Hi,
I’m planning to go to japan in mid-october and would like to go Ghibli museum in mitaka, but I’m not sure how to get these tickets from australia.
I read that the lawson tickets are only for japan people (asking for their local phone number). Is there a way to get these tickets? Even though from a travel agent, if they are able to get these tickets.
Any tips? Thanks.
but tickets go on sale a month in advance and sell out quickly.
I did this last year, purchasing from the website while in Australia. If I remember correctly, it said they went on sale at a particular time on a particular date, the month before they are valid. So I monitored Japan time on TimeAndDate.com, and on the second it went that time, I refreshed the page.
It said "You are number 8140 in the queue, you will be served in 3 hours and 15 minutes" or something similar. I thought wow, that can't be right. So I loaded up the page on a second device, and it said something like "you are number 19000 in the queue". So I closed that and went back to my first device.
The numbers didn't seem to be dropping nearly fast enough that I would be served in that time, but at the appointed time, it showed a calendar with the number of remaining tickets for each day. I had a four-day window when I would be in Tokyo, and I recall two of those days had available tickets.
So I suggest you have perhaps three devices with the booking webpage open, and try reloading the page 30 seconds before, 10 seconds before, and exactly on the time indicated. The page takes a bit of time to reload due to the huge number of people trying to book, so one of the early reloads may actually complete just as the bookings open, and you won't have to wait as long. Even better if you can have several people trying for you, so if the early reloads are rejected, you can try again. Everyone should keep trying until they are told they're in the queue, then compare who is the closest to the head of the queue.
I've remembered something else: when the calendar pops up, showing available tickets, you have a limited time to purchase. I think it was 5 or 10 minutes? If you don't purchase within that time, your "booking session will expire", and you'll have to go back to the end of the queue.
So you've got to keep watching the webpage while you're waiting. Don't leave your device unattended, or you could miss out!
And of course, make sure your device has a full charge before starting, and/or keep it on charge while waiting. You don't want your battery to run flat while you're in the queue!
Has this got more difficult recently? I don’t remember struggling to get tickets in 2013. I suppose with the weak yen lots of tourists these days.
Yeah, they did. When I first when to Japan, 2019, I was able to obtain tickets by a simple e-mail request. They now use an online booking system with a queue. Missed out going last year as the site didn't load properly, even though we were early in the queue. Still annoyed about it as my friend really wanted to see it.
I recall reading that a majority of the tickets are reserved for those within japan. The small fraction that’s open to international visitors is quickly sold out.
It may well have changed but the best way I found to book anything in Japan is via a travel agent or via your hotel. If you are using AirBnB maybe your host will help?
We bought tickets for 5 a month before online, admittedly 7 years ago. I checked out the process the month before, so knew what to expect. Just pretend you are trying to get Tay-tay tickets at ticketek, and be online when they drop.
You have to check the website [official one] 6week to 4 weeks in advance. Check it everyday. Be quick. Good luck.
Once you actually get in, visit the cafe/restaurant straight away as this seems to be the only attraction that has a line (apart from the film which are scheduled) and required quite a bit of waiting.
Booked tickets for last month, no problem. Yes, need to book in advance. Very important you know date and time of selling day.
I bought tickets with friends while over in the us a couple of months ago. We had about 5 computer going from the moment the page went live and I got through on my phone first. It took about 15 mins and the screen kept updating until it was your turn.
The only problem we had was the payment cards we tried 3 different cards before we got one accepted. So I’d recommend having a spare or different type available!
After I missed out, I bought mine from a ticket buying service in Japan.
a ticket buying service in Japan
Is that the stores with discounted Shinkansen tickets, or something else? Did you have to pay a price premium, and do you remember how much?
I used https://buyticketsjp.com I’ll admit it was a little costly. But our family got to go rather than missing out, so was worth it.
Do you recall how much they were, compared to buying direct?
Ouch! $75 per ticket, and that may be 75 USD. For a ticket that costs roughly 10 AUD.
Thanks for the info, but I don't think I'll be using them!
Pro tip for anyone wanting to see the Ghibli Museum: plan your holiday so your time in Tokyo straddles two months, e.g. spend a week in Tokyo from September 27 to October 3. That way you can try to get September tickets in August, and if unsuccessful, try for October tickets in September.
I successfully bought tickets in January 2024 for a date in February 2024.
Tickets go on sale for the following month from 10:00am Japan time on the 10th of each month. So mark your calendar now, Tuesday 10 September at 10.00am Japan time tickets will go on sale for the entire month of October.
Be ready with multiple devices. Between my partner and I we had 5 devices ready; two laptops, two phones and an iPad. When they all joined the queue, one device had a spot in the hundreds, one had a spot in the low 1000s and the other 3 were in the very late thousands. It's entirely random. That device with a spot in the hundreds quickly got in and we got two tickets for the exact time and date we had pencilled in.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, are you ready?
You can buy from their website but tickets go on sale a month in advance and sell out quickly.
There are also companies that will sell youa half day "tour" that includes a ticket. Obviously it costs more but you are guaranteed a ticket.