Seeing AKB48 Shows (TOC at first post)

to those who've applied for tickets, how many times were you put in the waiting list? So far no luck in getting tickets (both Fan Club or Regular) haven't lost hope yet lol... then again i'm just shooting to see a team K show lol

 

Updated Personal Tally (6 trips as of 2/2012)

68 individual show applications
- 1 KKS Enpou win
- 1 Team B Wait List win
- 1 SDN48 Enpou win

9 Super Enpou applications (3 special event)
- 1 Team A win
- 2 Special Event wins - Election and Request Hour 2012

12 Special Event Entries
- 0 wins

Basically you just have to be persistent and patient. Even with increased odds for Super Enpou, Enpou, FC, and GA - these are still hard to win.

 

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread to post this question.

I am currently on holiday in Tokyo from Australia, disappointed I didnt get any Super Enpou tickets so far. However today I dropped by the Gorakudoh ticket reseller in Harajuku and picked up the following attached ticket. Unfortunately my Japanese isnt up to scratch nor are the friends I'm with.

I was hoping someone could help me decipher what I have bought.

It is supposed to be for the Kohaku Uta Gassen Opposed AKB event at Tokyo Dome CIty Hall on the 20th Dec. The lady at the counter did say something about Shinjuku, so wasnt sure what she meant.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much for your time

The ticket:

 

Anyone know if for group or couple type reservations, whether the people you list need to have Ticket Center accounts?

 

I think for AKB it's only couples (M/F) and families(Up to 4 family members), not groups. Don't think they have to be registered themselves though.

 

Quick question, if I apply for a Super Enpou ticket at a theater show, does that automatically disqualify me to apply for any big concert events?

I heard a while back about how it's basically impossible to win 2 Super Enpou entries to the theater, but I was wondering if it was actually possible to apply to concerts afterwards. Although there may not be a "written rule" against it, I was wondering if people had actually achieved it.

(By the way, I'm looking to apply for the Request Hour and I'd like to see a theater show as well.)

 

I've won Super Enpou for both a theater show and a special event on separate trips. So one does not necessarily rule out the other.

Pretty certain now that you can only win once ever for a theater show. Either that or my regular Enpou apps via the ticket center are disqualifying me.

Not clear about the special events - guess I'll find out in a few weeks

 

@ ______________ @

I won Super Enpou for Set List Best on 1/21.

But I still don't know if I qualify because I have a student visa.

[sweat] [sweat] [sweat] [sweat] [sweat]

BUT IT DOESN'T SAY ANYWHERE THAT THAT ISN'T OKAY, SO....... ;_______; All my confirmation email says is:
Please have your passport with you. We will not be selling tickets if the entry visa could not be checked.
Entry visa, to make sure I've been here less than a month (which I have been.) It doesn't say anything about visa type, or departure time... so I am absolutely praying that I still qualify somehow. I cannot even verbalize how sad I will be if this is The AKB Concert I Almost Was Super Enpou For. .___.

Still no proof of or experience with what types of visas are acceptable, huh? Also if I don't get an email back from the sfar[event date] email, anyone have suggestions of who to try next? (I also tweeted at tgsk, just in case >_>)

 

Unless you plan on visiting Japan for a long stayover, you generally don't need a visa from Japan.

Good luck and Congratulations!
When you return from the event, please post information about your trip esp. if you took pictures [nod]

Here's the information from the US Embasssy in Tokyo, Japan:
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7108b.html

Tourist or Short-Term Business

Americans generally may enter Japan for business or pleasure without a visa for up to 90 days. Travelers entering the country without a visa must have a return or onward ticket in their possession, proof of adequate funds for their stay, and be otherwise admissible under Japanese law. Extensions of the 90-day stay are normally not allowed, and no changes to status are permitted.

 

^ The 90 day entry you receive upon landing in Japan is called Temporary Visitor Visa.

Just that you don't need to pre apply like with other visas.

I'm sorry to say this, but I'm sure I read somewhere that for super enpou you must have a temporary visitor visa and not a student visa or any other long stay visa. Can't imagine they would alter that for bigger events.

I hope you manage to get in OK i will keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

I don't think the visa/entry permit matters as much as the residency status it grants.

