The Short Answer — If You Are Unsure, Stay Along the Yurakucho Line, in an Area Such as Ichigaya
Not sure where to stay for Comiket? We’d stay somewhere along the subway Yurakucho Line, such as Ichigaya.
That is because one Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line connects three useful places.
- Ikebukuro ― A shopping district with Animate, Toranoana, and Melonbooks stores. About 11–14 minutes from Ichigaya with no transfer
- Ichigaya ― Where you stay
- Shin-Kiba ― The station just before the venue. About 20–25 minutes from Ichigaya with no transfer. Change here to the Rinkai Line for Kokusai-Tenjijo Station
From Ichigaya to Kokusai-Tenjijo Station, the trip takes about 31–36 minutes with one transfer (depending on the transfer wait) and costs 490 yen (481 yen with an IC card). These figures, including the times above, were checked using a route planner and platform route maps in October 2026; they are not based on the year-end timetable. When we traveled on a weekday, it took about 36 minutes including the wait.
We also stayed at a capsule hotel in Ichigaya in October 2026 (see “We Stayed Here” below).
Choose Ariake if you want to line up from the morning or walk to the venue. Choose Shinjuku if a direct train matters most. Both are under “The Next-Best Options” below.
Here Is the Reasoning
The stores in Ikebukuro and the venue are on the same line. The safest option is to buy your wristband before departure in your country if it is sold there, in case it sells out. Last time, wristbands were sold at Animate stores in places including Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, and at Toranoana and Melonbooks stores in Taipei (check the official announcement to see which stores will sell them for C109). Last time, an eplus overseas e-ticket for AM entry was also available online. If you do not make it in time, go to the stores in Ikebukuro after arriving in Japan. From Ichigaya, you can get there without a transfer. For details, see “02 Tickets and Wristbands.”
You can also stop at a store in Ikebukuro on the morning of Comiket before heading to the venue. However, whether wristbands remain depends on each store’s stock. Check each store’s year-end opening hours too. According to the sign at the store in October 2026, the Melonbooks Ikebukuro store opened at 12:00.
You can commute to the venue with one transfer. The Yurakucho Line runs directly from Ichigaya to Shin-Kiba. On the route map inside the train, Ikebukuro, Ichigaya, and Shin-Kiba all appear on the same gold line.
Platform route maps also show travel times. The map at Ichigaya Station said 20 minutes to Shin-Kiba and 11 minutes to Ikebukuro; the map at Ikebukuro Station said 32 minutes to Shin-Kiba (signs on October 17, 2026). They also state that trips may take longer depending on the time and train. The figures of about 14 minutes and about 25 minutes above came from a route planner checked on a weekday morning.
At Ichigaya, trains toward Shin-Kiba use Platform 1; at Ikebukuro, trains toward Shin-Kiba use Platform 3 (Platform 4 is toward Wakoshi). When we checked Platform 3 at Ikebukuro between 10:00 and 11:00 on a Saturday, a 10:17 Shin-Kiba train was followed by one at 10:22, about five minutes later.
- At Shin-Kiba, transfer to the Rinkai Line for about 5 minutes to Kokusai-Tenjijo Station (then walk about 7 minutes)
- Or transfer at Toyosu to the Yurikamome for about 8 minutes to Tokyo Big Sight Station (then walk about 3 minutes)
C109 runs for three days, December 29–31. Genres change completely each day, so some people will probably attend for two or three days. You can travel the same route each day with one transfer.
At Ichigaya, the JR and subway stations are not connected inside the station. When transferring from JR, go outside once and enter through a subway entrance (see “01 How to Get There” for details).
The same applies when you walk from your accommodation to the station. The morning after our stay, we walked from the hotel and realized we had arrived in front of the JR station. After descending through a subway entrance, the passage signs point in opposite directions: “→ 有楽町線・南北線・都営新宿線” and “← JR線.” Follow the arrow toward the Yurakucho Line (confirmed during our October 2026 reporting).
Reviews and Our Experience
We Stayed Here ― First Cabin Ichigaya (October 2026)
In Ichigaya, we stayed at a capsule hotel called First Cabin Ichigaya (ファーストキャビン市ヶ谷). It is about a two-minute walk from JR Ichigaya Station, on the first floor of a building along Sotobori-dori Avenue. From the subway’s Ichigaya Station, leave through the underground ticket gates toward “市ヶ谷橋方面” and use Exit A1 or 1–4 (look for the “市谷八幡町” sign).
