NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026: Complete Guide for International Players

by Yuko Yoshimura August 1, 2026

A practical guide for international players based on our firsthand experience traveling from Hawaii to compete in the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL.

📅 Last Updated: September 21, 2026

Current Status

Guide Version: 1.4

🎯 We attended the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026!

After months of registration, lottery results, second-round entry, and tournament preparation, we finally made it to Tokyo Big Sight and played in the Day 1 Doubles.

We finished with 2 wins out of 4 matches — just short of advancing to SKO!

This guide now includes our firsthand tournament-day experience, including check-in, the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App, matches, food and drinks, side events, what to bring, where we stayed, and practical tips we learned along the way.

Unfortunately, Day 2 was canceled due to the expected impact of the typhoon. DARTSLIVE has announced that entry fees for the affected Day 2 tournaments will be refunded, although the specific refund procedure has not yet been announced.

📅 Next update:
Day 2 entry fee refund information when officially announced.

────────────────────────

🆕 What's New

Version 1.4 (September 21, 2026)

• Added our firsthand experience from Day 1 of the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026.
• Added tournament-day check-in and DARTSLIVE SPORTS App experience.
• Added our Day 1 Doubles Festival results.
• Added practical tips about water, clothing, shoes, bags, spare darts parts, and rest areas.
• Added our experience with the tournament-day side events.
• Added our Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel experience and tournament-weekend accommodation tips.
• Added information about the Day 2 cancellation and entry fee refund announcement.
• Added what we would do differently next time.

Next goal: Make it to SKO! 🎯

Version 1.3 (September 16, 2026)

• Added the latest tournament-day information from the organizers.
• Added important check-in and DARTSLIVE SPORTS App reminders.
• Added final preparation tips for players before arriving at the venue.
• Updated our status now that our tournament entries are confirmed.
• Next update: our firsthand experience at the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026!

Version 1.2 (August 25, 2026)

• Added our firsthand experience with the second-round entry.
• Successfully secured spots for Day 1 Doubles and Day 2 Doubles.
• Day 2 Teams filled before we could complete the entry.
• Added the actual second-round registration and payment process.
• Confirmed that a U.S. credit card and U.S. ZIP code worked for payment.
• Added practical tips for international players attempting first-come, first-served entry.
• Second-round spots filled extremely quickly — some entries were already full within just a few minutes.

Version 1.1 (August 13, 2026)

• Added our lottery results.
• Neither our Day 1 Doubles nor Day 2 Teams entry was selected in the first-round lottery.
• Added information about the second-round entry.
• Second-round entry begins August 25 at 6:00 PM JST and is first-come, first-served.
• We'll document the second-round entry process as we try again.

Version 1.0 (August 1, 2026)

• Published the first version of this guide.
• Added the lottery entry timeline.
• Added a step-by-step overview of the registration process.
• Added Frequently Asked Questions.

Follow Along

This guide documents our complete NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026 journey — from entering the lottery in Hawaii to finally playing at Tokyo Big Sight.

For more photos, tournament-day moments, and behind-the-scenes experiences, follow eDart Shop on Facebook.

Welcome to the Guide

Who is this guide for?

This guide is designed for international players who are thinking about traveling to Japan to participate in the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL.

It covers the registration process, lottery entry, payment, tournament preparation, and — now that we've actually done it ourselves — what tournament day is really like.

We traveled from Hawaii to Tokyo and participated in the Day 1 Doubles, so we've included practical things we learned along the way: where we stayed, what check-in was like, how the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App worked during the tournament, what to bring, what to wear, food and drinks, side events, and a few things we would do differently next time.

Whether it's your first visit to Japan or your first darts tournament overseas, we hope our experience helps make your trip a little easier — and a lot more fun. 🎯

Disclaimer

This guide is based on our personal experience entering and attending the 2026 NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL. While we do our best to keep it accurate and up to date, tournament rules, schedules, and procedures may change. Please always verify the latest information on the official NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL website.

Official Resources

Official website: https://www.dartslive.com/matsuri/jp/tournament/index.html
Official website (English): https://www.dartslive.com/matsuri/en/index.html
Official Rules
Official FAQ
Official Contact

Quick Navigation

Current Status
Our 2026 Tournament Experience
Where We Stayed
Tournament-Day Check-In
Playing the Day 1 Doubles Festival
Side Events
Food & Drinks
What We Learned & Tournament-Day Tips
Day 2 Cancellation & Refund Update
Our Journey
Entry Timeline
Before You Begin
Payment
Frequently Asked Questions

🎯 Our 2026 Tournament Experience

After months of planning, lottery entries, second-round registration, and getting ready for the trip from Hawaii, we finally made it to the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight!

