Updated with some information for busters in Japan or who hope to travel, plus some extra. Some of this will assume that you have a bit of Japanese language knowledge (I'm not romanizing addresses, etc.).

[b]-----About "What's pillows" (the official fanclub)-----[/b]

[b]Q: How do I join the pillows' fanclub?[/b]
A: Membership for the pillows' official fanclub, "what's Pillows", is available only to people who live in Japan. The fee to join is 3,500 yen (500 yen for admission fee and 3,000 yen annual fee).
To join, you must send them a request via mail. You must write: your name, address, age, occupation, phone number, and "ファンクラブの入会案内書下さい！" on a piece of paper, and included two 82 yen stamps enclosed inside your letter. Address the letter to:

〒160-0022　東京都新宿区新宿１ー１０ー３太田紙興新宿ビル１０Ｆ
ＢＭグループ音楽出版内
What’s pillows「ファンクラブ入会案内」係

They will mail get back to you with a letter for registration.
Once you receive their letter, you must make your payment via post office transfer.
[url=http://fanclub.pillows.jp/f/whatpillows/]Click here for the same information in Japanese on the official page.[/url].

[b]Q: What are the benefits of being a fanclub member?[/b]
A: You will receive a "What's pillows" membership card, receive the "Shounen Pillows" physical newsletter via mail, have access to the fanclub ticket lottery for early ticket reservation, have access to "fanclub member only" live performances, have access to Sawao Yamanaka's email magazine, etc.

I would like to add that being a fanclub member [b]does not guarantee that you will be able to get tickets to a pillows event[/b]. Each lottery has a set number of tickets that are reserved for fanclub members, with the rest being reserved and distributed between other lotteries and general sales. Fanclub lotteries give you a chance at getting the earliest tickets, which allow you to enter the venue earlier.

[b]-----About Going to pillows' Concerts in Japan-----[/b]

[b]Q: How do I get tickets?[/b]
A: The method for getting tickets depends on the show/tour and will be individually detailed on the official site. For most of the concerts, including album tours, there will be "ticket lotteries". Ticket lotteries give you a chance at purchasing tickets earlier than the general sales tickets. The earliest lottery is only available to members of the official fanclub. Sequential lotteries are usually available via the official site, via the ticket websites, etc. Occasionally, the albums will also contain a code that will enable you to enter a ticket lottery.
If you are chosen in the lottery, you have a certain amount of time (usually a week or less) to pay for your ticket(s). The available payment methods are usually credit card, combini payment, etc. If you choose to pay by "combini method", you will be given some information via email that you have to take to a convenient store (the participating convenient stores will be listed when you choose payment). You have to type it into the machine at the store (for example, "LOPPI" at Lawson) and then you will be given a receipt that you bring to the cashier. They will scan it, you pay, then they will print out your tickets.
Tickets from the fanclub lotteries are mailed to you via post.

Some of the common ticket sites are:
[url=https://t.pia.jp/]Pia[/url], [url=https://t.pia.jp/]eplus[/url], [url=http://l-tike.com/]i-tike[/url].

[b]Q: How do I get tickets from overseas?[/b]
A: If you don't have a contact in Japan who can help you, I suggest using a forwarding site like [url=http://www.bridge.jpn.com/]Bridge JPN[/url].

[b]Q: How early should I arrive at the venue?[/b]
A: In Japan, concert tickets are numbered. When the venue doors open, they will start calling the ticket numbers and people can enter as their ticket numbers are called. Because of this, there is no reason to arrive super early and camp in front of the venue all day.
Usually, merchandise sales start about 2 or 3 hours before the venue doors open. If you want to purchase some goods without worrying about anything selling out, I suggest arriving earlier.

[b]Q: Hey, I'm going to Japan. How can I go to the concert next week?[/b]
A: If you didn't already buy your ticket, you probably aren't gonna be able to go. Most of the pillows' concerts sell out a good time in advance, and door tickets are rarely available. [b]Get your tickets as soon as possible once they become available.[/b]

[b]-----About Attending a Concert-----[/b]

Japanese concert culture is very different from US and other countries, so there are some important things to take into account.

