Makuhari Messe is Japan’s second-biggest convention centre – second only to Tokyo Big Sight, home of the legendary Comiket. But don’t let the title of “second-biggest” fool you – this year alone, Makuhari Messe will play host to some of the world’s most highly anticipated events, including Star Wars Celebration Japan, Tokyo Game Show and Tokyo Comic Con.
If you’re planning on visiting an event here, we’ve got you covered. We recently visited the Hololive Super Expo 2025 at Makuhari Messe, and came away with some tips we’d like to share. (Keep in mind that your experience will likely differ from ours, so be sure to adjust accordingly!)
The Train Ride
Makuhari Messe is relatively easy to access via public transport, being a 5-10 minute walk away from the Kaihimmakuhari train station. Ideally, your accommodation should be located close to a station on the Keiyo train line, which will allow you to directly reach Kaihimmakuhari without having to make any line changes.
When travelling to and from Kaihimmakuhari, you should also take note that there are three train services that run on the Keiyo train line:
- Keiyo Line Local: The train will stop at all Keiyo line stations except Nishi-Funabashi Station.
- Musashino Line Local: The train will stop at all Keiyo line stations between Tokyo and Nishi-Funabashi, before diverging onto the Musashino line.
- Keiyo Line Rapid: The train will stop only at Tokyo, Hatchōbori, Shin-Kiba, Maihama, Shin-Urayasu, Minami-Funabashi, Kaihimmakuhari, and all stops to Soga.
Always double check to make sure you’re boarding the right train, especially when departing back to your hotel! You can identify the train services by checking the electronic signboard or listening to the station announcements.
The Walk
Once you reach Kaihimmakuhari, it’s only a short walk away from Makuhari Messe. However, we’d still recommend bringing along a portable umbrella, as a few parts of the route are uncovered.
If you have a disability or have difficulty walking, you might want to consider taking an e-hailing service directly to the venue instead, as much of the route consists of staircases.
You can easily follow the signboards (many are written in English) or use Google Maps to find your way to the venue, though the tried and true method of “follow anyone carrying anime merch” worked well for us.
Getting In
Now that you’ve made it to the venue, your next hurdle will most likely be queueing to enter the event itself. This will highly depend on the event you’re attending, but in our case, it took roughly less than an hour to redeem our tickets and enter the event hall for the Hololive Super Expo.
A few sections of our queue line were located out in the open, so if you’re traveling in winter or early spring like we did, you’ll probably want to bring along a jacket or hoodie to stay warm while queueing up. For summer events, many people would recommend bringing a portable fan, as the heat can be quite intense.
Once you make it inside, things should be smooth sailing from here. Take your time to enjoy everything your event has to offer – Hall 1-8 of Makuhari Messe measures up to a total of 54,000 square meters. For our Malaysian readers, this is nearly twice the size of a single floor at KLCC (26,922 square meters) and just slightly larger than MITEC (52,000 square meters).
Food
If you’re planning to spend most of your day at Makuhari Messe, you might be wondering if there’s any food available at the venue. Fortunately, you’ll have a number of choices available to you. For a quick snack and some bottled water, you can stop by one of the three convenience stores located inside the venue itself. Some events will also allow vendors to set up food carts inside the convention centre for even more snack choices.
For a more substantial meal, you can sit down at one of the two restaurants inside the venue – World Kitchens and Royal Kitchens, which both serve classic Japanese dishes such as curry rice and hamburg steak, as well as fusion dishes like grilled chicken and salad. Royal Kitchens also offers workspaces with electrical outlets, which might come in handy if any of your devices need a quick charge.
None of these pique your interest? Don’t worry as the venue is only a short walk away from Aeon Makuhari New City, which offers all the amenities you can expect from a major shopping mall. You can also find some more light snacks and even a bakery back at the Kaihimmakuhari train station.
That’s all we have for this guide! We hope this helped, and we wish you all the best with your trip!
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