2025 NHK Trophy: General Info and Pregame Chat

[gsk8]

2025 NHK Trophy is the fourth event of the 2025-26 ISU Grand Prix series and is scheduled to take place November 7-9, 2025, in Osaka, Japan. The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consists of six international senior invitational events and culminates with the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December.

Competitors collect points in their individual Grand Prix events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six skaters/teams in each discipline can qualify for the Final.

Skaters are seeded and invited to the six Grand Prix of Figure Skating events based on the results obtained at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Skaters/teams who have placed first through sixth in each of the four categories are seeded and assigned to two events. Skaters/teams who have placed seventh through 12th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships are selected for two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events. Skaters with a top 24 Season Best Scores (from the 2024-25 season), as well as those placed in the top 24 of the ISU World Standings, can also be invited.

In order for a skater/team to be eligible to compete at an ISU Grand Prix event, a minimum total score must have been achieved in the 2024-25 or current 2025-26 season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships) or a Challenger Series event. Exceptions apply to host country skaters, previously ranked skaters or split ranked couples who return with new partners.

• Official Site
• ISU Event Page
• Announcement
• Schedule
• Results

 

[oceanle]

I’m excited for Sui/Han!

 

[PaulE]

Since this is the only current assignment for a couple of my favorite skaters I am considering trying to go to this competition. I have never been to Japan before or anywhere in Asia so I am hoping for advice from other Golden Skaters on how to buy tickets and where to find hotels--hopefully within walking distance of the venue. Does anyone know yet what the actual rink is?

 

[ice coverage]

... Does anyone know yet what the actual rink is?

Venue is "Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome."
3-7-16 Mitsushima, Kadoma-shi, Osaka

Site below (mostly in Japanese) also has a section for Ticket information.

https://www.skatingjapan.or.jp/nhk2025/​

Leads to pages below, for which machine-translation into English can be selected from Language menu.

2025 NHK杯国際フィギュアスケート競技大会 | チケットぴあ[チケット購入・予約]

今年のNHK杯フィギュアは11/7(金)～9(日)大阪・門真市で開催。女子シングルに坂本花織、男子シングルに鍵山優真など、世界大会で活躍する選手が出場予定！世界トップ選手たちの演技を会場で観よう！

t.pia.jp

チケットぴあ最速独占先行販売【通し券／電子チケット】 | チケットぴあ[チケット購入・予約]

抽選受付終了：2025/6/9(月) 昼12:00～2025/6/22(日) 23:59／チケットぴあ最速独占先行販売【通し券／電子チケット】をチケットぴあで今すぐチェック！

t.pia.jp

A ticket lottery apparently started on Monday and will end on Sunday Jun 22.

Application period
2025/6/9(Mon) Daytime 12:00～2025/6/22(Sun) 23:59
Result announcement start date and time
2025/6/27(Fri)from around 18:00​

As someone who is not device-savvy, I would recommend looking carefully at all of the fine print. One of the complicating (IMO) factors (for non-residents of Japan) seems to be that using the (required) e-tickets is "limited to smartphones with a mobile phone number contracted in Japan starting with 090, 080, or 070 that can connect to the Internet."

Hope things work out for you to attend!

 

[PaulE]

As someone who is not device-savvy, I would recommend looking carefully at all of the fine print. One of the complicating (IMO) factors (for non-residents of Japan) seems to be that using the (required) e-tickets is "limited to smartphones with a mobile phone number contracted in Japan starting with 090, 080, or 070 that can connect to the Internet."

Thank you very much @ice coverage . I hope there is someone on the forum that can explain possible workarounds for foreigners without a Japanese mobile phone number.

 

[PaulE]

A ticket lottery apparently started on Monday and will end on Sunday Jun 22.

Application period​

2025/6/9(Mon) Daytime 12:00～2025/6/22(Sun) 23:59​

Result announcement start date and time​

2025/6/27(Fri)from around 18:00​

@ice coverage, do you know what the June 22 deadline means? Do we need to place an order by then or is there a possibility of getting tickets later (in the bad seats I assume)?

 

[ice coverage]

@ice coverage, do you know what the June 22 deadline means? Do we need to place an order by then or is there a possibility of getting tickets later (in the bad seats I assume)?

Sorry, I don't know. Don't have any personal experience with NHK Trophy.

FWIW, some comments from another site about tickets for 2023 NHK Trophy (at same Osaka venue as for 2025), which might or might not foreshadow what will unfold in 2025?

https://www.another site.com/r/Figu...w_competitive_are_nhk_trophy_tickets/jqd3rsc/

(posted Jul 2023)

https://www.another site.com/r/Figu...w_competitive_are_nhk_trophy_tickets/jz7eu4p/

(posted Sep 2023)

https://www.another site.com/r/Figu...y_tickets_for_isu_gp_nhk_trophy_2025/mufpl1s/

(posted May 2025, referring back to 2023 NHK)​

Also just FWIW, first three pages of an old GS thread for 2024 NHK Trophy (which was in Tokyo) had some chunks of discussion about ticketing:

https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/2024-nhk-trophy-info-and-pre-game-chat.98406/​

 

[PaulE]

FWIW, some comments from another site about tickets for 2023 NHK Trophy (at same Osaka venue as for 2025), which might or might not foreshadow what will unfold in 2025?

​

Thanks ever so much @ice coverage for the extra info even if it is discouraging.

