Superstar Sleeze Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 Hey yo, so I got married recently and we are taking our honeymoon to Japan. I cant go to Japan and not see 1-2 wrestling shows while I am over there. Not to worry my wife is going to AEW Big Business in March and both nights of WrestleMania, she has definitely become a fan during the course of our relationship. So I had a couple questions about seeing pro wrestling live in Japan. 1. How do you see when & where upcoming shows will be? I figure my best bet to see wrestling is in Tokyo or Osaka. We will also be going to Kyoto, which I assume is not exactly a pro wrestling hotbed. So I know I cant be picky if New Japan is not running in Tokyo or Osaka when I will be there, I am definitely willing to watch All Japan, NOAH or DDT, what have you? 2. How do you buy tickets for the event? 3. Any tips or tricks either for entering the venue or watching? Any other advice is appreciated. Oh we are going from April 13th-28th. Thank you in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 I went in 2017 and am not sure how much changed, but there are ticket purchasing kiosks in Tokyo where you can get tickets to events at places like Korakuen. That should actually be during the Champions Carnival, so aim for that if possible. I’d imagine that there are better ways now via apps or the like, but am not sure what those are now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 5 hours ago, Superstar Sleeze said: Hey yo, so I got married recently and we are taking our honeymoon to Japan. I cant go to Japan and not see 1-2 wrestling shows while I am over there. Not to worry my wife is going to AEW Big Business in March and both nights of WrestleMania, she has definitely become a fan during the course of our relationship. So I had a couple questions about seeing pro wrestling live in Japan. 1. How do you see when & where upcoming shows will be? I figure my best bet to see wrestling is in Tokyo or Osaka. We will also be going to Kyoto, which I assume is not exactly a pro wrestling hotbed. So I know I cant be picky if New Japan is not running in Tokyo or Osaka when I will be there, I am definitely willing to watch All Japan, NOAH or DDT, what have you? 2. How do you buy tickets for the event? 3. Any tips or tricks either for entering the venue or watching? Any other advice is appreciated. Oh we are going from April 13th-28th. Thank you in advance! Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Sleeze! Wishing you all the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 Tickets for Dontaku NJPW shows: https://www.njpw1972.com/schedule?pageNum=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowtobeaMark Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 https://en.puwota.com/index.cgi?202304 This will be your best friend You will find trouble purchasing before hand with an international card for most companies and will have to buy on the door. Most shows wont sell out. I got tickets for NOAH, Gatoh Move and Wrestle-1 on the door Managed to preorder DDT and NJPW Entering the building wise - my only advise is... if going to Kurakuen take the stairs do not take the lift! The stair walls are fully of wonderful wrestling graffiti Other things to check out whilst there would be Inoki's restaurant, Rikidozan grave, 123 bar in Osaka and Ribera Steakhouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 I don't know how English friendly it is but most tickets are bought at convenience stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted February 19 Report Share Posted February 19 One more thing, if either of you have hay fever, April is still pollen allergy season in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted February 20 Report Share Posted February 20 I can't help with advice on how to buy tickets, but Kyoto does have THIS venue, KBS Hall, which has some sort of wrestling show about twice a month and has one of the most gorgeous backdrops for a wrestling venue, Dragon Gate is the one that runs there most often though: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kardo Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 I live here. www.buysumotickets.com is your friend after using puwota to find what's on what dates. Ajpw champions carnival will be on. There won't be much if any njpw. Stardom has queendom in yokohama as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kardo Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 There are no tips or tricks really. If you want pictures with wrestlers, ddt has chekis before and after shows, ajpw you need to join their fan club (fanicon app, very easy to join) and get there an hourish before the show. Bjw has photos before and during intermission. Otherwise you need to buy at least a signed photo at the merch desk. Expect a little bit of english here and there depending who. Abe, irie, kaz hayashi etc are pretty fluent. Diamonji so in bjw/lands end speaks perfect English. If you send over you exact dates you are in places I can suggest things. Like dont write off track stuff like say bar045 shows or such out, tons to do in yokohama and the shows at radiant hall are close to the tourist sites, the main St and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadaveri Posted February 24 Report Share Posted February 24 Just in general, if anyone's been thinking about going to Japan for a while but put off by how much it'd cost, there's probably never been a better time to go than now. The Yen's falling exchange rate has made everything so cheap and who knows how long that will last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted February 25 Report Share Posted February 25 Korakuen has a handy calendar. https://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/en/tourists/hall/events.