First, you should know that the cabins do not have locks. The entrance closes only with a roll screen.
But security was provided elsewhere.
- Men and women stay on separate floors. The men’s floor where we stayed required a key card at the entrance (we did not see how the women’s floor works)
- Security cameras operate 24 hours a day
- Beside the bed is a lockable valuables box. Our one business backpack and laptop fit inside when compressed slightly
- Large luggage such as suitcases is left at the front desk. Staff are at the desk 24 hours a day
Clothes and a laptop go in the lockable box beside you, while large luggage goes to the front desk. It was convenient not to have to leave everything with someone else.
You cannot eat or make phone calls inside the cabins. Use the lounge for both. The lounge had a microwave and hot water, partitioned seats for one person with power outlets, and manga shelves (including Slam Dunk). The large baths are separated by gender.
At night, it was quiet enough to hear the air-conditioning. Even though each entrance is only a screen, the place works because everyone stays quiet. Reading manga in the lounge, warming up in the large bath, and sleeping in the cabin became a distinctly Japanese memory in itself.
It was clean and more than adequate for sleeping. Our impression was that it might feel nicer than an older hotel.
It does not suit everyone. If you are a family or couple who wants to share one room, or you want a room with a locking door, a business hotel may feel more reassuring. Prices change by day, so check a booking site (they may rise over the year-end period).
For how to stay at a capsule hotel, see our capsule hotel article. We introduce the atmosphere of Ikebukuro in Where to Stay in Tokyo ― Ikebukuro and Akihabara.
See First Cabin Ichigaya on Agoda (affiliate link)
The Second-Best Option
If You Want to Line Up from the Morning or Walk to the Venue ― Ariake (Within Walking Distance)
Ariake is the area where Tokyo Big Sight is located. Both Kokusai-Tenjijo Station on the Rinkai Line and Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome are in this area. From a hotel near a station, you can walk to the venue without taking a train.
- You can avoid winter travel and crowded trains on the way back. Large numbers of people leave the venue at the same time, so the stations and ticket machines become extremely crowded. If you can walk back, you avoid both that congestion and transfers outside in the cold (on average, mornings are around 2°C during the three event days; prepare for the cold with 05 What to Bring in Winter).
- You can return to the hotel at midday to leave the books you bought. Books become heavier than you expect. If the hotel is within walking distance, you can leave them in your room, lighten your load, and head back out (check the C109 information for the rules on leaving and reentering the venue).
- One bus also connects you with the airports. The limousine bus takes about 25 minutes from Haneda Airport to Tokyo Big Sight and about 60 minutes from Narita Airport (times vary with road traffic). You do not have to transfer while carrying a large suitcase.
If a Direct Train Matters Most ― Shinjuku
From Shinjuku, trains running directly from the JR Saikyo Line onto the Rinkai Line took about 26–28 minutes to Kokusai-Tenjijo Station without a transfer (figures checked on a weekday morning in October 2026). However, the Rinkai Line is operated by a company separate from JR. If you have a JR Pass, read 01 How to Get There in advance for how to pay.
We introduce Shinjuku itself in Where to Stay in Tokyo ― Shinjuku.
Other Areas with a Direct Train
Other areas also have a direct train to the venue.
| Area | Train to the venue | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Toyosu | Yurikamome (about a three-minute walk from Tokyo Big Sight Station). The Yurakucho Line also serves it | About 8 minutes |
| Odaiba | Along the Rinkai Line and Yurikamome. The area next to the venue | ― |
| Shimbashi and Shiodome | Yurikamome (starts at Shimbashi) | About 22 minutes (about 21 minutes from Shiodome) |
| Shin-Kiba | Rinkai Line | About 5 minutes |
| Oimachi | Rinkai Line | About 11 minutes |
| Osaki | Rinkai Line | About 14 minutes |
The Rinkai Line operates direct services with the JR Saikyo Line (toward Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro). If you stay in Shibuya or Ikebukuro, some trains will also bring you to the venue without a transfer.
We introduce the atmosphere of the waterfront areas themselves—Odaiba, Ariake, and Toyosu—in Where to Stay in Tokyo ― Waterfront.
Notes for a Year-End Stay
- Book early. The year-end period is busy, so once you decide where to stay, secure your booking early
- Year-end and New Year train schedules (including overnight service on New Year’s Eve) should be checked in each operator’s announcement. We have not confirmed them yet. The train times in this article are figures checked in October 2026
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