In recent weeks, I have received a whole boatload of emails from fans on the other side of the pond. Many of them have questions about how to buy tickets to games at Koshien Stadium. It used to be more straightforward than it is now. Unfortunately, it is rigged against overseas customers. And so, to guide you through the process of signing up for a TigersID (which is a hassle, I’ll admit), I have done screenshots of each step along the way. Hopefully, this will help alleviate some of the stress until Hanshin finally makes a system that foreigners can easily follow.
Let’s begin. First, you need to access this website (this is the only English site the team provides).
In step 1, it says you need to create a TigersID, and clicking on the link brings you to a screen that looks like this:
This only gets you into their system. Now, you need to go to your inbox and find the email they sent, and click on the link within that email…
Now that your email address is in their system, you can fill out the Japanese form. Daunting, but fear not! You can “cheat” your way through! If you really want “proper” katakana for your name, use this site. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough.
Now, your form will be mostly filled in. You just have a few more fake numbers to enter!
Confirm that all your “facts” are right…
You will receive a TigersID notice on the screen, and also have that number sent to your email address. Make sure you remember/save it!
Now, login with that information!
Upon logging in, you will see this screen. Click on “チケット” (tickets) near the top left corner, and then proceed to follow the manual from the original Koshien page (link at the top of this post).
I hope this makes your experience more bearable. I have already contacted the club to express the frustrations that the current system causes people not living in Japan. Hopefully (though I do not hold my breath waiting) they will remedy the problem soon, making this post outdated. For now, though, I hope this makes things easier. I hope you are comfortable with “lying” about your address and phone number and just using dummy information! Anything to get tickets!