The 46th Japan Cup runs on Sunday, November 29, 2026, at Tokyo Racecourse (東京競馬場) in Fuchu (府中), western Tokyo.
On most race days you can just turn up and pay ¥200 in cash to get in. Not on Japan Cup day: you need a ticket bought online in advance (kids under 15 get in free with a ticket holder aged 20 or over).
Tickets are sold by lottery first on JRA's booking site, and the entry windows are short. If you're coming from overseas, create your account and enroll your card in 3D Secure 2.0 now, before the reserved-seat lottery opens at 6 p.m. JST on November 17.
Expected lottery windows (JST): reserved seats from 6 p.m. Nov 17 to 1 p.m. Nov 19, admission tickets from 6 p.m. Nov 22 to 1 p.m. Nov 24. We calculated these from JRA's standard sales calendar.
Japan Cup 2026 at a glance
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Date | Sunday, November 29, 2026 |
Race | 46th Japan Cup (G1), Race 12, 2,400m on turf |
Venue | Tokyo Racecourse (東京競馬場), 1-1 Hiyoshi-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo |
Who can enter | Holders of an online-purchased reserved seat or admission ticket. |
Admission ticket | ¥1,000 |
Entry with an admission ticket | 8:00–10:00 a. |
Entry with a reserved seat | From gate opening (time not announced as of November 11) |
Post time | Not announced as of November 11 (2025: 3:40 p. |
In 2025, 77,029 people came through the gates on Japan Cup day. This year JRA is selling 80,000 admission tickets and a total of 13,761 reserved seats, Smart Seats and group seats.
Admission ticket or reserved seat
Broadly, there are two kinds of ticket for the day. An admission ticket gets you in but gives you no seat, and it doesn't let you into the reserved seating areas.
Reserved-seat tickets, including the cheaper Smart Seats (スマートシート), already include admission. You can't hold both types for the same day.
Admission tickets cost ¥1,000 and are split into 12 entry slots. When you apply, you pick up to three preferred entry times.
The 8:00 a.m. slot has only 2,000 tickets, while the 10:00 a.m. slot has 25,000. Nobody gets in before the time printed on their ticket.
Seat type | Price (admission included) | Seats |
|---|---|---|
S reserved (indoor) | ¥9,000 | 852 |
A reserved (outdoor) | ¥9,000 | 1,962 |
B reserved (outdoor) | ¥7,000 | 1,080 |
C reserved (outdoor) | ¥5,000 | 642 |
Smart Seat, Fuji View Stand 1F–2F (outdoor) | ¥1,500 | 3,862 |
Smart Seat, Fuji View Stand 3F–4F (outdoor) | ¥2,000 | 3,952 |
Smart Seat, Memorial Stand (indoor) | ¥2,000 | 958 |
Fuji View Stand (フジビュースタンド) Smart Seats are outdoors, with no seat changes or refunds for rain. Group seats for 4 to 12 people (¥8,000–¥24,000 per group) and wheelchair seats are also available.
Each account can book up to two reserved seats, even for families, or up to four admission tickets. Children of elementary school age or older need their own reserved seat to use a reserved area.
Booking from overseas: account, card, ID
You'll need a member account on JRA's booking site, JRA指定席・入場券ネット予約 (jra-tickets.jp). To register, you need an email address, your personal details and a credit card in your own name. You must be 20 or older to register.
JRA publishes an English guide to the booking site (PDF). It lists JCB, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club and American Express, and says international debit or prepaid cards may work but can be declined.
The same guide says you can't use the site unless your card is registered for 3D Secure 2.0, so set that up with your card issuer before the lottery opens.
JRA doesn't say whether you need a Japanese address or phone number to register. Create your account a few days before the lottery opens, so you have time to sort out anything that trips you up.
When you book two reserved seats, you also enter your companion's details. Tickets can't be resold or transferred, even within a family, and you can't book on someone else's behalf.
