Event guide · Sun 01 Nov 2026
NHK Trophy 2026: the Grand Prix decider in Tokyo
Every autumn the Grand Prix series builds towards one weekend where the arithmetic runs out. In 2026 that weekend is in Tokyo. The NHK Trophy, at Keio Arena TOKYO in Chofu from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November, is the sixth and last qualifying stop of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, and by Sunday night the fields for the Grand Prix Final will be settled. If you want to watch world class skating with something real riding on almost every programme, this is the stop to pick.
What you need to know, in short: NHK Trophy 2026 runs Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026 at Keio Arena TOKYO in Chofu, western Tokyo. It is the final qualifying event of the six stop Grand Prix series. The top six skaters or couples in each discipline qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Chongqing, China, on 10 to 13 December. Friday is short programmes and the rhythm dance, Saturday is free skates and medal ceremonies, Sunday is the exhibition gala. The arena holds a little over 10,000 people and is a five minute walk from Tobitakyu station on the Keio Line from Shinjuku. Stay in Shinjuku for the easiest trains, or in Chofu itself for a quieter, cheaper weekend. Book the hotel early: skating fans travel for this one.
Why the last stop is the best stop
The Grand Prix works on points. Around 150 skaters and couples from across the world contest six events in six countries, and every placement earns points towards the standings. The first five stops, in France, Canada, China, the United States and Finland, sort out most of the picture. Tokyo finishes it. Skaters arrive at the NHK Trophy knowing exactly what they need: win and they are safe, finish fourth and they are probably watching the Final on television.
That produces a particular kind of tension you do not get at a championship. A skater sitting seventh in the standings does not skate carefully in the free programme. They load the jumps, because a safe performance changes nothing. Expect the Saturday free skates, when the last Final places are decided discipline by discipline, to be the highest drama of the three days.
There is also the home crowd factor. The NHK Trophy is hosted by the Japan Skating Federation, Japanese skating audiences are among the most knowledgeable and generous in the sport, and the home skaters feed off it. The published entry list is headed by three-time world champion Ilia Malinin of the United States, with Japan's Shun Sato, Mone Chiba and junior world champion Rio Nakata among the home names, alongside crowd favourites such as Jason Brown and Amber Glenn of the United States. Entry lists can change late, so check the official list before you travel for one particular name, but the shape of the weekend is set: Olympic and world medallists, the season's breakthrough juniors, and a points race that goes to the last group on the ice.
How the three days run
Friday 27 November is the short programme day: the ice dance rhythm dance, then the pairs, women's and men's short programmes running from lunchtime into the evening. It is the best value day if tickets remain, because you see every skater in the field skate once.
Saturday 28 November is the long day and the one that matters. The free dance and free skates decide all four titles, with medal ceremonies after each discipline, and the Grand Prix Final line up becomes clear as the standings settle. Doors open late morning and the men's free skate closes the night.
Sunday 29 November is the exhibition gala, where the medallists and invited skaters perform show programmes without the judges in the way. If you are bringing someone who is new to skating, the gala is the gentlest introduction. If you can only do two days, do Saturday and Sunday.
Getting to Chofu
Keio Arena TOKYO is the building most Tokyoites still know as Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue that hosted badminton and modern pentathlon. It sits in Chofu, about half an hour west of Shinjuku, and the journey is simple: Keio Line trains from Shinjuku to Tobitakyu station, then a five minute walk. The arena is compact by Grand Prix standards, a little over 10,000 seats in the main hall, which means there is barely a bad seat in the building and the ice feels close.
Give yourself time on Saturday. Ten thousand people arriving through one small station is manageable, but the queues build from late morning, and you do not want to be outside when the first group warms up.
Where to stay
Shinjuku is the practical base: direct Keio Line trains to Tobitakyu, the widest choice of hotels in western Tokyo, and plenty to do after the skating ends. Staying in Chofu or neighbouring Fuchu puts you within a short hop of the arena, costs less, and gives you a slower local weekend of shrines, the Jindaiji temple area and neighbourhood restaurants, at the price of a longer trip into central Tokyo on your free days.
Either way, sort the room before you sort anything else, because this weekend fills. Our Tokyo hotel listings cover both areas, and it is worth booking a cancellable rate now and refining later. If dates or ticket drops change, set a date alert on the event page and we will email you when the listing updates.
Sources: the ISU's official Grand Prix Series 2026/27 announcement, for the series structure, the points system and the Grand Prix Final in Chongqing on 10 to 13 December 2026, with the top six in each discipline qualifying; the Japan What's On dataset record for this event, verified against the ISU on 25 October 2026, for the dates (27 to 29 November 2026), the venue (Keio Arena TOKYO, Chofu) and the host (the Japan Skating Federation); the published entry list, as reported by Tokyo Cheapo, for Ilia Malinin, Shun Sato, Mone Chiba, Rio Nakata, Jason Brown and Amber Glenn (entry lists can change late, so check the official list before travelling for one particular name); and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government sports facilities page for Keio Arena TOKYO, for the capacity of a little over 10,000, the five minute walk from Tobitakyu station and the building's Tokyo 2020 history as Musashino Forest Sport Plaza. Ticket prices are not quoted: none could be confirmed on an official seller or federation page. Checked 1 November 2026.
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