Ticketpay Blocks Overseas Users From Comiket 109 Ticket Lottery
Comiket staff said they are looking for other ways for fans outside Japan to buy tickets, but time before the December event is short.
Comiket staff announced that the Japanese ticketing service Ticketpay is blocking access from outside Japan, a restriction that keeps international users out of the lottery for tickets to Comiket 109, according to Anime News Network. The staff said the block is intended to guard against cyberattacks.
Comiket 109 is scheduled to run at Tokyo Big Sight from December 29 to 31.
Staff said they are investigating alternative ways for people outside Japan to buy tickets. They added that finding a solution is difficult given the short time remaining before the event opens.
Ticketing has changed since the pandemic
Comiket began selling tickets to limit attendance at its first in-person event during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021. It stopped limiting attendance in August 2023 but continued charging for tickets, after first introducing a general attendance fee in August 2019 when the event moved to a temporary venue for the Tokyo Olympics.
The most recent edition, Comiket 108, ran on August 15 and 16 and drew 260,000 attendees. The first Comiket drew an estimated 700 attendees for 32 exhibiting circles in December 1975, and the event moved to its current Tokyo Big Sight home for Comiket 50 in 1996.
Quick answers
When is Comiket 109?
Comiket 109 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from December 29 to 31.
Why can't international fans enter the Comiket 109 ticket lottery?
Ticketpay is blocking access from outside Japan for the foreseeable future to guard against cyberattacks, which prevents overseas users from entering the lottery.
Can fans outside Japan still buy Comiket 109 tickets another way?
Comiket staff said they are investigating alternative purchasing methods, but added that a solution is difficult given the short time before the event.