Here's what tournament day was actually like for us.

🏨 Where We Stayed: Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel

We stayed at the Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel, and we would definitely stay there again for the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL.

Tokyo Big Sight is only about a 5–7 minute walk from the hotel, and we could even see it from our hotel window.

One of the best things about the location is that much of the walk to Tokyo Big Sight is along covered walkways. It was raining during our stay, but we were able to get to the venue without getting very wet.

We booked a package that included the hotel's breakfast buffet, and we're very glad we did.

The breakfast was excellent, with a huge selection including plenty of healthy options. Starting the morning with a good breakfast made a big difference before such a long tournament day.

💡 Our recommendation: If you're traveling from overseas for the festival, staying close to Tokyo Big Sight — and having breakfast included — can make tournament morning much easier.

🚶 Heading to Tokyo Big Sight

Tournament check-in was scheduled to begin around 7:50 AM, so we left our hotel at approximately 7:45 AM and walked over to Tokyo Big Sight.

And that's when we saw the crowd.

There were already a LOT of people. 😆

At first, it wasn't completely obvious where Doubles players were supposed to line up.

We actually asked someone ahead of us:

“Is this the line for people playing Doubles?”

Their answer was basically:

“I think so... but I'm not really sure either.” 😂

So at least we weren't the only ones confused!

Players participating in THE WORLD appeared to continue past our line along the left side, while spectators had a separate entrance line.

One thing international players should be prepared for is that we heard very little English guidance while we were waiting.

There were definitely international players at the event, so if you don't speak Japanese and aren't sure where to go, don't hesitate to ask event staff or another player.

🎫 Tournament Check-In

The entrance looked a little chaotic because of the number of people, but once the line started moving, the actual check-in process was easy.

At the registration desk:

We showed our DARTSLIVE SPORTS App.
We placed our registered DARTSLIVE Card on the machine.
Our registration was confirmed.
We received a wristband.

That was it!

We put on our wristbands and entered the tournament venue.

So although our first reaction was basically “Where are we supposed to go?!”, the check-in itself was straightforward once we reached the registration desk.

💡 International player tip: Have your DARTSLIVE SPORTS App open and your registered DARTSLIVE Card easily accessible before you reach the check-in desk.

🎟️ Inside the Venue: Tickets, Water & Practice

Once we had our wristbands, we entered the main tournament area — and there were DARTSLIVE machines everywhere.

Near the Information booth, there was a Ticket Sales booth where you could purchase tickets to use for food and drinks inside the venue.

It felt a little like a carnival ticket system. 😆

We bought some tickets and immediately took care of something very important:

Water!

At a large darts event like this, lines can get long and you're going to be there for hours. Outside food and drinks were restricted, so we were glad we bought water before getting too busy with practice and matches.

💡 Next time: Buying food and drink tickets — and getting a couple of bottles of water — will be one of our first stops after entering.

🎯 Time to Practice!

By the time we entered, plenty of players were already practicing.

Our reaction was basically:

They're practicing already?! We need to get moving! 😂

There were a lot of machines, but there were also a lot of players. Once we found an available machine, we got some practice in before the tournament started.

For the Day 1 Doubles, our matches were played on DARTSLIVE2 machines.

🥟 Yes, There Was a Gyoza Festival Too!

One unexpected bonus: a Gyoza Festival was being held in the same venue during the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL.

So if you got hungry after playing darts...

Gyoza! 🥟😆

There were gyoza, xiaolongbao, and other foods available, and what we tried was delicious.

Having food available right there was especially convenient during such a long day.

🎉 Opening Ceremony — And a LOT of People

While we were practicing, an announcement asked everyone to gather for the opening ceremony.

We started heading toward it...

and quickly realized just how many people were in the building.

The crowd was huge.

It was difficult to get anywhere close enough to see the ceremony directly, so we watched much of it on the large screens instead.

The morning was definitely the busiest part of the day. As the day went on, the venue gradually became less crowded.

Despite the number of people, we thought the temperature inside was fairly comfortable. The air conditioning wasn't freezing, and for me, a short-sleeve top with leggings worked well.

And definitely wear comfortable shoes.

You'll understand why by the end of the day. 😆

🎯 Playing the Day 1 Doubles

For Day 1, I played the Doubles with my husband, Dennis.

Once the tournament was underway, the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App became very important.

