Please note that it only concerns concerts, and not release events or FC events. Different articles will later on be shared for information regarding the latter.
♡ Via the fanclub lottery
The fanclub lottery is probably the easiest way to get tickets for a Hello! Project concert as a foreigner.
To access it, you need to pay for an annual membership to the FC.
- How to join the FC?
As of 2024, a year of general membership costs ¥5100 (you will be asked to pay for an extra ¥1000 admission fee when you join the FC for the first time). The main benefits of the membership are the access to FC advance receptions, access to FC exclusive events (e.g. members' birthday events) and the possibility of buying FC-exclusive goods.
The website page for FC membership applications is available here. If you can't read Japanese, the Google Translate Chrome extension might be a good ally for you.
You will be given a choice between paying at the conbini or by credit card. If you live abroad and don't known anyone who could pay for you at conbini, do not worry, most foreign credit cards seem to be working on the website (officially, they accept VISA, MasterCard, JCB, Diners Club and AMERICAN EXPRESS).
After choosing your payment method and clicking on the "new subscription" ("新規入会") button at the bottom of the following page, you will be asked to enter your e-mail address.
You will then receive an e-mail containing a special URL to complete the subscription process.
Then, all you have to do is to fill a form with all your basic needed information (name, birthdate, address, phone number, etc.).
If you do not have a Japanese address or phone number, you can use those provided by Tenso, a company that allows you to receive goods at their place in Japan and then ships them to your place overseas. Creating an account is quite simple, and after verifying your ID, they will provide you with an address and a phone number that you can freely use for your orders.
After filling the FC application form, the final step will be to complete your payment. You will receive an e-mail when your payment has successfully been completed, and make sure to check this out because otherwise it might mean it didn't get accepted!
Once the entire application process is done, it will take about a month for them to ship your FC card (if you chose to use Tenso, they will receive it for you and you will need to pay their consolidation and shipping fees for it to be sent to your place overseas).
Please note that you cannot apply for any FC lottery until you have received your card. This is why it is better to apply in advance if you plan on visiting Japan or attending a particular show.
The card will come with detailed information regarding the activation of your account. Make sure to preciously keep those papers. Every step is well-explained (you will basically need to log-in and confirm your password using your e-mail address and your brand new membership number).
- How to apply for a concert via FC?
The first reception for Hello! Project concerts usually starts right after its the announcement. You can keep up with the announcements via the Hello! Project website, the FC website or its Twitter account.
The FC lottery process for H!P concerts goes through different steps:
- The application period (usually a few days/weeks)
- The confirmation period (on which you will be able to see whether you won or not, and you will be asked to confirm your payment method)
- The payment deadline
- The tickets shipping period (usually a week before the concert/event)
Sometimes, they organize a second reception, if there are still FC tickets to be distributed. Those are often announced under the name "FC2次受付" or "FC追加受付". If you lost, you can then apply again.
Before applying for any concert, you need to know these three important pieces of information:
- The only available payment method is conbini. You will be given a choice between different conbini brands (Seven Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, etc.) but it's impossible to pay online by credit card. Therefore, make sure to find someone in Japan who will be able to pay for you before the conbini payment deadline.
- The tickets cannot be delivered at your Tenso address. Tenso does not accept to receive event tickets at their place, and only allows to ship goods overseas. Therefore, you need to change your FC address to someone's place in Japan who will accept to receive your tickets for you. If you have no one to do it for you and plan on staying at a hotel, you could also ask them if they would agree to receive them for you.
To change your shipping address, click on "My page" ("マイページ") and then on "Change the registered address" ("登録住所変更"). You will then be able to change your address or phone number (do not mind about the phone number, the FC does not use SMS or call confirmation anyway). It can take up to three days for them to change it so make sure to do it in advance considering the ticket shipping period (it is safer to just change it before applying to your concerts).
- It's not allowed to apply for concerts, and then decline paying for those you won. If you apply for a concert, win the lottery and don't pay, you will be given penalties for your next lotteries, and might even end up being kicked out of the FC. Make sure to apply only for performances you can attend, and avoid applying as much as possible just to increase your chances of getting something.
Now that you know this, it's time to apply!
You can access the list of concerts and events for which applications are currently open using the "Ticket/event reception" ("チケット/イベント受付") button from the "Member menu" ("会員メニュー") list on the top of the screen.
You will then access this list of events and concerts for which applications are currently open (those with the red text next to them). Clicking on the name of the concert or tour that you are interested in will link you to a page with all the main information about it (rules, application and payment deadlines, etc).
Then, click on this blue box to access the application page.
There, you will need to select the performance(s) you wish to attend. The website will tell you the maximum number of performances you can apply for. For some performances, you can also apply for two tickets (which means you can for instance apply for you + a friend that is not a FC member).
Then, pick your chosen performance, choose the number of tickets you wish to apply for and the type of seat. Most of the time, "general" or "family" seats are available. Family seats do not allow you to stand up. Then, click on "Application" ("申込") to access the confirmation screen. Once all of this is done, check if it is written that your application was confirmed on your member's page ("マイページ" → "チケット申込状況 " or directly on the event application main page), and then all you have to do is to wait for the results!
The results will be available at the beginning of the "confirmation period". Once they are out, you will receive a mail to tell you about it, but this isn't a winning e-mail! You have to login and check your results on "My page" and "Ticket application status" ("マイページ" → "チケット申込状況").
