Japan was once described as an e-sports underdog, but it is now well-known that e-sports and gaming events are held weekly, primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Furthermore, the Apex Legends Global Series championship brought a massive economic impact to Sapporo.
Amidst this trend, it is clear that merchandise sales and food and beverage operations accompanying these events are creating significant business opportunities for regional management.
Regardless of the scale, in e-sports, which carries a heavy entertainment focus, following traditional sports' monetization models is an essential element for the industry's overall development.
As a case study providing hints for such challenges, we interviewed Square (the Japanese subsidiary of Block Inc.; hereinafter Block Inc.), which exhibited at Japan Sports Week 2026, to ask about the benefits of faster payments and operational DX.
The World of Stadium DX Showcased by Square
Founded in 2009 in the United States, Square announced the world's first mobile card reader.
The company expanded into Japan in 2013, and currently, Square payment terminals are used by over 4 million merchants.
Since this event is a comprehensive exhibition for sports teams and athletes, they are highlighting their collaboration with TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO, their official cashless partner.
TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO is the home arena of the professional basketball team Alvark Tokyo (@ALVARK_TOKYO).
- Moderator: Natsuko Akamatsu, Head of Integrated Marketing Japan, Block Inc.
- Speaker: Yasumaro Sawada, Concession Unit Manager, TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO Office, S&E 2nd Division, Related Business Headquarters, AIM Services Co., Ltd.
- Speaker: Takao Kinjo, Senior Onboarding Support Specialist, Block Inc.
On stage, a talk session was held under the theme of The Front Lines of Stadium DX.
The speakers were Yasumaro Sawada of AIM Services Co., Ltd., who oversees food and beverage operations at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO, and Takao Kinjo of Block Inc., who supports the project.
Natsuko Akamatsu of Block Inc. served as the moderator.
Responding to Peak Demand Unique to Sports
Because demand concentrates during specific periods, such as halftime in an arena, faster and more reliable store operations improve the viewing experience and maximize sales.
While it is common for service flows to differ across stalls even within the same facility, TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO has designated permanent food and beverage stalls and official merchandise shops as cashless areas; a total of 107 Square payment terminals are currently in operation.
Additionally, they emphasized third-party survey results showing that Square's payment terminals provide the fastest contactless payment speed in Japan among major terminals.
To handle peak demand, a reduction of even one second directly impacts the total number of transactions and overall sales.
Implementation Anxiety and Results
The time of implementation is often when business operators feel the most anxiety.
Common concerns include how long installation will take, whether staff can learn the operations, and if technical troubles will occur after launch.
Kinjo mentioned his primary concern was signal and operational issues on the first day, but they mitigated these factors by clarifying the following task list:
- Back-end operations, including product registration and viewing reports
- Installation of payment terminals
- Training on terminal usage
Particularly at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO, which features numerous food and beverage stalls, they focused on streamlining product registration.
They also emphasized that because Square's payment terminals are POS-integrated, complicated operations are unnecessary.
Sawada expressed that his initial anxiety regarding operations was a case of fear being greater than the danger.
Due to the intuitive UI and feel of Square's payment terminals, he praised the fact that employees became capable of basic operations with only a 30-minute tutorial.
Additionally, sales data can be checked in real-time from a smartphone and exported in CSV format for further analysis.
Improving Stadium DX with Mobile Ordering and Digital Technology
Saiga NAKWhen asked about future prospects for stadium operations, Sawada revealed plans to test a delivery function for specific seats during future matches.
This mobile-order system allows customers to order at their convenience and pick up items when ready.
Furthermore, they are exploring concepts such as visualizing wait times by printing QR codes on receipts.
In addition to mobile ordering, Kinjo revealed plans to address labor shortages by introducing kiosk terminals.
Square Kiosk is a low-cost, high-performance self-ordering system utilizing an iPad.
By allowing customers to handle basic ordering themselves, it significantly reduces labor requirements.
Saiga NAKFurthermore, it is now possible to obtain detailed purchase data for individual customers by linking Alvark Tokyo fan club IDs with Square.
They are also implementing measures such as granting points that can be exchanged for merchandise. Kinjo expressed that expanding this policy across TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO will directly improve the spectator experience.
Future Applications in the E-sports Business
In e-sports events, the quality of the experience extends beyond the matches themselves, especially in Japan's growing fandom market.
Expanding e-sports events to include original merchandise and food and beverage services provides an essential and valuable source of income.
To improve overall event quality, optimizing these peripheral experiences directly impacts visitor satisfaction and spending.
The stadium DX initiatives showcased here serve as the foundation for these "behind the scenes" operations and offer a realistic roadmap for the Japanese e-sports scene to reach its next stage.
Various payment terminals are available through the official Square website and e-commerce sites like Amazon.co.jp.
A promotion offering one free payment terminal when switching from another provider is also running through Sunday, May 31, 2026.