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNLister Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 I put together a lengthy guide to visiting Tokyo for wrestling: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lKQNNq7oPfufX5tOOh-HI6f_An0SCy6o/view?usp=sharing Only note of caution is that the last update was January 2020 so some of it may be outdate now: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 They stopped selling Pasmo and Suica cards due to the semiconductor shortage, though I believe they still have some available for tourists. Almost everybody uses Pasmo and Suica on their phone these days. If you need to find train information, I recommend using https://world.jorudan.co.jp/mln/en/?sub_lang=nosub or https://www.hyperdia.com/en/ When people visit Tokyo, they usually stick to the easiest routes but residents always go for the fastest route which often involve multiple transfers. If you're on a crowded train and you are standing in front of the door, your best option is to step off the train at each stop and stand to the side. Let the masses get off and then board the train again. I made this mistake on my very first trip to Japan in 2004 and was pushed off the train onto the platform. The price of the Japan Rail Pass went up in October. It was a pretty hefty price increase -- https://www.japan-guide.com/news/japan-rail-pass-cost-increase.html That said, shinkansen tickets aren't cheap either, so you really need to calculate what the best option is. Japan is becoming less of a cash society. People are increasingly using their phones to pay for everything. I often get crap from my co-workers for relying on cash too often. Don't worry about the language barrier so much. Just wing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted February 26 Report Share Posted February 26 I guess I should mention eating out. Unless you want to live off convenience store or supermarket food, you'll want to eat out at some point. There are a lot of Western style restaurants that are easier to order at and Japanese chains where you can point at a picture or whatnot, but eating at an authentic restaurant can be a little challenging. There are certain parts of Tokyo that are more tourist friendly than others. If there is a particular type of food you want to eat, I would do some research about the best place to eat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted March 26 Author Report Share Posted March 26 UPDATE: I bought tickets using BuySumoTickets and received confirmation they purchased tickets for me to go see New Japan in Korakuen Hall!!! I am so excited that I am getting to see pro wrestling in Korakuen! We are also going to Sumo too, which should be pretty cool. I watched a New Japan match from a week ago and noticed that 2/3rds-3/4ths of the crowd was in masks. Should I expect to wear a mask at all times in Japan or only when I am sick? Thank you everyone for the recommendations! I am so excited for this trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 If you're not actually ill, the wearing of masks is mostly a seasonal thing. In the springtime, the northern winds blow dust and industrial pollutants in from China. I hardly ever get sick, but I got sick as a dog when I was in Korea March 2016 because I didn't mask up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 It may be from pollen allergy, but there's still a lot of COVID and influenza going around. Personally, I don't wear a mask unless a family member is sick. Masks are mostly a courtesy to prevent others from getting ill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted March 28 Author Report Share Posted March 28 So obviously we have to go to Ribera. I see there are two locations. Which one is better from a pro wrestling history & memorabilia perspective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted March 28 Report Share Posted March 28 They’re somewhat similar. The Gotunda location is the original and smaller. I went to the larger, newer location in Shimomugero when I went in 2017 (and am pretty sure I saw Masakatsu Funaki eating there). Just depends on where you are and your timing. Same menus at both spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted April 10 Report Share Posted April 10 I went to the small one and it was pretty cool - seemed like the patriarch was still working the grill there (although this was 2015, not sure if that's true now). You get the benefit of imagining Hanson and Brody sitting at that counter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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