If you won the ticket, its status will be written as "当選".
If you lost, the status will be "落選".
If you have won, you can access directly to the page where you can choose your preferred conbini for payment. You will then receive a payment slip number that you (or the person paying for you) can directly show to the conbini cashier to pay by cash there. Once your payment is completed, you will receive an e-mail to confirm it. The concert ticket(s) will then be sent at your registered address about a week before the performance. Note that there is a small chance of the delivery worker not accepting to deliver the ticket if you are not physically present on the delivery day. It seems to happen very rarely so do not worry about it, but in this case, you will normally be able to re-schedule the delivery.
If you lost, you can try to apply again if there is a second reception! If there is not, or if you lose again, you can then try the general sales.
♡ Via the organizer's advance lotteries
It is recommended to first rely on the FC lotteries before trying general sales, because this method is way more uncertain. It is pretty convenient if you plan on going to regular shows in smaller cities in Japan, but for competitive concerts such as those held in the Tokyo or Osaka areas or graduation shows, there are many chances for them to get instantly sold out at the sales opening time/first general sales lotteries. Tickets you get via the FC are also cheaper, because FC members enjoy special discounts on them, and have better seats. If you plan on trying to get a "competitive" ticket via general sales, be ready to fight right on the opening time!
But before the open general sales, you can try organizers' advance lotteries.
Basically, there is always a company that organizes concerts, working with UF. It depends on the area of Japan the concert is taking place in.
First of all, check which company is organizing the concert you aim at going to by looking at the tour's official page on the Hello! Project website.
Example with ANGERME's 2024 spring tour "secret secret"
Here, you can see that the organizer for Chiba shows is Odyssey, the organizer for Osaka shows is Kyodo Information, and for Sendai shows it's Kyodo Tohoku.
In the Tokyo area, it is almost always Odyssey.
Odyssey has a special website dedicated to the concerts they organize.
By clicking on "会員", you can pay a yearly subscription to become a member (¥2200; payment by card is possible). Becoming a member has the following advantages: access to pre-general sales lotteries, possibility of entering monthly lotteries to receive special presents, such as posters signed by the H!P members.
Those advance lotteries take place before general sales, and for competitive shows in Tokyo, it is highly recommended to enter them to have higher chances of getting a ticket in the end.
Good news: here, tickets can be paid by card AND printed at conbini (so you can do everything from overseas!)
Most of the time, other organizers also have similar systems of membership and advance lotteries. If you think it is worth the price, this would be a good solution for getting tickets before general sales if you could not participate in FC lotteries, or if you lost them.
♡ Via the general sales
Most of the time, general sales for Hello! Project concerts are done through eplus.jp or t.pia.jp. These sales take place after the FC lottery process is over (also after organizers' advance lotteries), and are open to all. Note that some events and concerts held by ex-H!P members still doing activities also use these websites for their general sales (e.g. Sayashi Riho).
The Hello! Project official website, as well as the official group SNS accounts, and the organizers on their own communication plateforms, will keep you updated regarding the beginning of general sales for their concerts. Some of them go by lotteries, others are directly sold under the first come, first serve principle. Sometimes, there are general sales advance lotteries and then a first come, first serve reception. All this information is available directly on the eplus / pia pages for each show.
The biggest issue regarding eplus is the fact that you need a Japanese phone number to register. You cannot just use the Tenso one as for the FC, because during the registration process, you will be asked to call a specific verification number to prove you aren't using a "fake" one. But if someone allows you to use theirs, you will only need it once (during the registration process). pia might be more complicated, as it is asked to verify the phone number whenever you create an account, apply for tickets, and check lottery results if any.
Therefore, if you want to use it, you will need to ask help from someone owning a Japanese phone number to apply for you.
Once you got your account and selected your desired performance as well as type of seat, you can usually decide to pay at the conbini or using a credit card. As the FC lottery happens before the general sales, chances of getting "general" seats are lower, and sometimes, you will only have a choice between family or side-view tickets. Here, the conbini payment works the same as for the FC. However, this time, you will often be given a choice between receiving the tickets at your registered address, or printing them at the conbini. If you buy the tickets too close to the performance date, the conbini printing will be your only option.
♡ Via same-day tickets
This should really be your last option, because it is way more risky to plan on getting tickets like this. Consider it only if you decide to attend a certain concert on impulse, or if you couldn't get anything with one of the other ways above.
If some tickets are still available on the day of the concert, the organizer might announce the sales of "same-day tickets". For Odyssey (organizer for most events and shows around Tokyo), information is available on their specific website, or real-time updated on their Twitter account.
To get those tickets, you will need to line directly at the venue on the day of the concert. The sales often begin on the doors opening time, or an hour before. If there are too many people lining up, lotteries are likely to be held to choose between all the customers, and you can only pay by cash there.
For certain concerts, only certain types of remaining seats will be sold this way (e.g. family seats). You can check what is going to be on sale from the website and/or Twitter account of the organizer. Once again, use this method only as a last-minute thing if you really couldn't do another way, because many competitive shows don't have same-day tickets. Also, please note that those tickets are the very remaining ones, and are likely to not grant you with a good seat.
That's it for this quick guide! If there is any missing or incorrect information, please tell me. I will try to update it if there is any change.
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