Japan Car Shows for Drift Fans: Dates and Tickets (2026–27)

Which Japanese car shows have drifting? Of the three big tuning shows, only Tokyo Auto Salon (15–17 January 2027, Makuhari Messe, Chiba) has had an official drift demonstration recently: D1’s KICK OFF DRIFT on 10–11 January 2026. Osaka Auto Messe (12–14 February 2027) and Nagoya Auto Festival (13–14 March 2027) are indoor shows where dorisha (drift cars) sit on exhibitor stands, but neither lists a drift demo. Every date and price below was checked on the official pages on 29 September 2026.

So the honest pitch is this: you go to a Japanese car show to see the cars, the parts makers and the drivers up close, not to watch sliding. For that, use a circuit. Our event calendar lists the drift days and competitions, and you can build a trip that does both.

How do the Japanese car shows compare?

Two other names come up in searches. Automesse in Aichi held its second edition on 16–17 May 2026 at Aichi Sky Expo, with Keiichi Tsuchiya as its official ambassador, but no 2027 date was published when we checked. And the old Nagoya Auto Trend website did not load on 29 September 2026, so we list the Nagoya show that does have published 2027 dates.

Tokyo Auto Salon 2027: is there drifting?

Tokyo Auto Salon is the biggest of the three and the only one with a drift link you can point to. In January 2026, D1 ran the 2026 D1GP KICK OFF DRIFT at Makuhari Messe alongside the show, and D1’s page sent ticket buyers to the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 site. For 2027 the official event page still says COMING SOON, so do not book around a demo that has not been announced.

The 2027 dates, tickets and Friday rules are covered in full in our January 2027 trip planner. The short version: ¥3,000 on Saturday or Sunday, ¥4,000 for Friday from 14:00, e-tickets only, sold online from 1 October 2026 at 10:00 Japan time, and the English ticket page takes foreign credit cards.

When is Osaka Auto Messe 2027, and what does a ticket cost?

The 30th Osaka Auto Messe runs Friday 12 to Sunday 14 February 2027 at INTEX Osaka, Suminoe-ku, from 9:00 to 18:00. The first morning, 9:00 to 13:00, is a “silent time” with no amplified sound on the stands. The show calls itself a dress-up and tuning show held every year since 1997, with more than 200,000 visitors a year.

The 2027 ticket page has not been published. The ticket page still carried the 2026 edition when we checked, which gives you the price shape:

One ticket covers any single day, with no re-entry. A general ticket lets in one child of junior-high age or younger free with a parent. The 2026 programme was built around SUPER GT (the Japanese GT racing series): talk shows, a pit-work demo and champion cars. It also had a Tamiya RC car race and outdoor try-it corners, but no drift demonstration.

Getting there is easy by train: about 5 minutes on foot from Naka-futo Station (Nanko Port Town Line) or 9 minutes from Cosmosquare Station (Chuo Line). If you are staying on to drive, our Kansai tracks guide covers the circuits within reach of Osaka.

Nagoya Auto Festival 2027: dates and entry

Nagoya Auto Festival 2027 runs Saturday 13 March (10:00–18:00) and Sunday 14 March 2027 (10:00–17:00) at Port Messe Nagoya’s New Exhibition Hall 1, Minato-ku. Entry is ¥2,500 on the day or ¥2,000 in advance, with advance sales planned for December 2026. Primary-school children go in free, and there is no re-entry.

The official site is in Japanese and does not describe any drift content. By train, take the Aonami Line from Nagoya Station to Kinjo-futo Station, then walk 5 minutes; the whole trip is about 30 minutes. The circuits near Nagoya are in our Tokai tracks guide.

Can you do a show and a track day on the same trip?

Yes, and that is the best use of a show trip. The shows fall on fixed weekends; the circuit drift days around them come out about a month ahead, often as Japanese-only PDFs, and some are run by organisers who take entries by phone or Japanese form. That second half is where overseas plans stall: you have the show ticket, but the track day next to it needs a Japanese phone call.

For spectating a real competition instead, D1 rounds and how to watch them are in our D1 Grand Prix spectator guide, and our guide to buying event tickets from overseas explains which Japanese ticket sites accept foreign cards and phone numbers.

Is the Japan Mobility Show worth it for drift fans?

Probably not in 2026. Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026 runs 13–16 October 2026 at Makuhari Messe Halls 2 and 3, alongside CEATEC 2026. It is free, and the public is welcome, but everyone must pre-register online with their own email address. The content is industry: carmakers, start-ups and research groups, arranged by theme. No drift content is listed, and no 2027 dates for the full Japan Mobility Show were on the official site when we checked.