Tokyo Auto Salon 2027: Dates, Tickets and How to Get There

Quick answers

• When and where is Tokyo Auto Salon 2027? 15 to 17 January 2027 at Makuhari Messe, Chiba. The public can go in from 2 pm on Friday 15th with the Friday ticket, and all day on the 16th and 17th.
• How much are tickets? ¥3,000 for Saturday or Sunday and ¥4,000 for Friday afternoon. E-tickets only, bought online in advance; children 12 and under go free.
• How do I get there from Tokyo? JR Keiyo Line from Tokyo Station to Kaihin-Makuhari, about 30 minutes, then a 5-minute walk.

The short version

Tokyo Auto Salon is Japan's big custom-car show, held every January at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, about 30 minutes by train from Tokyo Station. The 2026 show drew 272,383 visitors over three days, the most since the pandemic (autosport web, in Japanese). It had 389 exhibitors and 856 cars on display (Business Insider Japan, in Japanese).

Dates and opening hours

Prices include tax. Children aged 12 and under get in free with a parent or guardian. Visitors with a disability buy a ticket and get ¥500 back at the information desk on showing a disability certificate, and the same applies to one carer (official outline, English ticket page).

The venue is Makuhari Messe's International Exhibition Halls 1 to 11, plus the conference centre, event hall and outdoor area (official outline).

How to buy tickets from abroad

The organiser has an English ticket page. According to it:

• Tickets went on sale on 1 October 2026 at 10 am Japan time.
• E-tickets only. There are no paper tickets. You need a smartphone with an up-to-date iOS or Android, or a computer and a printer.
• Pay by card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express. Convenience-store payment is only for Japanese residents.
• Each ticket is for one named day. There are no multi-day tickets, and no date changes or refunds. Refunds are made only if the show is cancelled.
• Show the QR code on your phone at the entrance. The English page says a screenshot will not get you in; without a smartphone, bring a printout.
• Do not buy from resellers. The organiser says unauthorised resale is prohibited by law and resold tickets may be voided.

Buy before you travel. The English page says no tickets are sold at the venue. The Japanese page says same-day sales may happen depending on how tickets sell, so do not count on it.

Getting there from Tokyo

The organiser asks visitors to use public transport, because there is less temporary parking around the venue each year (official access page, in Japanese).

Times and fares as listed on the official access page on 30 October 2026. The organiser also mentions extra buses from Tokyo Station and Yokohama during the show.

How crowded it gets

There are no official figures on queues or waiting times, so here is what Japanese visitors have written. Treat these as single reports, not rules.

• Driving is the slow way in. A Tokyo car shop wrote that its usual 40-minute drive to Makuhari took over two hours on show day in January 2025 (Sky Auto blog, in Japanese). The organiser itself warns of traffic and limited parking and asks visitors to come by train.
• Go early or late. A Japanese guide to the 2026 show recommends either getting in when the doors open or arriving later in the afternoon, and suggests seeing the most popular stands first before the halls fill up (MONO JOURNAL, in Japanese).
• Bring a charged phone. Your ticket is a QR code on your phone, and you will be taking photos all day, so a power bank helps; this is common sense rather than an official rule.

Inside the show

From the official FAQ and English ticket page:

• Re-entry is allowed on the same day.
• Halls may close entry for a while when they are crowded.
• No food stalls inside the show. The venue's own restaurants and cafés are open.
• No alcohol, and drunk visitors can be refused entry.
• Coin lockers are available at Makuhari Messe.
• Smoking only in the smoking areas, including e-cigarettes.
• Photos and video are allowed, but posting them online has rules set by the organiser (photo and video rules, PDF, in Japanese). Read them if you plan to post.
• Do not sit down in the aisles to rest.

Make it a car weekend

If you are in Tokyo for the show, the same trip can include:

• The Daikoku car meet at night. A parking area near Yokohama where tuned cars gather. My rule of thumb as a local is that it is quite likely to be closed on weekend nights from about 9 pm, so a weekday night is the better bet. See the Daikoku guide, and check the visitor reports before you go.
• Shopping for parts and JDM goods, including a JDM-themed Autobacs at Haneda. See buying JDM parts and goods in Tokyo, which also explains the tax refund rules that start on 1 November 2026.
• A drift ride on a closed track. See which Tokyo drift tours actually drift.
• Driving a JDM car yourself. See Daikoku in a JDM car and, for rental cars and permits, Daikoku without a tour.

FAQ

Sources: the official Tokyo Auto Salon 2027 outline, English ticket page, access page and FAQ, autosport web and Business Insider Japan for the 2026 figures, and visitor reports from Sky Auto and MONO JOURNAL, all checked on 30 October 2026.