The complete Japan advance-booking calendar (2026)
The most frustrating part of planning a Japan trip is that every attraction releases tickets on a different schedule, and the good ones sell out before most people even know they opened. This is every time-sensitive booking in one place, with the exact time tickets go on sale.
★ marks the ones we track to the exact minute. We can email you before they open, converted to your own timezone.
Never miss a release
Free email alerts before the hardest tickets go on sale, in your timezone. We never handle your payment or the tickets.
Almost every hard ticket opens at a fixed Japan time, and Japan is hours ahead of the West. A 10:00 JST release is the evening before in the Americas and the small hours of the morning in Europe. People miss tickets not because they are unprepared, but because they convert the time wrong or forget the drop is on a Japan-time schedule. The fix is simple: convert each release to your own timezone and set an alarm, or let an alert do it for you.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to book in advance for a Japan trip?
The time-sensitive ones are the attractions that release a fixed number of dated tickets on a set schedule: the Ghibli Museum, Pokémon Cafe, teamLab, the Nintendo Museum, PokéPark, plus Shibuya Sky, Universal Studios Japan, the Imperial Palace tour and popular Shinkansen. Each opens on its own schedule, and the best dates sell out fast.
How far in advance do Japan attraction tickets go on sale?
It varies by venue: the Ghibli Museum opens on the 10th of the previous month, the Pokémon Cafe opens 31 days ahead, teamLab about three months ahead, and the Nintendo Museum runs a monthly lottery you enter about three months out. There is no single rule, which is why a calendar helps.
What time is 10:00 JST in my timezone?
10:00 JST is roughly the evening before in North America and the early hours of the morning in Europe. Because the hardest tickets open at a fixed Japan time, the safest approach is to convert the release time to your own timezone and set an alarm.
Can I just buy these tickets when I arrive in Japan?
Usually not. The most-wanted attractions are advance reservation only and are frequently sold out weeks ahead, so booking before you travel is essential.