We waited for our match information to appear in the app. When a match was assigned, we could see:

Our DARTSLIVE machine number
Who we were playing against

From there, we simply went to the assigned machine and got ready to play.

The app was easy to follow, and if you've played in a larger DARTSLIVE tournament before, the general process will probably feel familiar.

🎯 “Two Throws Okay?”

Something we noticed before our matches was that the Japanese players would usually ask:

“Two throws okay?”

Everyone would then take two practice rounds before starting the actual match.

It quickly became part of our routine — find the machine, meet our opponents, take two practice rounds, and then it was game time!

Most of the players around us were clearly very familiar with DARTSLIVE tournament play and could operate the machines quickly.

Me?

I'm still not quite that fast. 😆

But that's okay. Even if you're an international player who isn't completely familiar with every tournament procedure, once you're at the machine, things are pretty easy to follow.

Our matches were played on DARTSLIVE2 machines.

🏆 Our Result: 2 Wins!

We played four matches in the Doubles.

And we won two! 🎉

We didn't make it to SKO this time, but we came close enough to leave thinking:

Next time. 🎯

For us, that was one of the best parts of the experience. We weren't just there to watch a huge darts festival in Japan — we actually got to compete.

And now we have a new goal:

Next time, we're making it to SKO! 🎯🔥

🎯 Side Events

After our Doubles Festival matches were finished, we decided to try one of the side events.

These were separate events that players could sign up for at the venue on tournament day.

There was a Doubles Cricket event scheduled for 2:00 PM and a Singles Cricket event scheduled for 4:00 PM.

I entered the Doubles Cricket event with a friend, while Dennis entered the Singles Cricket event.

⏰ Be Prepared to Wait

One important thing we learned: don't assume a side event will start exactly at the scheduled time.

Our Doubles Cricket event was scheduled for 2:00 PM, but we didn't actually get to play until around 5:00 PM.

So if you're planning to enter side events, be prepared for delays and keep your schedule flexible.

Of course, if we had advanced to SKO in the main Doubles Festival, we probably wouldn't have entered the side event at all.

🎯 One Match at a Time

The side event was a single-game Cricket format.

We won our first match! 🎉

Then we lost our next match, and that was the end of our run.

It was a fun way to get a little more tournament play in after our main Doubles was over — especially since we had traveled all the way from Hawaii to play darts!

🌀 Day 2 Was Canceled

Later that day, an announcement was made that Day 2 of the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026 would be canceled due to the expected impact of the typhoon.

That meant our planned Day 2 tournament participation would not take place.

DARTSLIVE has since officially announced that entry fees will be refunded for the affected tournaments:

Day 2 Doubles Festival
Teams Festival
2026 U-22 DARTS TOURNAMENT

At the time of this update, the specific refund procedure has not yet been announced.

We were also told at the venue that additional refund information would be provided later.

If you were registered for one of the canceled Day 2 events, check the official NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL website for the latest refund information.

We'll update this guide again when the refund procedure is announced.

🎟️ What About Unused Food & Drink Tickets?

We had also purchased tickets for food and drinks inside the venue.

After the Day 2 cancellation was announced, we were able to take our unused tickets back to the Ticket Sales booth and receive a refund.

So there are two different refunds to keep in mind:

Food & drink tickets: We were able to get these refunded at the venue.

Day 2 tournament entry fees: DARTSLIVE has confirmed that these will be refunded, but the specific procedure is still to be announced.

⭐ Seeing the Pros

One of the coolest things about the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL was seeing so many top darts players in the same venue.

Players we normally only see on DARTSLIVE TV, YouTube, or tournament streams were suddenly right there — playing, walking around the venue, visiting booths, and interacting with other players.

We saw players including Mikuru ＆ Haruki Muramatsu, Seigo Asada, Paul Lim, and many others.

We also saw Chris Lim, Paul Lim's son, as well as plenty of familiar Japanese players and personalities from the darts world.

And then there was Mitchell Lawrie.

He's only 15 — and much taller in person than we expected! 😆

Lawrie went on to win THE WORLD 2026 STAGE 3 JAPAN, defeating Haruki Muramatsu in the final.

For darts fans, this is one of the really fun parts of attending the festival.

You can come to compete at your own level while, at the same time, some of the world's best players are competing just a short walk away.

It makes the whole event feel like much more than just a tournament.

It's a darts festival. 🎯🇯🇵

💡 What We Learned & Tips for Next Time

After spending a full day at the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL, here are the things we would tell anyone traveling from overseas to play.

