Japan’s Chūsen Lottery System Explained: How Ticket & Limited Item Draws Work

Imagine a store has 100 tickets but 10,000 people want them. Rather than rewarding the fastest internet connection, the organizer collects applications and chooses winners at random. This If you win, you get the chance to purchase; if you don’t, you simply miss that round. That selection system is called chūsen (抽選), which means lottery.

Here’s the usual flow:

1. Apply during the entry window (often a few days to a week).
2. The entry window closes and applications are confirmed.
3. Winners are drawn randomly.
4. Winners pay and receive the ticket/item (or a purchase code).

Key rule: applying is typically free. If you win (当選 / tōsen), you pay; if you lose (落選 / rakusen), you pay nothing.

Why Japan uses a lottery system

Chūsen exists because it’s calmer and fairer than a click war. Everyone has the same chance, even if they’re at work, in class, or on slower internet. It also helps prevent websites from crashing when millions of people try to buy at once, and it can reduce scalping because platforms may require identity checks, a real phone number, or verified accounts.

Where you’ll see chūsen in Japan

Concert tickets are the most common. Popular shows often run in stages: a fan club lottery first (best seats, better odds for members), then a public lottery, and finally a general sale (一般発売 / ippan hatsubai) that’s first-come, first-served and can sell out extremely fast.

You’ll also see chūsen for limited goods like hype sneakers, anime figures, or high-demand consoles during shortages. Some retailers add extra requirements—like purchase history or account age—so resellers can’t spam entries as easily.

A related (but different) concept is Ichiban Kuji, an in-store lottery where you pay per draw (often around ¥700) and everyone wins something, just at different prize tiers. The “Last One Prize” goes to whoever buys the final ticket in the box, which is why people sometimes buy multiple remaining draws at once.

The tricky part for foreigners (what to watch for)

Chūsen can be hard outside Japan because many systems require a Japanese phone number (070/080/090; VoIP often fails), and your name may need to match your ID exactly. Some sites also prefer Japan-issued payment methods. If you’re entering for goods, proxy services can help; for concerts, some major artists occasionally run international lotteries or overseas-friendly ticket sales, but it varies by event.

Summary: Chūsen is a lottery-based purchase system: apply during a window, winners are chosen randomly, and only winners can buy. It’s used to keep things fair, reduce server chaos, and make scalping harder—especially for concerts and limited releases.