How It Works
We're delighted to offer personal service for tickets.
While I tend to mention baseball here, this applies to sumo as well.
I’m often asked about getting tickets in Japan. In the past I've suggested:
"Just show up. You'll get a seat."
This was particularly hopeful advice given the popularity of baseball and sumo, the habit of Japanese to purchase tickets well in advance, and often sold out dates. Sometimes even when I was certain a game wouldn't be sold out, it turned out to be. I looked like an idiot.
"Try the advance sale ticket outlets."
I suggested advance-sale outlets only to find so many people thwarted by failure to find an outlet, the language barrier, payment hassles, and sold out games because their travel dates didn't allow them to be in Japan early enough to get tickets.
"Maybe you could try something online."
Japanese online services are no better with their general inability to accept out-of-country credit cards, the need for a Japanese address and phone to go with the credit card, and the latest being online counterfeit ticket printing. I've also now had people tell me they were barred entry because computer printed ticket barcodes were not accepted.
Do What I Do
I finally woke up to suggest doing what I do, along with team scouts, Major League Baseball personnel and many travel agents. Have Wayne Graczyk in Japan get your tickets for you.
Wayne is a US Air Force veteran and long-time Japan resident. He's a baseball columnist for The Japan Times and editor of the Japan Baseball Media Guide.
You pay Wayne exactly what we do - a modest tip for his efforts in getting your tickets and having them securely delivered to you. His tip is more than offset by your travel time and money saved, hassle avoided, and peace of mind.
Wayne is your personal Ticket Concierge while you're in Japan. You'll have all his contact information. He's a terrific resource to have standing by while you're in Japan and he's given assistance on many topics to our JapanBall ticket holders.
Further, I'm happy to help you choose your game and answer Japan travel questions you may have. See my contact info below.
CLICK HERE to BEGIN ORDER
Guaranteed Price and Ticket Delivery
Wayne literally stands in your place in the ticket line. You never pay more than what you yourself would pay for such tickets using a credit card.
We charge you only enough per ticket to take into account the currency exchange rate, credit card use, and ticketing fee, if any, for that particular venue. The same costs you would face.
At times there may be price promotions that Wayne uncovers. He'll put that saved money in your ticket envelope.
Tickets are hand-delivered by our courier to your hotel or any other address in Japan.
Guaranteed.
We've never, not once, failed to have tickets delivered as promised.
Unless you ask otherwise when you order, your ticket envelope will arrive the two days before your first event, no later than noon.
Ticket envelopes are never left without a signature. All hotel front desks will sign for your ticket envelope and hold it for your arrival.
Feel free to order now without yet having your hotel or delivery address. Don't worry, we'll remind you.
We don't send tickets outside Japan. To do so via FedEx or similar insured guaranteed delivery service is very costly. And we don't trust the less expensive services...and certainly not the mail. We prefer to keep your tickets in our local hands at all times.
We figure you want to attend the event, so if your chosen price range is sold out we'll get the next lower available price range and refund the balance in your ticket envelope, unless you tell us otherwise during the order process.
If there's a rainout we'll help you get a ticket refund.
All tickets are delivered at the same time on orders that contain more than one event, stadium or arena.
Your Seat Location
You'll have reserved seats together as close to home plate (or center arena in the case of sumo) and as close to an aisle as we can get in your price range as are available when you order.
For the overall experience of the Japanese game, we find a mid-range seat is adequate. If you're simply going for the experience, the pageantry, to have a nice time at baseball or sumo, to wander around a bit and just take in another aspect of Japan, a mid-range seat is fine.
You can read more about the particular seating locations in the baseball and sumo ticket sections of this site.
Ordering Hints, Youth/Senior Prices and Post-Season Play
Tickets in Japan generally go on sale about eight weeks out from a particular event. The Japanese tend to buy tickets well in advance, so there is no percentage in delaying.
We require at least four days lead time to complete your order and have your tickets safely delivered.
Sold out games are listed on the baseball order page. Sumo sellouts are similarly noted on the sumo order page.
We rarely get shut out. With our ticket and front office contacts, we have excellent success.
Everyone must have a ticket, though babes in arms and toddlers have been allowed in without tickets to sit on an adult lap at the discretion of the ticket taker.
Teams have no youth/senior prices on advanced sale reserved seats, such as we buy. We don't offer non-reserved seats since those are sold only on game day, and in very limited numbers.
Reserved seats in the baseball outfield organized cheer sections are available only to cheer group members.
We don't do tickets to post-season play because of the limited lead time once teams become known and almost immediate sellouts.
CLICK HERE to BEGIN ORDER
One Order Fee
All orders include $59 per order for Ticket Purchase Fee, Concierge Service and Hand-Delivery.
That's $59 per total order - not per ticket or per event. This $59 takes care of all costs in getting your tickets and securely delivering them to you in Japan.
Bottom line is this: You never pay more per ticket than you yourself would pay at a ticket outlet using a credit card.
We buy tickets for you under the usual conditions you'd expect: Once purchased they allow no refunds or exchanges.
Our online service is designed for the casual traveler purchasing a few tickets. If you're with a group, a baseball scout working up an itinerary, or plan to visit more than a few different venues, please drop me an email before placing your order. My contact info is below.
Feel free to be in touch with any questions.
Bob
Bob Bavasi
email: Bob@JapanBall.com
website: www.JapanBall.com
JapanBall - USA
4904 Harbor Lane
Everett, WA 98203
USA
Phone: 425-423-9655 (From 9am to 5pm daily - Pacific Time)
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JapanBall - Japan
1-12-18 Kichijoji Higashi-cho
Musashino-shi, Tokyo-to 180-0002
Japan
Phone: (From inside Japan) 090-8003-3630 (From 9am to 5pm daily - Japan Time)
Phone: (From outside Japan) 90-8003-3630 (From 9am to 5pm daily - Japan Time)
(How to phone from country to country.)