👟 Wear Comfortable Shoes — Seriously

You're going to do a lot of walking and standing.

Tokyo Big Sight is huge, and even once you're inside the venue, you may walk quite a distance between tournament areas, food, restrooms, shops, and other activities.

The designated rest area was basically open floor space — there were no chairs.

So here's our slightly joking advice:

Start training your legs before you come to Japan! 😆

We wore sneakers, and we would absolutely wear sneakers again.

🍳 Eat a Good Breakfast

Tournament day can be long.

This was another reason we were so happy with the breakfast buffet at our hotel. We had a good meal before leaving and didn't have to worry about finding breakfast on tournament morning.

If your hotel offers breakfast, it may be worth adding it to your stay.

💧 Get Water Early

After entering the venue, one of our first stops next time will be the Ticket Sales booth.

We'll buy our food and drink tickets and then immediately get a couple of bottles of water.

Once matches and activities get going, you don't want to be standing in a long line just because you're thirsty.

🎒 Keep Your Bag Small

We brought a backpack because we expected to buy some souvenirs.

It was fine, but next time we could probably get away with something a little smaller.

There isn't much space to put your belongings down, so avoid carrying more than you really need.

🎯 Bring Spare Darts Parts

Even though there are darts shops and vendor booths at the festival, they can get very crowded.

We recommend bringing your own backups, including:

Spare barrels
Extra shafts
Extra flights
Extra tips

If something breaks right before a match, it's much easier to reach into your own bag than fight your way through a crowded shop booth looking for the exact part you need.

🔋 Start With a Fully Charged Phone

We wondered before the tournament whether we would need a portable charger.

For us, we didn't.

Our phones are relatively new, and our hotel was very close to the venue, so battery life wasn't an issue.

But the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App is important throughout the tournament, so definitely start the day with a fully charged phone.

If your phone has an older battery or you expect to use it heavily for photos and videos, bringing a small power bank may still be a good idea.

🌡️ Dress Comfortably

Considering how many people were there, we thought the venue temperature was surprisingly comfortable.

The air conditioning wasn't freezing cold.

For me, a short-sleeve top and leggings worked well.

The venue was busiest in the morning and gradually became less crowded as the day went on.

🚻 Yes, There Are Restrooms!

Restrooms are available inside the venue.

Tokyo Big Sight is huge, so depending on where you are when nature calls, you may have a bit of a walk. 😆

But we didn't find the restroom situation inconvenient.

⭐ Our Tournament-Day Essentials

If we come back next time, our basic plan will be simple:

Good breakfast. Comfortable sneakers. Small bag. Spare darts parts. Fully charged phone. Buy water early.

And maybe do a little leg training before flying to Japan. 😂

Most importantly, come ready to enjoy the experience.

The NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL is busy, crowded, and sometimes a little confusing — but it's also a lot of fun.

Entry Timeline

Event	Japan (JST)	Hawaii (HST)	Status
Lottery Entry Opens	July 28, 2026	July 27, 2026	✅
Lottery Entry Closes	August 6, 2026 (12:00 PM)	August 5, 2026 (5:00 PM)	✅
Lottery Results	August 13, 2026	August 13, 2026*	✅
Second-Round Entry & Payment	August 25, 2026 (6:00 PM)	August 24, 2026 (11:00 PM)	✅
Entry / Member Change Deadline	September 10, 2026 (12:00 PM)	September 9, 2026　(5:00 PM)	✅
Tournament	September 20–21, 2026	September 19–20, 2026	✅ Day 1 held / Day 2 canceled

*Our lottery result emails arrived shortly after 2:00 AM HST on August 13.

📖 Our Journey

Our road to the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL 2026 didn't exactly go according to plan — but we made it! 🎯

First-Round Lottery

Our original entries were:

Day 1 – Doubles Festival
Yuko + Dennis
❌ Not selected

Day 2 – Teams Festival
Team: eDart Shop Hawaii
❌ Not selected

We were definitely disappointed when neither entry was selected in the first-round lottery.

But fortunately, that wasn't the end of the story.

⚡ Second-Round Entry

The second-round entry was first-come, first-served — and extremely competitive.

This time, we managed to secure:

✅ Day 1 – Doubles Festival: Yuko + Dennis

❌ Day 2 – Teams Festival: Filled before we could complete the entry

✅ Day 2 – Doubles Festival: Dennis + partner in Japan

Our Day 1 Doubles entry was successfully confirmed in the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App, and we traveled from Hawaii to Tokyo to compete.

🎯 And We Made It!

