Going to Ayu Saitama April 2012 concert
 

Ok guys this time I really have to do it! I want to go to Ayu concert in Saitama April 7/8. My plan is to go to Osaka/Kyoto for cherry blossom, go back to Tokyo on the 6th to catch the Saitama concert. and probably leave on the 10th to go back home. I have some questions:

1) Is the timing possible?
2) Where can I get Saitama concert tickets? I heard there are reseller shops? But Saitama isn't in Tokyo can I get them?

Anyone else wanna go? Let's plan this together!

You can definitely find tickets for the Saitama shows at reseller shops in Tokyo. I've done it countless times.

What do you mean is the timing 'possible'?

How much do tickets usually go for at reseller shops?

I think I will go too !
First time for me so I can not help you much, sorry :(
I was in Tokyo all the week ! So maybe at that time maybe I will can help you! :)


I think I'll take my ticket by TeamAyu but I do not know how! '___'

I will probably go to these shows and I hear (especially if you get tickets close to the date) they are the same and cheaper then list price!

That's entirely dependent on where the seats are and when you're buying the tickets. I've seen some really good A-block seats going for 60,000yen each. Sometimes you can get seats high up in the stands for close to retail value. I've heard it said that on the day of shows the prices at the reseller shops plummet, but I've had no firsthand experience with that. The one time I tried to buy tickets day-of-show, I went to 4 different shops (that have never let me down) and every single shop was sold out.

Even if you win the TA lottery and have a friend in Japan go to a conbini and pay for it on your behalf, the tickets aren't printed out right then and there. They're mailed to the address that your TA account is registered to. It's a big risk, IMO, and you might not be able to get your tickets.

I wana gooooo!! lol

How many days before the concert do u need to buy from reseller ensure ticket not sold out? esp this is the first concert in th year

^There is no guarantee, freuqently you can buy to the day of, but as chocopocky pointed out, sometimes they are sold out. So it really depends. But this is probably the cheapest option. There's always yahoo japan auctions but they are typically more expensive.

Ok ! Thanks for the info ! Huuuum, I've a friend in Tokyo, I will ask her to buy me the ticket I think ! '__'
If it isn't possible I will try yahoo japan auctions, more expensive but more simple I think =s

Any reliable vendors on yahoo auction ?

^Not sure about vendors I think it jsut really depends on whatever seller has tickets

^i know there is a thread on how to buy ayu tickets...but that's few years back..anyone has info to share on where to find reseller? and how to get to saitama?

here's the thread ^_^ http://ahsforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70001

Anyone planning to go in summer? The easiest option available is Osaka, 21-22 July, if we don't get Yoyogi dates added.

^ thats when I want to go, but would love to go during to yoyogi dates, (if they are ever added!)

If they do add them, it will probably be the weekend before the Osaka show. I'm planning to be in Tokyo those dates anyway.

If not, Osaka is still do-able. I think that ticket info thread has info about Osaka re-seller shops. If a whole bunch of AHS'ers are going we can pre-organise which reseller shops to go to.

that would be cool...
I find out in April/May if Im moving to japan so if I am I plan to get there like 3 weeks/4 weeks earlier to travel and what not! So i hope to be there as well... i would love to see a few of her shows... she seems to do something different in every one!

Unlike Choco, I've never had a problem buying tickets even the day of the show. The price totally depends on where the seats are and when you buy them. In general though Ayu's tickets are not that expensive for decent seats.

Yahoo auctions can be a good option, however once again you are going to run into the problem of not having a Japanese mailing address. Most sellers don't ship overseas. :thud

^thanks thanks for all the info!

anyone planning to go in April? i wanna do sakura viewing at the same time too

Ah man!! I wanna do that!
I guess it is time to get another credit card and max it out.. lol :thud

The only ticket reseller in Tokyo is Yokohama Ticket, they have stores in Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ueno.
The store on Takeshita dori has not sold Ayu tickets for a while now.

Mimika.. I may be interested...

Do you plan to go to Saitama, from Tokyo?

Really? I usually see that they have at least a few. But yes, their main focus is idol groups.

Saitama (and Yokohama) are both basically part of the greater Tokyo area. They are not that far. So, most people actually consider those concert dates as Tokyo concert dates. (venue wise they are much better than Yoyogi too)

^ the for the info! do u go alot to ayu concerts ?

I plan to go to saitama from Tokyo! r u?

::bows down to the all knowing!!:: You know so much!
So you think the area is better or the shows?

Arenas. Saitama Arena is really massive. Yokohama is a lovely space to enter too. It feels more round than long like Yoyogi. Actually, I enjoy all of those arenas, but Saitama fills most people so it gives more of an huge concert impression if you enjoy that.

I'll go to Saitama 7th of April too!

