GREEN×EXPO 2027 Date Reservation Guide — Now Open, 7 Time Slots, First-Come-First-Served

Timed-entry reservations for GREEN×EXPO 2027 (the 2027 International Horticultural Exposition in Yokohama) opened as scheduled on Friday, September 18, 2026 (official notice, Sep 18). Booking is first-come-first-served and covers every day of the event, with the slot structure as published in the August 27, 2026 press release. This article covers the rules, how the reservation system works, and the preparation that makes booking smoother.

Three points of context first.

• September 18 was exactly six months before opening day; shuttle bus and parking reservations opened the same date (all are being accepted now)
• Booking is first-come-first-served across 7 time slots, and each ticket can be rescheduled up to three times
• Advance tickets went on sale on March 19, 2026, and the tickets themselves do not specify a date. Since September 18, convenience stores nationwide also sell tickets with a built-in date reservation

Important: Shuttle bus reservations require a separate website and separate account from the entry date/time reservation (official access page). Booking your entry date/time does NOT secure a shuttle bus seat. Multiple users on X have noted that they didn’t realize the two systems were separate (as of October 2026).

Season pass and summer pass holders also need a timed-entry reservation. Simply holding a pass does not grant entry without a reservation. Some pass holders on X have mentioned they did not realize a separate booking was needed (as of October 2026). The reservation process is the same as for one-day tickets — done through the official ticket site.

[Updated September 2026] 7 time slots, first-come-first-served, and observation reservations confirmed

The July 17 press confirmed the opening date, the August 27 press added full details on the reservation structure, and the September 2 press announced nationwide convenience store sales. Here is everything now confirmed.

• Opening date: Friday, September 18, 2026. Timed-entry reservations for admission tickets, advance reservations for the four-station shuttle buses, and parking reservations all start on the same day (group-bus parking opened earlier, on August 3, 2026). The stated aim is to ease congestion on surrounding roads and spread out visitor numbers.
• Booking method: First-come-first-served. Reservations opened on September 18, 2026 and cover every day from opening day through the final day.
• Time slots: 7 slots are available each day.

• Entry rule: You may enter at any time on or after your reserved slot. For example, book the 9:30 slot and you can walk in at any point from 9:30 onward. Gates are open 9:30–21:30; last entry is 21:00.
• Scope: the entire expo period (March 19 – September 26, 2027).
• Change rules: you can change your reserved date and time up to three times. If you can’t attend your reserved slot, you can move it to a later one. Even after a third change, if you can’t attend, same-day entry reservations are possible when same-day slots are available (the official FAQ says same-day booking opens at midnight if slots remain).
• Season and summer passes: a season pass can hold up to four reserved days at once and a summer pass up to three; the three-change limit for one-day tickets does not apply to passes (same FAQ).
• Separate procedures: ticket timed-entry reservations and shuttle bus / parking reservations are separate bookings. Both are open now, but reserving an entry slot does not secure a shuttle seat or a parking space.
• What you need: reservations are made on the official ticket site. Paper ticket holders also need to register an account there and enter their 10-digit ticket ID on the registration screen.
• Convenience store option: Since September 18, tickets with a built-in date reservation are on sale at Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart nationwide (September 2 press). A convenience store ticket gets you in without any separate online reservation. The time slot is fixed at 9:30 (official FAQ, confirmed October 2026). If you want to change your date, register the ticket ID on the official ticket site. Applies to early-bird, special discount, and evening tickets.
• Contact: Ticket Sales Management Center, 0570-01-8789 (weekdays 10:00–17:00, Japanese).

Observation reservations (day-of only, select exhibits)

Separate from timed-entry reservations, some exhibits will introduce an “observation reservation” system (August 27 press). Here is how it works.

• Day-of only: no advance booking — you reserve on the day of your visit
• One reservation per ticket per day
• Slots released in three batches throughout the day, not all at once
• Target facilities not yet announced: the organizers will publish the list on the official website once decided

This resembles the pavilion booking system at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, but it is day-of only rather than advance. We’ll update this article when the target facilities are announced.

For the shuttle and parking side — fares, fees and which station to use — see our shuttle bus & parking guide.

Post-Purchase Flow (3 Steps)

1. Purchase your ticket (official site or convenience store)
2. Make an entry date/time reservation (on the official ticket site; not needed for convenience store tickets)
3. Reserve your shuttle bus / parking (on a separate website with a separate account)

Buying a ticket alone doesn’t set your entry date; making an entry reservation alone doesn’t secure shuttle bus seats. All three steps must be completed separately.