On September 20, we finally walked into Tokyo Big Sight and played in the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL.

We played four matches in the Day 1 Doubles Festival and won two.

Day 2 was unfortunately canceled due to the expected impact of the typhoon, so Dennis wasn't able to play his scheduled Day 2 Doubles event.

From missing out in the first-round lottery to finally competing at Tokyo Big Sight, it turned into quite a journey.

Lottery Results

Lottery results for the first-round entry were announced on August 13, 2026 (JST).

We received separate result emails for each event we entered.

Unfortunately, neither of our entries was selected:

❌ Day 1 – Doubles Festival
❌ Day 2 – Teams Festival

The result email also included important information about a second-round entry opportunity.

What happens if you weren't selected?

According to the lottery result email we received, second-round entries would be accepted for spots that become available due to:

• Additional capacity created through venue layout adjustments
• Cancellations from first-round entries

Unlike the first-round lottery, the second round was:

⚡ First-come, first-served

Second-Round Entry Schedule

📅 Opens: August 25, 2026
🕕 6:00 PM JST

For players in Hawaii:

📅 August 24, 2026
🕚 11:00 PM HST

We went through the second-round entry ourselves on August 25 JST. Keep reading for our firsthand experience — including how quickly spots filled, what information we needed, and how payment worked from the U.S.

⚡ Our Second-Round Entry Experience

Second-round entry turned out to be much more competitive than we expected.

The entry opened at exactly:

6:00 PM JST – August 25
11:00 PM HST – August 24

My husband and I prepared separate laptops so we could try to enter different events at the same time.

I was responsible for Day 1 Doubles, while my husband was trying to enter Day 2 Teams. We also had an iPad ready as a backup.

What happened at 11:00 PM

At exactly 11:00 PM HST, we refreshed the tournament website.

Immediately, the website became difficult to load, likely because so many players were trying to access it at the same time.

After refreshing several times, I finally got the tournament page to load.

I used the Japanese website, selected Tournament, scrolled down to DAY 1 Doubles Festival, opened the event information, and clicked the Second Entry button.

The application asked for information for both players, including:

• Name
• Email address
• DARTSLIVE Card number

After submitting the application, the payment option appeared immediately.

I entered my credit card information, including the card security code (CVV/CVC) and billing ZIP code. Our U.S. credit card and U.S. ZIP code worked without any problem.

Payment was processed immediately, and we successfully completed our Day 1 Doubles registration and payment.

Meanwhile...

My husband was trying to enter Day 2 Teams on his laptop.

Unfortunately, he encountered Japanese instructions and lost valuable time trying to figure out what they said.

By the time he was ready to continue, Teams Festival was already full.

Luckily, we had another device ready.

He quickly switched to the iPad, tried Day 2 Doubles instead, and managed to secure an entry with his partner in Japan.

How fast did it fill?

Extremely fast.

When we tried another entry at around 11:04 PM HST — only about four minutes after registration opened — it was already full.

For us, second-round entry felt less like normal tournament registration and more like trying to buy tickets for a sold-out concert!

Before You Begin

Everyone should have

✓ A DARTSLIVE Card

✓ Your 16-digit DARTSLIVE Card ID

✓ A non-iCloud email address (recommended)

✓ A valid passport (if traveling from overseas)

Depending on the event(s) you enter:

✓ A partner or team members (if required)

✓ Confirm all participants meet the event requirements.

Representative

✓ One representative should complete the application for the pair or team.

If You Are Trying for Second-Round Entry

For the 2026 tournament, second-round entry was first-come, first-served, so being fully prepared before registration opened was extremely important.

✓ Have all player names ready
✓ Have all email addresses ready
✓ Have all DARTSLIVE Card IDs ready
✓ Have your credit card ready
✓ Know your billing ZIP/postal code
✓ Decide in advance which event each person will try to enter
✓ Open the tournament page before registration begins
✓ If possible, have a backup device ready
✓ Be prepared for some registration pages or instructions to appear in Japanese
✓ Use a stable, fast internet connection if possible

⚠️ Do not assume you have a few minutes. In our experience, some of the second-round entries we checked were already full within approximately four minutes.

After You Submit

Immediately after completing our second-round entry, we received an entry confirmation email from DARTSLIVE EVENT.

The email included:

• Event name and tournament date
• Applicant name
• Entry ID
• Instructions for confirming the entry in the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App
• Deadline for entry changes
• Cancellation policy
• Tournament-day check-in information

We also received a separate payment receipt email at approximately the same time.

