First time attending a concert in Japan

Hello! I'll be in Tokyo in September, and there is a concert that I'd like to attend. As this is will be my first time attending a concert in Japan, I have a few questions and I hope someone out here will help me! :)

This is the concert I hope to attend:
http://zankyo.jp/matsuri/2012/index.html

I'm hoping to attend the one in Shibuya o-east. However, I have not get the ticket, and I'm hoping to get it on the day itself if they are still available.

I have read somewhere that you've to pay 500yen for a drink? Do I pay it along when I pay for the ticket? Or do I pay it only when I get the drink..?

Are the tickets numbered, and you go into the concert hall according to your number, or is it first come first serve basis?

It'd really help me if anyone can answer these questions for me! Thank you everyone! :)

Hello there - well I am not an expert, but I recently attended some rock gigs in Japan so I can answer a couple of things based on my experience:

The 500yen drinks charge is separate from your ticket for the gig - you don't pay it in advance. Make sure you have 500 yen to hand when you enter the venue, and there will be a person there waiting to take it and issue you with a drinks token in return. You can then use this at the venue's bar either before or after the gig (though check that the bar remains open after - some close early) and get one of a selection of drinks for your token. If in doubt, you can almost certainly always get beer or water :)

Also inside (or maybe outside) there will almost certainly be coin lockers to leave your stuff and any merch you buy in - you'll probably need 3 x 100 yen coins for those, just like at train stations. Ah - you may also be subject to a bag search as cameras are not allowed at a lot of live houses (though not all - it seems to depend on size and on the bands to some extent). I never actually got my bag searched, but other folks did.

The ticket numbering... well it depends on the type of gig really. If it's a hall (seated) gig you'll get a seat number just like any seated concert. If it's a live house (standing venue) then yes, your ticket number is usually the number of your place in the queue, and numbers will be called in blocks from One onwards. If you're lucky, they will also hold up signs which helps if you don't have a lot of Japanese language experience.

If not, you may want to ask for help with this from the venue staff in advance, or if you feel up to it, walk down the queue and ask people/show people your ticket till you find your place.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for your reply,uktraveller! It certainly did help me a lot! :)

Thanks for your advise, especially the one regarding the locker. I'd be probably bringing my camera along to take pictures along the way to the venue, so I'll just keep them in the locker, if there is any. I'll make sure I have coins ready!

Hopefully I am able to get the tickets and enjoy the concert with no worries!

Anyway, can I know how did you get the ticket to the concerts you have attended? Did you buy on the day itself or you bought it from a middleman online?

Yeah, they can be quite strict on cameras at some venues - it's good to check venue websites beforehand as often there are maps of the building and it will show you where lockers are. If there are no lockers shown, and the venue is near a station, you can leave your stuff in a locker there - train and bus stations always have lockers - and pick them up on the way back.

And I got my tickets through the fan club of the band I went to see, using the lottery system that is common in Japan. I collected all three tickets (I went to three tour dates) at the box office of the first venue - I just had to produce the email from the fan club, my fan club card and my passport for ID.

You can buy tickets direct from venues or from Lawson convenience store machines if you're in Japan and the concerts are not sold out. You may need the help of someone from Japan to buy at a Lawson as I don't think the ticket machines are in English.

PS. You may find this article useful to read - it is written by someone living in Japan who attends a lot of concerts, and covers all aspects of attending gigs there.

https://sites.google.com/site/lyricsyndrome/articles/features/concert-etiquette

Thank you for the link! I have read it and it certainly did helped me with some issues! :)
Your help is much appreciated!
I'll just hope there are still tickets available when I'm there. Have a good day! :)

sakurapeach,

As for this particular concert, you never know if tickets will be available at the door or not. That's what it says on the O-East website.
http://shibuya-o.com/east/2012/09

At this moment they are available, but the gigs in Iwaki and Sendai are already sold out. You can book tickets now, but I'm not sure if you can do it from overseas. Here is the booking site, anyway.
http://eplus.jp/sys/main.jsp?uji.verbs=GGWP03_search&uji.id=search&uji...

Or you can phone the promoter direct.
DISK GARAGE 050-5533-0888

Sometimes one drink is included but not for this one. Drink prices may vary, but they're usually a few hundred yen a cup.

A lot of venues, especially upon popular concerts like these, make people queue at the door depending on their ticket number. The staff usually takes good care of you, so if you notice someone shouting or if you notice people getting in line, show your ticket to a staff or a fan and that person would hopefully guide your way. In other words, try to show up ahead of time.

Also note that for this concert, they say that they might limit the number of people getting in if it gets too crowded. This usually means that you may be allowed to go in only for a certain period of time instead of being there for the whole festival.

By the way, with uploads and SNSs being so popular and effective nowadays, artists and promoters often let fans take photos of their performances. For this particular concert, I see no notes telling you not to bring in recording devices. So you might want to ask a staff about it before you lock that camera in.

But here is a floor map of the venue, just for reference.
http://shibuya-o.com/floor-guide#east

Hope you have fun.

Hello Uco! Sorry for the extremely late reply. Your answer has certainly helped me a lot! Thank you very very much!!

I am now in the process of asking the organizer regarding the tickets however I have still not get any reply from them probably because I've sent them an email in English.

I am very grateful for both you, and uktraveller's help.

:)