Bring government-issued photo ID. JRA may check ID at entry. If you can't show valid ID, you'll be turned away with no refund for the ticket or your travel costs.
JRA's Japanese page lists a driver's license or My Number card (Japan's national ID card) as examples. It doesn't say whether a foreign passport counts.
Your ticket QR codes become available on your phone at midnight on race day. You can send a companion their ticket by email, LINE or text message. Otherwise, your companion has to go through the gate with you.
2026 lottery and sales dates (expected)
Both ticket types are sold by lottery first, and any remaining tickets then go on sale first come, first served. As of November 11, JRA hasn't posted the dates for November 29.
The dates below are calculated from JRA's published sales calendar for Sunday race days, using November 29 as the race date. All times are Japan time (JST).
Step | Reserved seats | Admission tickets |
|---|---|---|
Early lottery entry (JRA Card members only) | Nov 13 (Fri) 6 p. | None |
General lottery entry | Nov 17 (Tue) 6 p. | Nov 22 (Sun) 6 p. |
Results and payment | Early: Nov 17 6 p. | Results Nov 25 (Wed) 5 p. |
First-come sales of remaining tickets | Nov 23 (Mon, holiday) 6 p. | Nov 25 6 p. |
Free cancellation until | Nov 23 6 p. | Nov 28 11 p. |
Without a JRA Card, your first chance is the general lottery. Keep the time difference in mind: 1 p.m. JST is the previous evening in the Americas.
The same calculation exactly matches the dates JRA used in 2025. Last year, JRA posted the official notice on the first day of the early lottery, so watch for the 2026 notice around November 13.
Reserved seat results come out on November 20, before the admission ticket lottery opens on the 22nd. So if you miss out on a seat, you can still enter the admission lottery. If you win a reserved seat, pay within the payment window or you lose it.
Admission ticket results arrive on November 25, just four days before the race. If you book a hotel before then, choose a rate with free cancellation. With an early entry slot, staying near the Keio Line out of Shinjuku makes the morning easier.
Tokyo hotels for the night of November 28: availability and rates
Race-day tickets: online only
There's no ticket window at the racecourse on November 29, and JRA's multi-visit admission tickets (回数券) can't be used that day.
If you lose the lottery, remaining or canceled tickets may show up in the first-come sales (see the table). Sales are expected to run until 3 p.m. on race day.
Check jra-tickets.jp before you head out, and don't make the trip to Fuchu without a ticket already on your phone.
Getting to Tokyo Racecourse
From Shinjuku, JRA's English site puts the ride at about 22 minutes: take a Keio Line limited express and change at Higashi-Fuchu (東府中) for the one-stop Keibajo Line.
That line ends at Fuchu-keiba-seimon-mae Station (府中競馬正門前), about two minutes from the Main Gate via a dedicated footbridge. From Higashi-Fuchu Station itself, it's about a 10-minute walk to the East Gate.
At JR Fuchu-Hommachi Station (府中本町) on the Musashino and Nambu lines, the temporary race-day ticket gate is about a five-minute walk from the West Gate.
On November 29, you can enter through the Main, West and East gates. The South Gate is closed. Parking normally costs ¥2,000 in cash, but spaces are limited. JRA recommends taking the train because nearby roads get badly congested.
Race-day events: Ichiro, horse show, prize draw
Former MLB star Ichiro Suzuki is the presenter at the Japan Cup awards ceremony, followed by a talk show planned for around 5 p.m. After the last race, the paddock hosts a one-day-only special horse show (超スペシャルホースショー), which may be changed or canceled because of weather or the horses' condition.
Starting when the gates open, 1,000 entrants in the Welcomeチャンス！特別版 prize draw win a Calandagan plush toy. Calandagan won the race in 2025. Around 11:35 a.m., the infield opens up further, right to the front of the big screens, weather permitting.
For tickets to the Tokyo sumo tournaments, see our Grand Sumo Tokyo tickets guide.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.