I'd be all alone because my boyfriend doesn't want to come with me! (he has bad taste :D)
I hope I can meet you, it's more fun when you can share that kind of experience ! :3

just booked my flight!!!!

Great ! :D

(I did it yesterday! \o/)

Have you find a solution for your concert ticket ? '___'

So Mimika and Linza-mo - you guys are definitely going to April 7/8 Saitama Concert!

Where r u guys from? I am from Brisbane, Australia :)

Cross fingers I can do that too, if so, I will be going to Saitama from Tokyo

Yes definitely ! =)

I come from south of the France (A town called Toulouse,sometimes well-known because "Airbus" aircraft come from here)

I hope you will can going to Saitama too AngieChan!!

Im going to try my luck at the resellers to go to both Saitama shows!

Linza-mo and AngieChan : yes I am going for sure! I am coming from Canada.... now I have to do some research on tickets....

so the options are: reseller or yahoo auction? I wonder if rakuten has them as well since I think rakuten ships overseas??

I'm going to book my plane ticket to Tokyo once I get my tax return!! lol. I plan on going to both Saitama shows as well! (I may go to the Osaka shows a week later as well, but I'm not sure yet.) I've never seen Ayu at Saitama! Only at Yoyogi three times... I'm so very excited!! Especially since I haven't seen her live since 2009.

As far as where to buy tickets from - if you want a guaranteed ticket and don't know anyone in Japan that can pick you up a ticket from a reseller shop, then get one from YAJ. Prices can be a bit more expensive. When I saw Ayu in 2008, I bought my ticket on YAJ, but when I saw her in 2009, I bought tickets for both shows from a reseller shop.

I just checked yahoo auction japan and is not seeing any ayu tickets :(

Well, they haven't gone on sale yet, and the fanclub members haven't received their tickets...have the TA lottery results even been announced? :rolleyes

Apparently the lottery results have been announced...I found plenty of tickets just by searching for the first date. :shrug

I should also add that even though people who bought their tickets through TA can technically sell them, they won't even know what seats they are until they receive the tickets, which could be as late as a week before the show. To be able to CHOOSE your seats, you might be better off waiting until the tickets have gone on sale, because then the auction will list details of where the tickets are...what block, give you a general idea of what the seat number is, etc. Tickets for the first two Saitama shows are going on sale March 11th, so you're probably better off waiting until those pop up on Y!J.

^Would you reccomend trying my luck at the ticket sites equivalent to ticketmaster and printing them in japan (7-11, etc). Or would it be better to just reseller shop it?

To my knowledge (and I'm not 100% sure about this), the ticket sites like Lawson, 7-11, pia, etc. all require you to use credit cards with billing addresses in Japan. So, unless you have one of those, that's not going to work. If you're actually going to be IN Japan when the tickets go on sale, it's definitely worth trying for it at one of the machines the moment they go on sale.

The thing with the fanclub tickets that are up on sale on Y!J right now is that they're overpriced, and there's absolutely nothing to guarantee what kind of seat you'll get. You're just as likely to get a seat in the back of the arena if you buy a fanclub ticket or a general sale ticket. There's no difference.

If you want to know where you'll be seated during the concert, and you want to be GUARANTEED a ticket, it might not be a bad idea to scour Y!J after the 11th of March, when tickets have already gone on sale to the general public. People who buy those receive their tickets right there and then, with the seat information and everything on it, and they'll put those details in their auction listings accordingly. You'd probably have just as much luck with reseller shops. Maybe the reason all the reseller shops were out of tickets for the date I wanted was because it was the last date. I find it really interesting that no one else has had that problem. :shrug

so you had problem with reseller shop for last concert? I am going for the first concert and I'm worried I'll have the same problem with reseller shop too... it'll be such a disappointment if you go to Japan and ended up w/o tickets! what did you end up doing?

After checking four reseller shops and realizing that I wasn't going to find tickets anywhere, I walked over to Yoyogi and found someone with a spare ticket. Sucks. Then again, that was back in 2008, and I think her popularity's declined a bit since then, so you probably wouldn't run into that problem.

i would be sooooo disappointed if i end up not having tickets.... :S

was it a lot more expensive the yoyogo tickets? so they were scalpers on site? how do you know they are scalpers?

Seems fairly certain I'll be attending the summer Osaka shows in July. If there's enough AHSers planning to go I can make a seperate thread to this one.

update: I booked all my hotels in Japan! I can't wait for Ayu concert!

I will be staying in Shinjuku so taking the train to Saitama...going to check out reseller at Daikokuya a day before....

btw I saw for each concert dates there are 2 time, is that a hall opening time and the actual show start time? there are usually 1 hour apart...do you need to enter the all 1 hour before the show? would they not let you in afterwards?

