I went to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and it was an amazing experience!

Tickets

Some people may think it's easy to secure a ticket to a concert as long as you have money. Well, it's not usually the case. Like me, I had to go through hoops in order to get the ticket.

To acquire a concert ticket, in Japan, it's usually by lottery. You apply for the ticket and you'll get an email later on informing you if you won the lottery or not. If you win, then you can have the ticket. If not, better luck next time.

For the Eras Tour concert, when the sales took off at 10 AM, I immediately logged in to the ticket sales website but it was lagging and I thought I wouldn't be able to get a slot for the lottery. Well, I persevered and was able to secure 3 slots for the lottery. I chose an S seat, the farthest from the stage but the cheapest. 3 slots because I was also buying for 2 of my friends who were in the Philippines. They had plans to travel to Japan for the concert.

Months later, the announcement email came. Some of my friends who also joined the lottery won. Lucky for them, they had it in one go. As for me and another friend, we weren't able to win the lottery.

Fortunately, there's a second wave. I applied for that lottery again, and my friend too. Unfortunately again, we failed. Luck's not on our side.

The 3rd time wasn't a lottery anymore. Thank goodness! I don't think luck's ever on my side. It now requires the fastest internet connection because if you ran out of seats, then no concert for you. I confirmed it again with my friends in the Philippines, one was super sure to go but one wasn't anymore. The remaining seats were only VIP seats, so it's really expensive and would get you confused. She told me not to include her anymore so I only got tickets for 2.

Because I was quick, I was able to secure 2 VIP tickets for me and my friend. There were 3 levels of VIP seats, and I got the cheapest level, S seat. Still not bad but attending Taylor Swift's concert's really making me spend more than my budget. Impulsive spender here.

Later on, that one friend who backed out wanted to attend. But I could only reserve only 1 time. The reservation was connected to my phone number. I should have bought extra tickets, right? Regrets. Hayyy.

Before The Concert Day

A month before the concert, we were given our tickets already. Not a physical ticket but a digital one. Need to download their app, send to your companions and show the QR code to the staff on the day of the concert to enter the venue.

But a week prior, I changed phone so I needed to install the app again. But this time, the QR code wasn't displaying. And it was weird the app says to sign up again when I already got an account.

Now I kept on hoping the QR code would show up but it never did. I was in panic already. I paid more than my budget for this ticket and now there might be a chance of me not attending the concert?! I contacted their support but they only were available in the afternoon, and only through email. I was desperate already but I still kept this info from my friends until the night before the concert. They're worried for me too.

Concert Day

My friends and I met for a late lunch in a restaurant nearby. Mixed emotions - I was excited but at the same time I was also panicking deep inside. I was so worried I might not be able to watch the concert.

Picture taking here and there and we're off to go to gate where there was a support center. We waited in line for few minutes, @appleeatingapple and Riza were with me. I got Riza's ticket and Apple wanted to be with us since we all have the same gate for VIPs. While waiting, we even spotted some Filipino celebrities and influencers, who really came to Japan just to attend the concert.

It was almost our turn when a staff told us we could directly go to our original gate number because there's also a support center there and it's not crowded. So yeah, it was really a waste of time but it's okay since we came early. At least we came early!

Apple went ahead since she's on the more expensive VIP ticket so Riza and I were left in the support center. Luckily, it was all quick! I already rehearsed what I was planning to tell so they understood my issue immediately. The staff verified my details and we're off inside!

The VIP goods were given the moment you enter the dome. No time to stop and take a photo because lots of people were also coming in. We only stopped for a photo far from the gate but near the inner gate.

There was a big crowd already when we came inside. Most people were on their seats already, drinking beer and super excited for the concert to start. We even talked with the people sitting in front of us. They told us they were siblings from US, one living in Japan while the other flew across the globe to be here. Another Filipina who also flew from the Philippines was also talking to us. I was hyped by these people.

People from all ages were here to watch Taylor Swift! At the back there was a Japanese mother with her teenage daughter. Maybe the daughter's the fan. To my left, there was an old Japanese couple who came late and disappeared before the concert ended. I saw a lot of foreigners too, looking good in their outfits!

Inside the VIP box were lots of Eras tour merch. My favorite would be the tote bag and I used it immediately! 😂 There were lanyards and a cute pin that I also used during the concert. There were also posters that until now, I still haven't taken out from the box.

When Taylor Swift appeared, I was so overwhelmed. I think I got affected by the crowd's response. Everybody was shouting, cheering, clapping and so overjoyed. She sang Miss Americana first.

Did I mention I'm not really a huge fan of Taylor Swift? Sure I know and listen to her songs but recently my playlist is all Japanese songs. So since I got a VIP ticket, I should study the lyrics so I can also sing when she sings.

And that's what happened.

I was also singing along with Taylor Swift. She's so pretty in person! Her face is so small! Wow! I didn't mind if I was in tune or not, everybody else was also singing with me so I didn't care anymore. 😂

I was so amazed of how she can change clothes quickly. She had a lot of costumes! My favorite was the ball gown when she sang Enchanted. It's also one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs.

When she started singing songs from the Reputation album, I was so thrilled! I super like this album. My outfit is even inspired from Reputation. 😂 Though I always like wearing black. 😅

She also did the piano! It was so nice!

And when she sang Vigilante Sh*t, she was so sexy! I wonder if the men blinked. 😂 I was so surprised I wasn't able to take a photo.

The break time isn't very long, unlike concerts I've attended before. The set and props on the stage also changes for every song, matching her outfit as well. She explained they brought the cabin from one of her songs here in Japan - don't know if it's true but it made me imagine how they're able to put it in the plane. 😂

Her backup dancers and singers were also very good! They deserve praises too!

The concert lasted for more than 3 hours. It started from 6 PM and ended at 9:20 PM. I can't imagine how she could sing for that entire time - she's very incredible! Truly a passionate artist! She gained my respect.

I couldn't say anything bad about the concert. I was just so glad I attended it - even though I had to close my eyes when I bought that VIP ticket. Perhaps if there's anything I could wish for, it's that I'd be seated on the first few rows of our seat category. We're seated on an elevated area not far from the stage but to be seated in the front rows, it's closer and less heads blocking my view.

I hope Taylor Swift will be back again in Japan for another tour. My friends and I will surely attend the concert again! Maybe this time, we'll all be together..? Who knows.

I'm just happy I was able to experience and attend Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

After the concert, Jen gave us her friendship bracelets. Waaa! She's not just pretty, but also very kind! They even treated us for our dinner that night. Thank you Jen and Renz! 😊

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Tips

Here are my takeaways and lessons learned from this:

1. One can only buy up to 4 tickets. We're a lot so we had to buy it by groups. There's also a tendency one group won't be able to make it in the lottery so you need to prepare for plan B. Of course, you won't be seated altogether but only by your group.
2. Be in the venue early. Even earlier if you want to eat.
3. Better to have late lunch so you'll have energy during the concert. The food stalls inside the dome tend to get crowded.
4. Hydrate. You'll be singing and/or dancing and/or partying the entire concert time so don't forget to drink water. But don't drink too much or you'll end up going to the toilet every now and then during the concert.
5. Reserve for a restaurant nearby after the concert. We're lucky we were able to find a good restaurant around Tokyo Dome and we didn't have to wait.
6. If you're planning to buy merch, buy it in another day. Before and after the concert, the lines look so endless but during the concert, there are fewer people in line. You also cannot go out during the concert to buy merch and go back inside again so it's really good if you do it in another day.

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Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

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With love,

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^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}