● [b]TAKING PICTURES OR VIDEO INSIDE THE VENUE IS FORBIDDEN[/b]. If you do this, you will be asked to stop by venue security. If you don't obey them and they kick you out of the venue... well, I warned you.

● Ticket scalping culture is almost non-existent in Japan.Tickets sold on auction sites and secondhand market are usually sold at face value from people who have had their plans change, etc.
If you attempt to inflate the price of a fanclub ticket and sell it online, if you are discovered, your What's pillows membership will be terminated and you will be banned from the fanclub.

● Crowds in Japan are usually more tame and well mannered compared to other countries. For example, crowd-surfing at pillows' concerts is something that doesn't happen often. Things will be a bit more rowdy depending on how close you are to the front of the stage and you'll lose any concept of personal space. If you're close to the front, brace yourself the the crowd squash as everyone rushes to the front when the band first appears. If you want to avoid any of this, I suggest not coming to the front.

● When the band is tuning their instrumentals between songs or whatever, the audience is usually pretty quiet. There will always be people shouting out to the members, like "Sawao!!", Pee-chan!!", etc., but people rarely shout out song requests. the pillows rehearse and follow a setlist, so there is little chance that they're going to deviate and play something else because one person in the crowd yelled it out at them. Personally, I think that shouting out requests like this is rude. Just enjoy the show that they have been tirelessly practicing.

● People don't wait outside of the venue for the band to come out and get autographs after the show. If you do this, you'll probably be asked to leave by security.

[b]-----Miscellaneous-----[/b]

[b]Q: Will they come overseas? When will they come back to US?[/b]
A: the pillows rarely tour overseas these days and almost never perform in any overseas countries besides America. As of this writing (August 2018), the pillows finished up their most recent US tour just a few weeks ago. [b]That was likely the last time that they will perform in US[/b]. If you missed it, try to make a trip to Japan.

[b]Q: Are the pillows on Spotify? / When will they be on Spotify?[/b]
A: The availability of pillows' music on Spotify depends on region. In Japan, nearly all the the pillows' albums are available. Unfortunately, this isn't the case in most countries, including US.
In regards to "when will they be available in x region", that's something that I don't have an answer to. Maybe things will change if enough people show them that there is a demand. You can try bugging them on [url=https://twitter.com/thepillowsJPN]Twitter[/url] or emailing them at "info@pillows.jp".

[b]Q: Can I register for a Japanese Spotify account from overseas?[/b]
A: You can use Japanese Spotify from overseas, but it's tricky. Your Spotify region must be set to "Japan" and your payment method must also be from a Japanese source (Japan issued credit card, for example).

[b]Q: How can I get merchandise?[/b]
A: Besides from buying at the merch stands, the pillows have an official online shop. -> [url=http://www.busters-shop.com]BUSTER SHOP[/url]
Unfortunately, as of this writing, the Buster Shop does not ship outside of Japan. To order something from overseas, you will have to use a forwarding service like [url=https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/]From Japan[/url] or [url=https://zenmarket.jp/]Zen Market[/url].

[b]Q: The Buster Shop doesn't have the item I'm looking for.... How can I get keychains, plushies, etc.?[/b]
A: Several items are no longer sold and will have to be obtained secondhand. I recommend trying sites such as [url=https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/]Yahoo Japan Auctions[/url], [url=https://www.mercari.com/jp/]Mercari Japan[/url], etc. You'll probably need to use a forwarding service, so try the previously mentioned [url=https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/]From Japan[/url], [url=https://zenmarket.jp/]Zen Market[/url], or [url=http://buyee.jp/yahoo/auction?lang=en]Buyee[/url]

If you have any additional questions, please ask on the forum or [url=http://www.pirouzu.net/forum/ucp.php?i=pm&mode=compose&u=6]contact me[/url].