How many ayu's ticket did u see at that time?
Were there available a lot?

I'm planning to go CDL this year, and buy from reseller shop
but I'm worry about that the CDL ticket will be sold out...:(

There's trains that go directly from Shinjuku to Saitama, and from what my friend has told me, the distance from Shinjuku isn't too far from Saitama Super Arena.

I'll be arriving in Japan one day before Ayu's album comes out, and I want to go to a reseller shop right after I get Ayu's album! XD At least, I really want to get a ticket for the 4/8 show that day. I just want to be guaranteed a ticket, y'know?

That first time indicates when the doors open - they won't let you in before that time. You can be let in after the show starts. When I saw Ayu at AT08, I saw security seating a guy as the encore was starting. (Funny enough, he seemed to be a huge fan as he was decked out in merchandise and was dancing around more than a lot of the people around me, lol.)

^ 4/8's the day I'd like to get a ticket for too. I have work the day before, and all the other venues are a lot farther.

I don't know if I should try buying my ticket at one of those machines in the conbinis or if I should wait and just buy one from a reseller. Either way, I have to go. Not seeing an Ayu concert now that I'm actually living in Japan would just be tragic.

Anyone can advise me how to go to Saitama from Shinagawa, or from Harajuku?

I'm staying at Shinagawa, and might go to Harajuku before the concert to get some stuff.

you can take the JR train to saitama..the arena is right beside the train station..just google map it with the public transportation option

btw anyone know if I wanna get tour goods...do I need to go there very early to line up? If i go right before concert start are they still available?

^thank you.

About the goods, if you are hunting for the ayupan, you have to be there early. I remembered these get sold fast at the earlier shows. I'm aiming for them too.

If I remember correctly from the "Going to an Ayu Concert" guide + past experience... good stands open 3hrs before the concert? I'm not sure if it was that, or if it's recommended to get there 3hrs early, haha.

I remember going to AT08 and being SO BUMMED I couldn't get the AT07 tourbook. It had sold out at a previous concert. Thankfully with me going to the first&second dates, hopefully nothing important will sell out!

If you're going to the first show of the tour, it's probably better to get there really early. The lineups are huge and goods are likely to get sold out fast.

I'm leaving this sat for japan! so excited!!!!!!

I'll reach Japan on 4th morning! I can't wait too!!! It's been so stressful at work! I looking forward to my one week break!

Ahhh memories of my first show at Saitama :heart NEXT LEVEL Tour~
Lines were soooo long for the goods, since it's the first day and all. But super fun. Make sure you get some snacks and locate the restrooms before lining up, haha. Also, bring a mat to sit on!

I forwent the first show and I'm going to the show on the 8th for her debut! But I'm so excited! Wonder when the goods will be out!? Next week right??

I actually much prefer non-Yoyogi shows... Yoyogi is really crowded. Saitama has so much space to walk around. Sure you can go to Harajuku when you're at Yoyogi. But normal Harajuku crowds + all the Ayu crowd makes for one cramped place! Yokohama is fun too~

Last time, I was there at 11am (concert starting at 6pm or so) and there was already a 2h line!!! So long.. Under the sun and all, I wished I had been there earlier lol.. And I thought it was already very early! But nothing was sold out when I left after the concert so idk..

Did you all manage to get tickets? :)

I always arrive like 30 minutes before the show starts, lol. The line is shorter and moves quicker and usually there isn't a problem getting what I want to buy.

I dislike Yoyogi as well. It's crazy trying to get out of there and just in general the arenas in Yokohama or Saitama are much better.

I've only seen Ayu at Yoyogi. I like the venue, but I agree - that area is like a madhouse.

lol It might be fun, sitting there for hours waiting for goods! I wouldn't mind, just so I could get something before it sells out.

I'm glad to see more tix are popping up. I'm getting mine next week! I'm so excited.

I know right? That damn overpass at Yoyogi, I swear one day it will collapse!

Last time, me and a small group of Japanese fans climbed a wall and jumped over the fence to get out. :) I now have that route in mind for all subsequent Yoyogi shows. If you don't do that, it can take like 30 minutes to get from the arena exit to the other side of the street. Whoever decided to bottleneck the exit like that is a genius.:rolleyes

the line was still as big as hell when I went inside for the show lol.. But well, I could go eat lunch afterwards :D And if I did that, I would not have been able to get those special keychains, they were out of stock when I got back for the concert..

Well anyways, I think Halls are much better for concerts. More personal and the accoustics are usually better.
But I did enjoy Yoyogi's live and didn't find it that crowded compared to what I was expecting. In about 5min I was sitting in my seat and could get out easily as well. Maybe I was just lucky, idk? Well I also waited a bit inside so that people could get out. Maybe that's the trick lol

But here again, I did not experience Saitama yet, only once yokohama and Yoyogi :)
Tokyo Dome wasn't bad either if I remember well.