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Entries updated on October 21st 2025:

Men:
Boyang Jin (CHN)
Francois Pitot (FRA)
Gabriele Frangipani (ITA)
Matteo Rizzo (ITA)
Yuma Kagiyama (JPN)
Haru Kakiuchi (JPN) (added September 14th 2025)
Shun Sato (JPN)
TBA (JPN)
Junhwan Cha (KOR)
Lukas Britschgi (SUI)
Adam Hagara (SVK)
Jimmy Ma (USA)
Andrew Torgashev (USA)

Women:
Loena Hendrickx (BEL)
Nina Pinzarrone (BEL) (WD October 16th)
Katherine Medland Spence (CAN)
Anna Pezzetta (ITA)
Yuna Aoki (JPN) (added September 16th)
Wakaba Higuchi (JPN)
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN
TBA (JPN)
Sofia Samodelkina (KAZ)
Young You (KOR)
Ahsun Yun (KOR) (added October 21st)
Livia Kaiser (SUI) (added October 15th)
Kimmy Repond (SUI) (WD October 14th)
Sarah Everhardt (USA)
Elyce Lin-Gracey (USA)

Pairs:
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN)
Camille Kovalev/Pavel Kovalev (FRA)
Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN)
Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA)
Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi (JPN) (added September 16th)
TBA (JPN)
Daria Danilova/Michel Tsiba (NED)
Emily Chan/Spencer Akira Howe (USA)
Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov (USA)

Dance:
Alicia Fabbri/Paul Ayer (CAN)
Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE)
Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen (FIN)
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR)
Jennifer Janse van Rensburg/Benjamin Steffan (GER) (added July 29th 2025)
Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA)
Azusa Tanaka/Shingo Nishiyama (JPN) (July 11th 2025: they split and Azusa announced her retirement)
Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita (JPN)
TBD (JPN)
Caroline Green/Michael Parsons (USA)
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani (USA)
Katarina Wolfkostin/Dimitry Tsarevski (USA)

 

[ice coverage]

Since this is the only current assignment for a couple of my favorite skaters I am considering trying to go to this competition. ...

On July 4, the NHK ticket sales procedure for overseas spectators was announced. ...

2025 NHK杯国際フィギュアスケート競技大会

「2025 NHK杯国際フィギュアスケート競技大会」の大会公式ホームページ。大会概要・出場予定選手・チケット購入方法などご案内します。

www.skatingjapan.or.jp

Want to make sure that @PaulE sees beebee's post (from GPF thread).

https://tixplus.jp/feature/nhk2025_en/

 

[yuumagical]

Want to make sure that @PaulE sees beebee's post (from GPF thread).

https://tixplus.jp/feature/nhk2025_en/

Ooh, they're using the Tixplus system again! @PaulE , let me know if you need any help with downloading the app or getting tickets.

And if you do decide to go to Japan, know that Japanese people tend to be helpful if you're in need of assistance. Feel free to ask me anything about traveling in Japan.

 

[PaulE]

I have been having second thoughts about trying to go to Japan so I don't know whether I will try to get tickets or not. But thank you both @ice coverage and @yuumagical very much for your help.

The website gives a schedule of July 31 for the announcement of lottery results. Does this mean that you can apply for tickets and then find out later that there are none available or is it likely that there are plenty of tickets but the category you get may be less than the category you asked for?

 

[buminapark]

My friend and I both applied and won tickets for Friday 11/7, so we have an extra set of two tickets to sell. @PaulE if you or anyone else reading this is interested, please let me know (feel free to DM me).

 

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

Tanaka/Nishiyama will be withdrawn as they have split, as Tanaka has retired.

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Tanaka/Nishiyama will be withdrawn as they have split, as Tanaka has retired.

Already updated the list

 

[PaulE]

On the English Language ticket site I note that the tickets are only for the competition days. Does anyone have any idea if fans are allowed into the arena on the practice day before the competition?

 

[AlexRus]

4th Event Japan WD Azusa TANAKA / Shingo NISHIYAMA JPN
Jennifer JANSE VAN RENSBURG / Benjamin STEFFAN GER got this spot, now they have 3rd and 4th Events.

https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.azurefd.net/isudamcontainer/CMS/Fansite/Figure-Skating/2025-2026/Events/Grand-Prix/Documents/GP-IceDance-25-07-29-1753774186-7266.pdf

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

4th Event Japan WD Azusa TANAKA / Shingo NISHIYAMA JPN
Jennifer JANSE VAN RENSBURG / Benjamin STEFFAN GER got this spot, now they have 3rd and 4th Events.

https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.azurefd.net/isudamcontainer/CMS/Fansite/Figure-Skating/2025-2026/Events/Grand-Prix/Documents/GP-IceDance-25-07-29-1753774186-7266.pdf

Already added to the entry list; thank you for the info

 

[my@1985]

Does anyone know if the NHK Trophy will have another round of lottery or ticket sales for overseas fans? I applied for the first round of the All-Event ticket lottery but wasn’t selected. I’m hoping there might be another chance, as I’ll be in Japan this November.

 

[beebee51]

Does anyone know if the NHK Trophy will have another round of lottery or ticket sales for overseas fans? I applied for the first round of the All-Event ticket lottery but wasn’t selected. I’m hoping there might be another chance, as I’ll be in Japan this November.

I'm surprised you didn't win tickets in the overseas lottery. Yesterday it was announced on the website that during the month of August tickets will be sold in real time at 7 Eleven, so the event isn't sold out.

A clarification--when you say you applied in the first round of the all-event ticket lottery, do you mean the one for Japanese or foreign spectators?