how to buy tickets to different places in Japan when you're a clumsy foreigner. part 3

With time one gets bolder and bolder, even if in the beginning he is afraid, unsure and lacks confidence. That's me, of course.
Perfectly ready to buy tickets to Siam Shade's concert on PIA, I had already registered my account with some kind of an address I thought up, when the tickets suddenly were sold out. I opened all the websites selling tickets to the concert in panic - as usual, Lawson, eplus and CNPlayguide. Here is what I learnt during my attempt (successful, in case you're wondering) to buy tickets.
1. Foreign credit cards

Not sure for CNPlayguide, but eplus doesn't let you to make your purchase with a foreign credit card. Mine was Russian, of course, and I simply couldn't add it to my account. The warning that they don't accept cards issued outside Japan is published everywhere including even PIA, but doesn't essentially mean you really wouldn't be able to. At least PIA's Takarazuka branch allowed it. While it existed... T_T
2. Tickets do appear suddenly after they're sold out.

Not sure if those were cancelled tickets returned back or additional (say what?) ones, but the next day after my purchase in Lawson they appeared on PIA's website again.
3. Yes, my purchase was via Lawson, and no, it didn't even require any registration.

You know the joke that the most important things are always written in the bottom with small font size. Of course Lawson encourages the users to become members and order their Lawson cards called Ponta, if I'm not mistaken, but it's perfectly fine to buy tickets without all that. Without registration at all. As long as their additional fee of 200 yen doesn't bother you. It didn't bother me much, by the way, since I wanted to go to the performance badly, and the tickets' price was 7800 yen. I mean, with that price, 200 yen means almost nothing.
To purchase tickets without registering you need to wait until the tickets go on general sale - 一般. Find the line 会員登録せずにチケットを予約される際は、こちらの利用規約を必ずお読みください。(those who wish to buy tickets without registration please read the rules), and, well, read the rules. Or skip this =p
Click 「ローチケ.com利用規約」に同意し、会員登録せずにチケットを予約する (I agree with the rules and want to buy tickets without registration).

Find the necessary date, time, place, or I don't know what else. Choose the necessary number of tickets (there is a 0 with an arrow beside, you know) - up to 15 in one pair of hands. In order to buy tickets on l-tike without registration you only need to have some kind of phone number in Japan. As my practice shows, it can be entirely fictional, and is only needed when issuing the actual tickets. Choose the necessary payment method, enter your 電話番号 (phone number) and メールアドレス (email address) twice. I'm too lazy today to check the following steps but there shouldn't be anything extremely difficult.

Or there may. Here is where it gets really bothersome. I mean it. Unlike the procedure in 7-11 where you simply give your reference number to the cashier and he prints the ticket for you (which costs only 105 yen, by the way), Lawson requires you to buy and issue the tickets via their Loppy machines. They are designed to make life easier, I think. They don't, however. Especially for us, foreigners.
Let's rewind the time. First of all, during the registration you have to think up a 'secret code' which is essentially a temporary password... passnumber? for the operation, and immediately write it down because it is not shown on the screen, isn't remembered by the system and isn't included in the confirmation email. Then, you need to print the confirmation email you get after the purchase and write down the phone number you used during the purchase.
After coming to Lawson and seeing the Loppi machine those who don't speak Japanese well may want to go straight to the shop consultants instead of the Loppi itself and ask for help. Because even I couldn't cope with it myself during the first attempt. The instructions how to print the ticket are all included in the email, but that's not a piece of pie cake, yeah.

When you find the Loppi, touch the 各種サービスメニュー button (all services menu).

First, you need to find the necessary item in the menu - like in my case スポーツ/コンサート/演劇・ミュージカル・お笑い～ (sport events, concerts, plays, musicals, performances).

And choose 予約済（当選）チケットの引取り (issue a paid ticket). The next thing displayed on the screen really confused me due to the complexity of the phrase. In reality, however, as far as I remember, that was simply a question whether one confirms or not that the operation cannot be cancelled.

In 予約番号入力欄 (order reference number) enter 10 digits of your number, and in 番号入力欄 (your number) enter your phone number that you typed when ordering your tickets on l-tike. Next, enter your very very secret code which consists of 4 digits.

Then, you type in your name in... guess what. Japanese, of course. That really takes a lot of time, since you would need to correct every single letter to make it katakana. No, in case you want to, you can buy the tickets under a fictional name, too. They don't really check your passport very often at the entrance of the place you're going to visit.
Then you type the phone number again (as far as I understood, it's the field required for all types of purchases, like LEncore members etc., so it doesn't have anything to do with the fact you had entered your phone number already in the previous step), press 了解 (OK)

and print the receipt which you again carry at the register, in case you paid with a credit card you won't have to pay for anything, and only then you may receive the ticket. On a cute Lawson-styled card in a cute envelope. Right. Seriously, why do we have to do all that ourselves, and pay 200 more yen for that huh?
4. Buying a ticket to Ghibli museum
I would say that's another story but since I've described the process in general already, there's no need to write about it separately unless you're an ISTj or ESTj and like instructions more than anything.
Tickets to Ghibli museum cannot be purchased in advance overseas and are sold within Japan only. No, actually they can... in case you find an agency that will do that for you. That's how they respect tourists, obviously. The way to be sure that you get your tickets is to plan your visit to the Museum closer to the end of your trip and buy the tickets as soon as you get to Japan. The availability of the tickets can be checked online every morning, fortunately, by clicking on 入場チケット購入 (tickets purchasing), in Japanese, unfortunately.

Be sure to come to Japan out of the season and choose a rainy, cold ordinary weekday, and you will be able to buy your tickets, oh yes. Well when I was buying tickets for the 19th of December there were only 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock options left, and it was a working Thursday. Oh, there are 4 time options for you - 10 in the morning, then 12, 2 and 4 o'clock. Be sure to come in your time since this is checked at the entrance.
First from the main screen of Loppi choose 'Ghibli museum in Mitaka' - yes, this time it's convenient - and then follow the same instructions as above. The price will be 1000 yen plus 115 yen for printing.

More accurate instructions in English are available on the Lawson Ghibli museum special page.