos only at camera-marked stages; no flash; mosh, dive and lift banned) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- HYPE Inc. (operator of TOKIO TOKYO): explainer on noruma, chargeback and hall rental (2026-08-08) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government: passive smoking measures (restaurants and entertainment facilities smoke-free indoors in principle) · checked Oct 20, 2026
- WHO: global standard for safe listening venues and events (2 Mar 2022; hearing protection available to audiences) · checked Oct 20, 2026
By JGIG editorial · Updated Oct 20, 2026. Show details can change, so check the official information before you go.
This column was drafted with AI and checked by a person against official sources. How we make JGIG