What a date reservation is, and why it matters

A visit-date reservation simply means registering when you plan to go, ahead of time. Many large events use it for two reasons:

• to cut the queues at the entrance gates
• to keep any single day or time slot from getting overcrowded — what’s often called “smoothing out” demand

For an expo that runs 192 days and is mostly explored on foot outdoors, that smoothing makes a real difference to your experience. Land on a quieter weekday and the waits at popular pavilions shrink, and you get room to linger and take photos in front of the flower beds.

Without any reservation system, the busiest dates can mean a long wait just to get in. So think of a date reservation as something that works in your favor — it’s the mechanism that lets you skip the line.

One structural point about Yokohama: the site has no adjacent station. You reach it by reservation-only shuttle bus from one of four stations (Seya, Mitsukyo, Tokaichiba, and Minami-machida Grandberry Park).

It is quite possible that shuttle and parking reservations will be tied to your visit date, so don’t treat date booking as purely a ticket matter — plan it together with how you’ll travel. The full travel logistics are covered in the access guide.

Tickets and date reservations: two routes

As of September 2026, there are two routes to securing both a ticket and a date reservation.

Route 1: Buy online → reserve a date separately

• Advance tickets have been on sale since March 19, 2026. Early-bird prices (through March 18, 2027) are ¥4,900 for adults, ¥3,000 for juniors, and ¥1,400 for children.
• The standard in-period price (one-day ticket) is ¥5,500 for adults, ¥3,300 for juniors, and ¥1,500 for children.
• Season passes are ¥28,000 for adults, ¥16,000 for juniors, and ¥6,500 for children. Children aged 3 and under are free.
• Summer passes and evening tickets are also available.
• These tickets are not date-specific. To visit, log into the official ticket site and make a separate date reservation (open since September 18).

Route 2: Buy at a convenience store (date reservation included, no extra step)

• Since September 18, Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart nationwide sell tickets with a built-in date reservation.
• The paper ticket you receive at the register is all you need to enter — no separate online reservation required. The time slot is fixed at 9:30 (official FAQ).
• To change the date, register your ticket ID on the official ticket site.
• Applies to early-bird, special discount, and evening tickets.

[October 2026 update] Pop-up ticket sales at events in the Tokyo area (Oct 10–25)

In addition to convenience stores, paper tickets are available at pop-up sales events in the greater Tokyo area (October 7 press release). Priced at ¥100 above the early-bird (adults ¥5,000). A visitor consultation counter is set up at each venue, where staff can help you through the reservation process.

Important: Unlike convenience store tickets, pop-up sale tickets do NOT include a built-in date reservation. You must make a separate timed-entry reservation on the official ticket site.

If you’d rather understand the ticket types and how to buy them first, reading the ticket guide makes the reservation picture much clearer. You can also check the full price list on the tickets page.

For Route 1, the key point worth underlining: holding a ticket does not mean your visit date is already set. Even with a date-free ticket, you need to register your preferred day and time slot separately (reservations are open now). Route 2 (convenience store) sidesteps this entirely — your date is fixed at the register.

What’s confirmed and where to watch

Reservations opened as officially announced on September 18, 2026 (official notice), following the published rules — 7 time slots, first-come-first-served, up to three changes per ticket.

This site is an unofficial summary, so always confirm the final details through official sources.

When booking now, keep these points in mind:

• The entrance for booking is the official ticket site (guidance is also posted on the official ticket page), which carries the latest step-by-step instructions.
• Traffic may be heavy in the period right after opening — if you can’t connect, wait and try again. The event runs 192 days and every date is bookable, so there’s no need to panic.
• Convenience store sales (paper tickets with a built-in date reservation) also started September 18. If the online process feels complicated, buying at a convenience store is a valid alternative — no account setup required.
• Shuttle bus and parking reservations are open as well. Travel bookings and your visit date need to be planned as a set, so read up on fares and station choice in our shuttle bus & parking guide beforehand.
• Popular dates filling up: On social media (X/Twitter), multiple users have reported difficulty booking early dates (late March to early April 2027) as of October 2026. Check availability on the official ticket site. Slots are first-come-first-served, so booking early is advisable if you have a preferred date.

It’s also wise not to enter personal details into anything that merely looks like a booking site. Book only through the official ticket site or a Seven-Eleven, Lawson, or FamilyMart.