The application says that 'Foreigners residing in Japan' do not qualify.

I had heard that a 6-month to 2-year work or student visa would fall into this category, but maybe I'm wrong. Hopefully someone who has won Super Enpou on a work/student visa can confirm it's possible. Otherwise, let us know how it turns out.

 

See like, everyone seems to say "I heard that student visas don't work" and "I read somewhere that you have to have a traveler's visa" and all this stuff but... I can't actually find any official documentation of or rules about that. @____@ It also doesn't say that the purpose of one's visa holds more weight than one's arrival time (and at least, my confirmation email sort of implied the opposite?) so I'm hoping that they'll consider the fact that I'll only have been here 2.5 weeks at the time of the concert. And I'm getting such mixed responses from everyone I've talked to, just as many people are telling me that I'll be fine as are telling me I'm not going to get in. XD;; I just really hope I get a response to my email about it soon, I'm ridiculously anxious over this...

I'm here for 5 months :v I have a student visa.

 

As Tenkun said it's probably not the Visa but the residency status you get from a student visa that will causes issues, as while you have that visa your permanent address is actually in Japan and not overseas.

 

So I'm still really not sure where everyone ended up getting the idea that the type of one's visa actually has any bearing on super enpou... based off of everything the site said my theory that they'd be more concerned with the fact that you've been there less than a month, so that it's fair to everyone.

After correspondence with the super enpou folks, my theory was proven correct!

I'll be at the 1/21 Set List Best concert in Super Enpou.

So we should... maybe start dispelling the rumor that the type of visa you have might prevent super enpou from being valid for you, since that seems not to be the case...? I wish I'd been able to figure that out sooner because I would've applied for regular theater tickets under super enpou before I left the US if I'd known... >__> But hell if I'm not grateful about getting to see Set List Best slkdjslkdjslds.

 

^ that's great news. [party]

One of the problems with Super Enpou is that we have such limited information and I think some of the stuff gets lost in translation. When they stress that you must live overseas and not reside in Japan, people are going to think 'well I have a permanent address with this visa, so I'm not going to qualify'.

It would be nice if someone in the fan community could talk to the staff and get a better understanding of how it all works. It's like how we don't know why so many regular Super Enpou applicants never win a show.

Though I would love to be a student and get 6 months of regular applications to the shows!

 

i already tried doing that 2 weeks after the announcement of the super enpou thing. i tried to ask the theater staff members, and when they were not able to answer me, i wrote a letter to tgsk-san regarding the questions of s48 members for the rules of super enpou and gave it directly to one of the theater staff members. he never replied to the letter.

it's been more than a year since that happened, so i guess if anybody is up to it, we really should try again.

 

when i attended the furage daiakushukai on september 2011, i talked with tgsk regarding the super enpou thing (i queued about 3 hours --14.00 - 17.00-- before reach him --> nice way to kill my time before haachan line get started ).

basically i only questioned about their way to lottery the super enpou and is it for every show? i explain to tgsk why i questioned about this is just because in that time (and actually until now) i haven't heard anyone from overseas won the super enpou for theater again. i my self didn't won the super enpou theater (only won it for jyanken taikai). i only won 2 show for theater (SDN via enpou and B5 via cancel machi of mobile FC --> and turn out I am being lucky just because my queue number got called first and i ended sat on in the very front row).

tgsk answer my question with a simple "yes" --> for "is it for every show" thing
and I already forgot what kind of answer for the lottery thing --> already 4 month ago
the super enpou convo with tgsk really2 short because after this we talked about many other thing.

 

I'll see if I can snag him or another staff member who is conversant enough in English when I'm checking in this time. I already want to see if there is going to be a 'cancel machi' for any potential open seats on the days I didn't win.

If anyone else has an opportunity - I guess our really burning questions are:

- Why do some people apply for Super Enpou and never win a date (especially over lengthy stays)?
- If you win Super Enpou once for a regular theater show - are you ineligible for future shows/trips?
- Does having a Ticket Center account and applying for Enpou seats make you ineligible for Super Enpou?

Any others people want to add?

PS: I heard tgsk is relatively fluent in English - anyone know if this is correct? Would make it less awkward when trying to approach him