142. Using Jticket International 2: Electric Boogaloo
I guess since I've got nothing but time on this flight, I might as well type up my new tutorial for using Jticket International. They seriously simplified the process this time around, but for those of you who've never used it before and are unsure about how it all goes, worry not, for I am here for you. Come here, give me your hand and let me lead you. Everything is going to be just fine.
Before we continue, dear ones, let me once again warn you of the perils of balloting. No matter what, you have to go to the show. Doesn't matter if you break your leg or your dog dies -- once you ballot, you're basically stuck. So, once again, DON'T BALLOT IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO USE JTICKET INTERNATIONAL AGAIN IF YOU BAIL ON A SHOW. DO NOT RUIN IT FOR YOURSELF AND DO NOT RUIN IT FOR OTHERS. Really, don't be that guy. Don't be the reason we can't have nice things, dude.
Now that we got that out of the way, the learning can begin. Obviously when your show opens for balloting, you go to the Jticket site they link in the email. They ask you for your name, email, your country of residence, nationality, passport number, the show to which you want to go, and the number of tickets you want (up to 2).
Just like last time, there was about a 9-day turnaround between the time I balloted and the time they told us that we had seats (my friend and I balloted for the Osaka V6 shows, each requesting two tickets each time). No matter how many times a day you refresh your email, it won't make it show up in your inbox any faster. Trust me; I tried.
Last time (in case you never read my other tutorial), what they would do is tell you your ticket was temporarily available and then you had to reply to confirm that you were coming to the show by sending them a copy of the photo page of your passport, and then once they confirmed your ticket was available, you had to send them your flight info within a week. This time, what they do is give you a login for a personal Jticket site. There, you can pay by credit card for your tickets (so much easier than having to bring cash to the venue like last time) and then once you pay, you get a confirmation of your purchase with your name, the show for which you balloted, and the number of tickets that you have to bring with you on the show day (instead of the final confirmation email you had to bring last time). After that, all that's left is to wait for the show!
They really, really simplified the process this time and I really appreciate that. Also, I do believe we got to know that our seats were available before the FC members found out they had seats, since each night they had all the gaijin sitting together in one section. I'm going to profusely thank Johnny's International again when I send back my questionnaire. They also had much better signage for Jticket International this time and I didn't have to spend ages wandering around the venue wondering where the fuck i was supposed to line up. Everyone working there knew about Jticket International and where to go and yeah. Such a relief.
So when you get to the show, again, confirmation page you printed out and your passport. Whomever is coming with you doesn't need to show their passport (since it doesn't matter if that person is a foreigner or not), but they do have to go with you to the ticket booth.
Also, unlike last time, they give you everything in a sweet little envelope. Inside is/are your ticket(s), the commemorative card if you requested one, and a questionnaire (one for each ticket). The questionnaire is basically the same as it was before, only they added a couple more questions. I'm too lazy to type up the Japanese, so you're just going to have to deal.
1. Give us some feedback on the show.
2. How did you learn about Jticket International? How was your experience using it?
3. Which Johnny's artist do you like? Which artist's show/concert would you like to join?
4. Tell us which part of Japan is the most convenient for you to access from your country.
5. How many times have you come to Japan? What is purpose? (ex. for Johnny's, sightseeing, business)
6. What kind of mobile phone do you use? (ex. tell us the model or brand of the mobile phone)
7. Which kind of services for international fans would you like to receive from us? If you desire, leave us a message!
I doubt you care about my answers, so I will not bore you with them.
With this and the International Family Club card (which I got this time), they're definitely going out of their way to expand into what they're realizing is a very lucrative market, even if they're just taking baby steps. Whomever started this service deserves all our love and our eternal gratitude. So, again, DON'T BALLOT IF YOU CAN'T GO.
And if you have any questions on anything, I will be happy to answer them. Others who've used it are also free to answer! For those of you going to later shows, have fun!
Before we continue, dear ones, let me once again warn you of the perils of balloting. No matter what, you have to go to the show. Doesn't matter if you break your leg or your dog dies -- once you ballot, you're basically stuck. So, once again, DON'T BALLOT IF YOU CAN'T GO. YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO USE JTICKET INTERNATIONAL AGAIN IF YOU BAIL ON A SHOW. DO NOT RUIN IT FOR YOURSELF AND DO NOT RUIN IT FOR OTHERS. Really, don't be that guy. Don't be the reason we can't have nice things, dude.
Now that we got that out of the way, the learning can begin. Obviously when your show opens for balloting, you go to the Jticket site they link in the email. They ask you for your name, email, your country of residence, nationality, passport number, the show to which you want to go, and the number of tickets you want (up to 2).
Just like last time, there was about a 9-day turnaround between the time I balloted and the time they told us that we had seats (my friend and I balloted for the Osaka V6 shows, each requesting two tickets each time). No matter how many times a day you refresh your email, it won't make it show up in your inbox any faster. Trust me; I tried.
Last time (in case you never read my other tutorial), what they would do is tell you your ticket was temporarily available and then you had to reply to confirm that you were coming to the show by sending them a copy of the photo page of your passport, and then once they confirmed your ticket was available, you had to send them your flight info within a week. This time, what they do is give you a login for a personal Jticket site. There, you can pay by credit card for your tickets (so much easier than having to bring cash to the venue like last time) and then once you pay, you get a confirmation of your purchase with your name, the show for which you balloted, and the number of tickets that you have to bring with you on the show day (instead of the final confirmation email you had to bring last time). After that, all that's left is to wait for the show!
They really, really simplified the process this time and I really appreciate that. Also, I do believe we got to know that our seats were available before the FC members found out they had seats, since each night they had all the gaijin sitting together in one section. I'm going to profusely thank Johnny's International again when I send back my questionnaire. They also had much better signage for Jticket International this time and I didn't have to spend ages wandering around the venue wondering where the fuck i was supposed to line up. Everyone working there knew about Jticket International and where to go and yeah. Such a relief.
So when you get to the show, again, confirmation page you printed out and your passport. Whomever is coming with you doesn't need to show their passport (since it doesn't matter if that person is a foreigner or not), but they do have to go with you to the ticket booth.
Also, unlike last time, they give you everything in a sweet little envelope. Inside is/are your ticket(s), the commemorative card if you requested one, and a questionnaire (one for each ticket). The questionnaire is basically the same as it was before, only they added a couple more questions. I'm too lazy to type up the Japanese, so you're just going to have to deal.
1. Give us some feedback on the show.
2. How did you learn about Jticket International? How was your experience using it?
3. Which Johnny's artist do you like? Which artist's show/concert would you like to join?
4. Tell us which part of Japan is the most convenient for you to access from your country.
5. How many times have you come to Japan? What is purpose? (ex. for Johnny's, sightseeing, business)
6. What kind of mobile phone do you use? (ex. tell us the model or brand of the mobile phone)
7. Which kind of services for international fans would you like to receive from us? If you desire, leave us a message!
I doubt you care about my answers, so I will not bore you with them.
With this and the International Family Club card (which I got this time), they're definitely going out of their way to expand into what they're realizing is a very lucrative market, even if they're just taking baby steps. Whomever started this service deserves all our love and our eternal gratitude. So, again, DON'T BALLOT IF YOU CAN'T GO.
And if you have any questions on anything, I will be happy to answer them. Others who've used it are also free to answer! For those of you going to later shows, have fun!