How this differs from the Osaka Expo

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai (Yumeshima, April 13 – October 13, 2025), the reservation flow was three-step: buy a ticket, reserve a visit date, then book popular pavilions separately in advance. GREEN×EXPO 2027 differs in a few notable ways.

• Time-slot entry: the horticultural expo uses 7 defined time slots, and you may enter any time from your slot onward — this is more flexible than a strict entry window
• Observation reservations are day-of only: unlike Osaka’s advance pavilion booking, the observation reservation system at the horticultural expo is available only on the day of your visit (slots released in three batches)
• Convenience store completes the process: buy at a convenience store and your date reservation is done on the spot — no separate online step at all

The two events also differ in scale and location. Yokohama has no nearby station and relies on shuttle transport from four stations. Rather than assuming “Osaka did it this way,” working from the confirmed Yokohama details above is the surest approach.

What to prepare before you book

Reservations are open now and first-come-first-served, so those who are ready will have a clear advantage on popular dates. Get these three things in order.

1. Secure a ticket first — For Route 1, you need a ticket before you can reserve a date. The early-bird price (through March 18, 2027, ¥4,900 for adults) is cheaper than the standard in-period price (¥5,500), so if you’ve decided to go, buying early is the better deal. If you plan to visit repeatedly, a season pass (¥28,000 for adults) is worth weighing. See the ticket guide if you’re unsure which to pick. If you don’t have a ticket yet and prefer to skip the online process, buying a date-included ticket at a convenience store is also a valid plan.
2. Set up your account, contact details and ticket ID — Timed-entry booking for Route 1 runs through an account on the official ticket site. Paper ticket holders enter their 10-digit ticket ID on the registration screen. Keep your ticket ID handy, and use an email address you actively check — that way you won’t miss the follow-up announcements.
3. Decide your preferred dates and time slots in advance — Since it’s first-come-first-served, popular dates and popular slots fill first. Have a first, second, and third choice ready, and think through which of the 7 time slots suits your travel plan.

The official daily visitor estimates show a wide spread.

Weekdays — especially Tuesday through Thursday — tend to be the quietest. Among the 7 time slots, the earliest (9:30, 10:30) and latest (17:00) are likely to be relatively easier to secure. The rainy season and the height of summer are, as a general rule, relatively less crowded.

Because slots are first-come-first-served, if you’re targeting popular dates like Golden Week or September weekends, be ready to act the moment the reservation site opens. For reading crowd patterns, see the crowd forecast guide.

You can also work backward from the flowers you most want to see — a fitting way to choose a date at a horticultural expo.

These are general bloom windows for Yokohama and the Kanto region; the actual plantings at the venue are still to be announced by the organizers, but they help you narrow down the season.

• Tulips: late March to April
• Wisteria: late April to early May
• Roses: mid-May to June
• Hydrangeas: June
• Sunflowers: late July to August

FAQ: When did reservations for the Yokohama Expo open?

Timed-entry reservations have been open since Friday, September 18, 2026. All dates from the opening day (March 19, 2027) through the final day (September 26) were available from the start — there is no staggered release by month (official announcement). Shuttle bus and parking reservations also opened on September 18 (shuttle bus & parking guide).

You need a ticket (ticket ID) to make a reservation. If you don’t have one yet, purchase an early-bird one-day ticket (adults ¥4,900, available until March 18, 2027) or similar in advance. Convenience-store paper tickets come with a date and time already set, so no separate reservation is needed.

In short: 7 slots, first-come-first-served, two ways to book

• Timed-entry booking has been open since Friday, September 18, 2026 — first-come-first-served
• 7 time slots from 9:30 to 17:00; you may enter any time on or after your reserved slot
• Two routes: buy online and reserve separately (Route 1), or buy at a convenience store with the reservation built in (Route 2)
• Observation reservations for some exhibits will be day-of only (1 per ticket per day, slots released in 3 batches); target facilities TBA
• What to do now: secure a ticket (or decide to use the convenience store route, available since September 18), get your account and 10-digit ticket ID ready, and settle on your preferred dates and time slots

The opening time for the reservation site has not been announced. When it drops, those who’ve prepared will move faster. We’ll keep tracking and updating news here.

Start with the ticket guide and the crowd forecast guide to get the big picture, and the access guide to picture your travel. For an overview of GREEN×EXPO 2027 itself, the event overview is a good starting point.