Hi all, I am going to be visiting Tokyo in March and I am planning to go to the Japan v. Thailand match at Saitama Stadium on March 28th. If anybody has any insight on how / where to buy tickets to the match, it would be much appreciated. The optimal scenario would be that I could purchase them in advance of my trip. Is there any website that you guys have used in the past to buy tickets? If not, is it relatively easy to find a place to purchase tickets once I am in Tokyo? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again and best of luck with the qualifying campaign.
So you should be able to find tickets, but it'll be a lot easier if you have a Japanese-speaking local help you out. They're selling advance tickets through several rounds of online drawings. Round 1 (through 1/26 11pm JST): http://eplus.jp/sys/web/s/fm-jfa/wcup/20170328/index.html Must pay in person at a FamilyMart convenience store between 2/1-2/4 Round 2 (reserve between 2/4-2/7 JST): http://ticket.jfa.or.jp/ticket/ticket-170328.jsp Complete purchase online after 2/17 JST After that there will be general availability - most convenience stores have in-store kiosks where you can buy tickets on the spot (think of it like a Ticketmaster vending machine). I feel like you should be OK waiting until you get there, but if you have a local friend it might be safer to have them book a ticket for you via one of the above methods. It's a real pain in the ass to navigate these websites and try to pay if you don't read Japanese / don't have a locally issued credit card...
I'm in the same situation. But aren't Japan games always sold-out in advance? Anyway I entered the Family Mart lottery, no luck.
Thanks a lot for the reply, naopon. I have been trying to use google translate to navigate my way through those websites, but as you mentioned its not very easy. In your experience, do these types of games typically sell out (I wont be in Japan until the a couple days before the match). Also, is it possible to "scalp" any tickets once I'm there if the game is in fact sold out?
I'm not really sure, tbh. Thailand isn't exactly a sexy opponent so chances are decent that you can walk into a convenience store a few days before and pick up a ticket. There is also a secondhand site called ticketcamp.net where I successfully scored some J-League tickets back in November - it's like StubHub, legit and non-sketchy, but involved exchanging DMs in Japanese and meeting the seller outside the stadium. If you know anyone in Japan (or even your hotel) I would recommend asking someone to pick up tix for you in advance, otherwise I think you're still ok finding them after you get in.
http://www.bridge.jpn.com/services/tickets These guys were super helpful to me. Never experienced that level of service and attention to detail on this side of the puddle. Totally worth their service charge.