How to buy tickets to Tokyo's most popular museums and attractions

Buckle up: the Ghibli Museum is notorious as the hardest museum in Tokyo to bag an entry ticket for. The way to get your hands on these coveted tickets is buying them online through Lawson. 

Tickets are ¥1,000 for adults, ¥700 for high school and junior high school students, ¥400 for primary school students and ¥100 for kids aged four and older. 

Note that the ticket is only valid for a specific date and time, and that you’ll need some form of ID to enter the museum – tickets are printed with your name, or at the very least with the group leader’s name. Without that person and a verified ID, you won’t be able to enter.

Through Lawson

- Tickets go on sale on the 10th of each month, at 10am JST sharp, for entry in the following month. So if you’re looking to buy tickets for May, you’ll need to clock in at 10am on April 10. 

- Tickets generally sell out within the first ten minutes for weekend slots. If possible, be flexible with your intended visiting date. Entry times are every hour between 10am and 4pm.

- You can get them through the regular Lawson website (in Japanese only; Japanese address and phone number required), or a Loppi machine inside Lawson convenience stores.

- Tickets can also be purchased through Lawson’s English website, but note that entry times are limited to 10am, 12noon, 2pm and 4pm. After you’ve selected the month, date, time and the number of tickets (up to six tickets per person), you’ll have to fill in your personal information and pay via credit card. On the day of your visit, you’ll have to show your passport and a printout of your booking details including the QR code. 

Note that purchasing tickets through official regional JTB offices is currently suspended until further notice.

teamLab Planets at Shin-Toyosu Station is home to nine immersive installations, spread out across 10,000sqm. Compared to other popular Tokyo museums, here you have to remove your shoes before exploring the inside. In some places you'll be wading through knee-deep water or walking on floor mirrors, so make sure to wear something above the knee (do avoid wearing skirts and dresses as well because of the mirrored floors). If needed, the museum provides shorts or a wrap-around. 

Tickets are ¥3,200 for adults, ¥2,000 for high school and junior high school students, ¥1,000 for children aged 4-12 and free for younger children.  

- Bookings can be made online via the museum website or one of our affiliate partners: Rakuten Travel Experiences or Klook.

- Tickets for March, April and May are currently available for purchase, with June tickets going on sale in late March. 

- Note that tickets are only valid for a specific date and time with entry between 10am and 8pm on weekdays and 9am and 9pm on weekends and holidays.

teamLab Planets was initially scheduled to close at the end of 2022, but the museum will remain open until the end of 2023.

It used to be normal to buy your Disneyland or DisneySea ticket at the gate on the day of your visit, but now tickets have to be purchased in advance. They go on sale on the website every Wednesday from 2pm for the same day two months ahead.

You can also buy tickets in person at the Disney flagship store in Shinjuku and a few other Disney Stores in the Kanto area, or at convenience store ticket machines, but the process may be complicated if you don't speak Japanese.

Tickets are divided into four categories with prices based on the season and the day of the week. They are more pricey on Saturday, Sunday, national holidays and peak periods such as Halloween and Christmas.

Price categories

One-day pass

• Adults: ¥7,900, ¥8,400, ¥8,900, ¥9,400
• Children aged 12-17: ¥6,600, ¥7,000, ¥7,400, ¥7,800
• Children aged 4-11: ¥4,700, ¥5,000, ¥5,300, ¥5,600

If you don’t plan to spend the entire day at the parks, then opt for the discount tickets valid during evening hours. On weekends and holidays, the Early Evening Passport allows entry from 3pm for ¥6,500-¥7,400 (children aged 12-17 ¥5,300-¥6,200, children aged 4-11 ¥3,800-¥4,400), depending on the season. During weekdays, there’s the ¥4,500-¥5,400 Weeknight Passport instead, which is valid from 5pm. You’ll have plenty of time (until 9pm) to explore most of the park.

You could also get the one-day pass via our affiliate partner.

The museum is currently closed until April 28.

With a media fanfare usually reserved for heads of state, the Yayoi Kusama Museum opened in late 2017, with a stringent ticketing policy that made it immediately shoot up in the ‘hard to get tickets’ ranking. The hype has calmed down, but there are still a few things to look out for.

Things to note

- The museum is only open from Thursdays to Sundays, plus national holidays; note that the museum is closed (often for about a month) between exhibitions.

- There are six time slots per day, all for 90-minute sessions (11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm). 

- 50 tickets are allocated per slot, all of which are only sold online. 

- Tickets for entry in late April and May go on sale on March 29 at 10am sharp Tokyo time through the museum's ticketing website.

Tickets are ¥1,100 for adults and ¥600 for kids aged 6-18, with children under the age of six entering for free.

Visitors have two options for catching the lively tuna auctions at Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. The first is to watch the spectacle from a passageway overlooking the hall, and the other is from a special observation deck on the same floor as the auction. 

Entry is free for both viewing spots, but the latter requires advance reservations.

・Reservations for the observation deck have to be made online in advance. 

・It’s a lottery system, and applications are open generally about a month ahead. You’re allowed to apply for three different dates to increase your chances.

・You’ll be notified of your application status via email. 

Things to note

・You should arrive no later than 5.45am at the Promotional Corner on the third floor of Block 7’s Management Facilities Building. For the exact location, download the English Toyosu Market map here. 

・The 30-minute tour takes place from 5.55am until 6.25pm.

・Make sure to bring your passport or zairyu residence card to confirm your identity.

・Safety measures are in place, so you’ll have to wear a mask and sanitise your hands upon arrival. Your temperature will also be checked before entering the market. 

For more information on the booking process, see here.