I saw Ayu at Yoyogi, too, 2 years ago *O*
Very crowded, indeed lol.
For the goods, I was there at 9 am and the sale started at 11am and the crowd was already enormous! The waiting under the sun and the heat was horrible!

Oh, does anyone have the seating map of saitama?

I am in Tokyo now! so exciting! Using free wifi at narita airport waiting long line at customs

^oh ya! I remember those ultra long queue at the customs. The last time was a good 45mins wait

I'm so envious of you! I hope you have an amazing time!

Really? wWhen I went through customs at Narita I was in and out in about 15 to 20 minutes. Of course it might have been due to that time of the year I was going as well.

I just arrived two weeks ago and my wait was... not even five minutes, I'd say. That's the least I've ever waited, overseas or in America.

Also, the seating chart... I'm thinking this is the one being used for the Saitama concert:
http://www.saitama-arena.co.jp/seats_info/arena_end02/

Went to the reseller shop and the better seats only came in a pair SO if anyone would like my extra ticket please PM me!! If your nice maybe I will give it for free!! haha It is for the first date, 4/7 in Saitama!!

AHH!! i want to go so bad! :*(
Man.. i miss everything, lol.

are the tickets sold out for both dates at Saitama Super Arena?

^ I'm pretty sure they are sold out at convenient stores, but you can find plenty of tix at reseller shops.

So who all is going to tomorrow's concert? I'm getting to the arena around 9am to wait for goods, haha. Now that I'm seeing that goods go on sale at noon, I hope the line won't be too long at 9am!

I'll be there tomorrow!! Once again if anyone wants an extra ticket or if a ticket in the 209 section is better then your ticket let me know and you are free to have the other ticket that I had to get as a pair at the reseller shop!

I wish I knew what stage Ayu was doing... The person at the ticket shop showed me my seat (section 214, row 11) and that it was directly across the stage, but there are two arena seating charts for Saitama - one where my seat IS across from the stage and one where it's to the side. Same with your section, Evolution7/4. If I can somehow sell my ticket for a decent price tomorrow, I may hit you up on your offer for your ticket. Being with somebody at a concert is always better than being by yourself ;)

^LOL the EXACT same thing happened when I got my ticket, we were all like, yeah we have literally no idea what the hell the stage is hahah and sure let me know!! Tickets are row 13 sect 209

LOL At least they told you they didn't know!! The lady who showed my the seat seemed pretty sure, haha. idkidk. What time are you getting there? I wonder if people there will be blatently asking around for tickets... I think the tour isn't sold out, so maybe people won't be. Hmm.

I'm free all day so i could get there whenever, but I am not sure what time I will go! Maybe get there early to scope out, then walk around Saitama a bit and come back? I'm not sure what i will do, and maybe the scalpers will be looking for tickets

Well, if you decide to get there early (as in before noon), I'll be saving some extra space for any AHS-ers that decide to show up. (For sure one other person is going&meeting up with me for goods, but I forgot her name on here, haha.)

Aah, so stoked for the concert! Haven't seen Ayu live since 2009, it's been a long time coming :)

Ok! I think I will aim to get there at noon, but considering all unpredictables that may happen it may be between noon and one. Do you have a cell phone in Japan? And this if my FIRST live!!! So beyond excited. I met her but im equally excited to see a concert because that is so much of who she is as an artist.

I don't, and I was using my regular phone at first but that got cut off :/

How about this - we'll meet up at the TA booth if we don't meet up in the goods queue. (I suppose check the goods line first before heading over to the TA booth.) I'll stick around there 'til about 1-1:30. Is that ok?

Sounds good! I'll be in a white leather jacket and black skinny jeans. Thats me in my avatar, and Is the TA booth easy to find haha I'm actually excited to get there early I want to see all the Ayu look alikes and those decked out cars haha

i'm going to the 4/7 live as well <3 going with my best friend from high school who lives in tokyo now. i saw ayu in osaka in september and it was fantastic, so i'm really looking forward to seeing her again :D

getting on a night bus in a few hours! (i live near kyoto) so excited~

I'm going to shoot to get there around 11 now, granted it might be later, more like 12, but definitely shooting for earlier then one

You can SMS me, I'm the one meeting her earlier at 9am at the goods queue. Real me is Arina, my number +65 91823096. Chelsea's phone got cut off.
No worries though, the TA Booth is the easiest to find, it's not that big and near the arena entrance.

Ok! I'm Josh by the way!!

Just went to ayu concert tonight!!! Sooooo good!! my seat was on the ground floor section so standing pretty much the entire time. very tired time to sleep now will post more info and pics later!