Game Arcades in Japan

Visiting Japan, there's no way you can escape the loud and bright colored game arcades! 

Even if you know arcades from your own country, it's different from the ones in Japan. A little note beforehand: If you're sensitive to noise, you should better bring some ear protection with you. Another note beforehand: I'm not gonna talk about pachinko parlors in Japan. These are slot machines for gambling, which only exist in Japan because of a legal loophole. They're similar to casinos and I'm not a big fan of those. I only stumbled into one once when I was in desperate need of a restroom and nearly died of sensory overload as soon as I entered that place.

---

No, I'm talking about Pacman, UFO Catcher (crane games), Purikura (Japanese photo booth), Mario Cart, Dance Dance Revolution, Street Fighter and Taiko no Tatsujin.
I'll never forget my first time in a game arcade in Tokyo – I was in heaven and couldn't even decide which game I wanted to go for first. On every of the five floors was a different theme and I wanted to try everything!
Sadly, I was still a poor student back then and only had a little budget. But I learned from a friend who lives in Tokyo a little trick for the UFO machines that you need to know: If you're going for a specific item in the machine, politely ask the staff to lay that item out for you a bit and they'll place it next to the crane. It's still hard to get it out of the machine but at least you can try to catch the one you want that way. I once managed (out of sheer luck) to get my hands on a Nyanko sensei in a bee suit (from the anime Natsume's book of friends) and I couldn't stop grinning for the rest of the day, wearing my prize proudly on my arms. But I've also seen many friends losing a lot of money at those machines, so I'd suggest you define a budget for yourself before you enter the arcade. In case of emergencies (like there's a game you REALLY want to play or an item you NEED to get) you can still use the ATMs usually located in the arcades. Money changing machines are also to be found on each floor.

---

Although the arcades are always loud and full of people, I was surprised how clean they are. You usually find wet tissues or sanitizer spray in front of every machine to keep the controllers and buttons clean – please use them!
The most popular game arcades in Japan are the SEGA Arcade or the Taito Station, two big chains that you could find in Tokyo districts like Akihabara, Ikebukuro or Shinjuku. Since their big start in the late 1970, game arcades were always a common sight in the streetscape of Japan. Unfortunately, their popularity decreases more and more, due to (portable) game consoles and mobile games. The pandemic hit the arcades especially hard – on August 30th 2020, the SEGA Arcade in Akihabara (the biggest SEGA arcade in Japan) closed its gates forever. As long as you have the chance to visit a game arcade in Japan – you should definitely go for it!

What's your favorite arcade game? Tell me in the comments!

---