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Buying “Dreams” in Japan: Inside the Year-End Lottery Lines of Tokyo

 


If you visit Japan in December—especially Tokyo—you may notice something curious.
Long lines of people waiting patiently in front of very small street-side booths.

They’re not waiting for a restaurant, and it’s not the latest dessert trend.
There is only one reason they’re here: to buy a dream.

This is the line for Japan’s Year-End Jumbo Lottery, a seasonal tradition that appears every December.
The lottery is heavily advertised on television, in train stations, and on posters across the country, creating a festive, slightly hopeful atmosphere as the year comes to an end.

The drawing takes place on December 31, turning the lottery into a year-end event that many people enjoy talking about while imagining “what if.”

Including bonus prizes for adjacent numbers, the top prize can reach as much as 1 billion yen—about 6.7 million US dollars at current exchange rates.

Types of Lottery in Japan

Japan’s officially approved lotteries are known collectively as Takarakuji and come in several forms.
Below are the main types visitors should know.

Jumbo Lottery

The Jumbo Lottery is released several times a year—in February, May, July, October, and December.
Ticket numbers usually consist of six or seven digits.

If all digits match the winning number, the ticket wins the top prize.
Smaller prizes are awarded when only the last one or two digits match, which means many people win small amounts.

Among all Jumbo lotteries, the Year-End Jumbo is by far the most popular due to its massive prize pool.

Loto / Numbers

These lotteries allow players to choose their own numbers.
Drawings are held once or several times a week, offering more frequent chances to play.

A key feature of these lotteries is the carryover system, where if there’s no jackpot winner, the prize money rolls over to the next drawing, allowing the maximum prize to grow larger over time.

Scratch Tickets

Scratch tickets reveal the result instantly.
They’re ideal for travelers who don’t want to wait for a future drawing.

Sports prediction lotteries such as “toto” also exist and are widely recognized as public lotteries in Japan.

Where and How to Buy Lottery Tickets

Famous Lottery Booths and Quiet Ones

Lottery tickets are sold at small booths called Chance Centers, usually located near train stations or shopping areas.

The booth shown in the opening photo—where people are lined up—is one of the most famous: the Nishi-Ginza Chance Center in central Tokyo.

Not all booths attract crowds like this.

This particular booth is known for two things: long lines and a strong track record of high-winning tickets.
Posters proudly display past jackpot winners, and during the lottery season, television crews frequently stop by.

Of course, buying a ticket here does not improve your odds in any mathematical sense—and buyers understand that.(After all, if so many people buy tickets here, it’s only natural that there are more “winning records.”)
Still, for many people, purchasing tickets at this booth has become a personal year-end ritual.
Even waiting in line is part of the experience, a small act of good-luck tradition.

At the same time, plenty of booths remain calm and uncrowded.
For those who don’t want to stand in line, or who aren’t confident about buying tickets smoothly while holding up a queue, these quieter booths may be a better choice.

How to Buy a Ticket

Buying a lottery ticket is not difficult.
Many staff members don’t speak English, but simply stating the type—such as “Jumbo” or “Scratch”—is usually enough to get started.

Tickets typically cost 200–300 yen each.

Choosing Your Numbers (Jumbo Lottery)

When buying a set of ten tickets, you’ll usually be asked to choose one of the following:

Renban (Consecutive numbers)
Best if you want a chance at both the top prize and bonus prizes.

Bara (Random numbers)
Covers a wider range of numbers.

Ticket instructions are not available in English, so checking a short video beforehand may be helpful.

Learn More: The Takarakuji Dream Museum in Kyobashi

If you have time, consider visiting the Takarakuji Dream Museum in Kyobashi, Tokyo.
Admission is free, and it’s surprisingly enjoyable.

Despite its small size, the museum features:

  • Historic Japanese lottery tickets

  • Lotteries from around the world

  • Ukiyo-e prints depicting Edo-period “fortune lotteries” (tomi-kuji)

  • Actual lottery drawing machines

  • A real drawing studio still used today for smaller lotteries such as Numbers

There is also a lottery booth attached to the museum.
Enjoying both the exhibits and ticket purchase adds cultural context to the experience.

Can Travelers Buy Lottery Tickets?

Yes. Regardless of nationality, anyone aged 20 or older can buy lottery tickets in Japan.
No passport is required.

However, there are a few important points to know about claiming prizes.

Prizes under 50,000 yen
Can be cashed at any lottery booth.

Large prizes
Must be claimed at Mizuho Bank.

Most importantly, lottery prizes cannot be claimed from outside Japan.
If the drawing takes place after you return home, you’ll need to revisit Japan or appoint a representative.

Prizes must be claimed within one year of the payment start date.

For short-term visitors, scratch tickets are often the easiest option—
and who knows, they might even pay for dinner that night.

A Nice Bonus: No Tax on Winnings

One unique feature of Japanese lotteries is that winnings are tax-free in Japan.
If you win 1 billion yen, you receive the full amount.

That said, whether the prize is taxable in your home country depends on local tax laws, so be sure to check.

Final Thoughts: Taking Home a Small “Dream”

Like lotteries everywhere, the odds of winning are extremely small.
Still, in Japan, people often say that buying a lottery ticket means buying a dream.

As a travel memory, why not tuck a few of those dreams into your wallet?

Worried about winning 1 billion yen after you’ve already gone home?
Don’t be. If that happens, just come back to Japan in first class within a year to claim it.
After all, almost no one ever needs to worry about that.

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