Tokyo International Film Festival 2026: A Visitor's Guide to Tickets, Prices and Timing

If you have ever wanted an excuse to visit Tokyo in late autumn, here is a good one. The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) runs for ten days, Monday, October 26 to Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and unlike many of the world's big festivals, it sells ordinary tickets to anyone who wants one, at prices closer to a night at the movies than a festival badge.

What it is

TIFF is Tokyo's flagship international film festival and an important showcase for Asian cinema. Its competition sits alongside sections for emerging Asian filmmakers (Asian Future), contemporary Japanese film (Nippon Cinema Now), international highlights (World Focus), animation and more. Running at the same time is TIFFCOM (October 28–30), the content market for industry professionals.

This year's main venues are again clustered in the Hibiya, Yurakucho, Marunouchi and Ginza area, a compact, walkable slice of central Tokyo between the Imperial Palace gardens and the Ginza shopping streets. You can easily see three films a day without ever getting on a train.

The official site lists this year's gala titles in its price table: the opening film Sukiyaki, the Centerpiece screening of Godzilla Minus Zero, and the closing film Colony. The official 39th TIFF trailer, embedded above, previews them.

Who can attend

Anyone. Tickets are sold to the general public, and the festival's ticket FAQ confirms that student discounts simply require a valid student ID, with no nationality distinction. Purchases are limited to two tickets per order for all screenings.

What it costs

From the official 2026 price list:

Program	Adult	Student	Student, same-day
Opening	¥3,500	¥2,700	¥2,700
Centerpiece, Closing, Gala Selection	¥2,700	¥2,000	¥700
Competition and other sections	¥2,200	¥1,100	¥700

That ¥700 same-day student ticket is one of the best deals on the festival circuit. Note that premier box seats at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya carry a ¥1,000 surcharge, and disability discounts do not apply because these are special event screenings.

How to get tickets, step by step

1. Know the calendar. The pre-order lottery (registration September 18–28) has already closed; winners buy October 7–9. For everyone else, general online sales open Saturday, October 17.
2. Pick your films from the official lineup and schedule pages on 2026.tiff-jp.net. Each film page has a "Go to Online Ticket Site" button.
3. Choose your seat and pay. Seats are reserved at purchase. The online site accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners and American Express, as well as PayPay, so overseas cards work.
4. Save your confirmation number and the phone number you used. You'll need them to access your tickets.
5. Get your QR code. Your admission QR code becomes available at the confirmation URL 24 hours before the screening.
6. Already in Tokyo? The TIFF Ticket Center in front of Yurakucho Station operates from October 26 to November 4 and accepts card or cash. It is also where you can go for help if you can't access digital tickets. Individual cinema box offices do not sell festival tickets.

Insider tips

• Set an alarm for October 17. Popular screenings, particularly anything with guests, can sell out on day one, and the festival says same-day tickets won't be sold for films whose advance tickets are gone.
• Sold out? Keep checking. Unpaid reservations from the pre-order rounds can be released back for resale after their deadlines. There's no guarantee, but it happens.
• Students, travel light on advance purchases. If you're flexible, the ¥700 same-day student ticket rewards spontaneity.
• Check subtitle information on each film's page before you buy. TIFF is an international festival, but it's worth confirming the subtitle language for anything outside the main competition.
• Remember the two-per-order limit. If you're traveling as a group of four, coordinate so that two people each buy a pair.

Late October in Tokyo means crisp weather, early autumn color in Hibiya Park and a city that takes its cinema seriously. If you are planning a Japan trip anyway, a couple of evenings at TIFF is a remarkably affordable way to see films that may not reach English-speaking screens for months.