Important: Final Confirmation Happens in the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App

According to our confirmation email, receiving the application confirmation and completing payment were not the final steps.

The entry was considered officially confirmed once the tournament information appeared in the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App.

Our 2026 confirmation email stated that it could take up to four business days for the entry information to appear in the app.

In our case, however, the entry appeared in the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App almost immediately.

💡 Our advice: Keep both your entry confirmation email and payment receipt, and check the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App after registering to make sure your entry appears correctly. If it doesn't appear right away, don't panic — the confirmation email stated that it could take up to four business days.

Payment

For the second-round entry, payment was completed immediately after submitting the registration form.

After our entry information was submitted successfully, we were given the option to proceed directly to payment.

We paid by credit card.

The payment form requested:

• Credit card number
• Expiration date
• Security code (CVV/CVC)
• Billing postal/ZIP code

We successfully used U.S.-issued American Express and Visa credit cards with our U.S. billing ZIP codes.

For our Day 1 Doubles entry, the total payment was ¥13,000 (¥6,500 per player). A separate payment receipt arrived by email almost immediately after payment was completed.

💡 Tip for international players: Have your credit card ready before second-round entry begins. Since spots can fill within minutes, you don't want to spend time looking for your card after reaching the payment screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Registration

Should I use the English or Japanese website?

The English version is helpful for understanding the overall process, but some forms and instructions may still appear in Japanese. We found it useful to switch between both versions when needed.

Do I need a Japanese address or phone number?

No. We successfully registered for the 2026 tournament from Hawaii using our overseas contact information.

Do I need to register as soon as the lottery opens?

No. During the lottery entry period, the timing of your application does not affect your chances of being selected. As long as you submit your application before the deadline, your odds remain the same.

Can both doubles partners submit an entry?

No. Only one representative should submit the application. If duplicate applications for the same pair are submitted, the tournament organizers may remove the duplicate entry.

What if I enter the wrong DARTSLIVE Card ID?

According to the official rules, entries with an incorrect 16-digit DARTSLIVE Card ID may be excluded from the lottery. Double-check all card IDs before submitting your application.

I wasn't selected in the lottery. Is that the end?

Not necessarily.

For the 2026 tournament, organizers announced a second-round entry period for additional spots created through venue layout adjustments and cancellations from first-round entries.

The second-round entry opened on August 25 at 6:00 PM JST.

Is the second-round entry another lottery?

No. According to the result email we received, the second-round entry is first-come, first-served.

This is different from the first-round lottery, where applying earlier did not improve your chances.

For second-round entry, we recommend being ready before registration opens. In our experience, spots filled within minutes.

Do I need to apply again if I wasn't selected?

Yes. We had to submit a new application for the second-round entry after being unsuccessful in the first-round lottery.

How fast does second-round entry fill up?

In our experience, extremely fast.

Registration opened at 11:00 PM HST, and by around 11:04 PM, some of the entries we checked were already full.

We recommend being ready before the exact opening time.

Should I use more than one device?

It isn't required, but it helped us.

We used separate laptops to try for different events simultaneously and had an iPad available as a backup. When our Day 2 Teams attempt didn't work out, having another device ready helped us quickly try Day 2 Doubles instead.

Payment

Can I use a U.S. credit card?

Yes. We successfully paid using U.S.-issued American Express and Visa credit cards.

The payment form also asked for a postal/ZIP code, and our U.S. billing ZIP code worked successfully.

About This Guide

We aren't affiliated with DARTSLIVE or the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL organizers.

We're darts players from Hawaii and the owners of eDart Shop, and we created this guide to document our own experience traveling from the U.S. to participate in the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL.

When we first started planning our trip, we had many of the same questions other international players may have — how to enter, whether overseas contact information and U.S. credit cards would work, what happens after registration, how the DARTSLIVE SPORTS App is used, and what tournament day is actually like.

Now that we've gone through the entire process ourselves, we hope sharing our experience makes it a little easier for other international players who want to come to Japan and play.

Tournament procedures can change from year to year, so always check the official NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL information for the latest rules, dates, and entry requirements.

🎯 Found This Guide Helpful?

If you know another darts player thinking about traveling to Japan for the NIPPON DARTS FESTIVAL, please feel free to share this guide with them.

We'll also update this page if important additional information becomes available, including details about the Day 2 tournament entry fee refund.

And as for us?

We had an amazing time, learned a lot, met some wonderful people, and came home with a new goal.

Next time, we're making it to SKO! 🎯🔥

— Yuko & Dennis
eDart Shop | Hawaii