Pachinko

Pretty neat concept, though I can't help but think that it's nothing more than a game and not gambling. Too many colors and the machines just don't give off the gambling vibe.

Looks nice ^o^ I'd probably sit in one of those sofas and use the extra room for my feet.

Haven't tried to do those pachinko thingies. Yeah it's a game of luck so maybe i'll give it a shot when i can spare some cash from my savings XD

Not really a fan, too noisy and too many people smoking. The one I went to anyway

This one looks like it's for the whole family though.

did you win? ^^;

I definitely will try out Pachinko someday when I'm in Japan.

That guy on the left site wearing a very interesting spectacle ^^

hmmm....seen it before a couple of times when i was in Japan. I didn't try it out coz at that time i thought that the parlor was mostly for those "ruff" people.(ahem.... yakuza).

By the way, did anyone notice that the blue ball on the far right of the 1st picture looks like the Grinch's face?? and what is the guy on the far left wearing on his face??? is that his spectacles???

visited once - just walking down the aisles is so darn noisy

Never tried Pachinko before. Heard of a guy on my ship who won alot of money at one of these pachinko parlors but went to cash in and was told that he had to have a membership card. Since he didn't have a membership card, all his winnings were invalid. Ever since I heard that, never went in one...

Have hard a lot about pachinko parlors in Japan, buy most of it is not good:P

hm never tried going into one, maybe next time :3

would love to try it if i had the chance.

"finally got the day off the Empire.."

I don't think I would give it a try since I hate places which are really noisy and full of smokers inside(certain pachinko centres I guess...No offence intended to smokers) I don't like gambling that much too xD Would prefer to spend those money used to gamble on figurines instead ^^;

i really want to try it ^^

I love Pachinko so much!
I have a Pachinko app on my iPod Touch!

wow the joint looks crazy.

The last time I went to Japan to try this, I hadnt got a clue what was going on...and I still dont lol

I remembered turning the 'knob' but nothing much happened @_@;

Now Mom and Dad can gamble together while their kid works to pay their debts off!

Interesting way to gamble, unlike US culture where you can win big or go home with nothing.

Am i seeing a Galaxy angel?

I'd try it but only like once unless I won then would just play till I lost ^^;. Never been to interested in gambling. My Mom went to Vegas and managed to play the on the same $1 for like several hours and ended up winning $20 on the slot machine XD.

I have a Pachinko app on my iPod Touch, and it's really quite fun. It's pretty mindless, but you can actually play it while watching TV (or at work!) and still win plenty of point while not looking at the screen time to time. Plus the Jackpots are awesome.

One more thing on my "still to do in life" list.

Wanna meet "Rio" (Super Black Jack)!!

Saw those before.. but never tried.... tried them in a game though ~_~

Doesnt seem very fun at all... How much/long can you play with 500 yen though ? =/

so pachinko is like slot machine ??

Looks very good. Nice sofa's lol

Usefull if couples both play it. looks adorable XD

I do love small-money gambling. 2p machines at seaside towns. Great fun. Total waste of money, but such an awesome way to rid yourself of small-small change lol. Actually went today and won stuff! More than 1 little cheap toy lol.

Couples Pachinko: "Lose your money twice as fast!"

Interesting photo, Danny. This is a new twist on the typical Pachinko parlor. Looks like they're trying to get the couple segment of the market. Good idea. The parlors I've seen are too smokey and noisy to be attractive. But with the couches, less smoke and maybe some amenities like food and drink to make it comfortable, like the US casinos, then maybe I go in to try Pachinko too.
BTW, the man on the left side of the photo has a what looks like a vinyl tube running from the bridge of his nose to the bottom of his ear. What is that??

Really trippy machines, I love it! Not a big fan of gambling though, haha!

Pachinko, One weird gambling game. Lots of flashly colours.

Has anyone here ever won big on one of these?

Mmm... Not really fascinated with those machines at all... But I'll try to gaze upon one when I go for a trip to Genting Highlands this weekend...

My first visit to a Casino, wow... >,<

Probably will give it a shot, but I'm not big on gambling...

would love to give it a try, but all of my japanese friend always warned me not to try this, even once. wonder why... do they have little self control over their hunger to win?

Danny, you shouldn't invite us to the world of Pachinko....Ha.

I am hoping to find my ideal Panchinko machine. So far, I know Jungle has theirs for sale at $600, but as awesome it looks... I am not much of an Evangelion fan. (I might mention it to Derek "Lanzer" Liu (Gaia Online co-founder) if I see him at Anime Expo, as he mentioned the Eva Pachinko machine in his old Japan trip blogs.)

But yeah... I could see myself playing this more than a slot machine. Then again, as I would like to get one that is perfect for me. :3

Mmm, I really don't like pachinkos... I met a japanese friend who sell everything for play pachinko, remember when he offered me his Playstation 2...

saw an interesting show on some cable channel on pachinko . . . couldn't really get into myself, but it fills the same "entertainment" niche that slot machines do here in USA

I would to try pachinko someday, i saw on travel channel that the pachiko also have famous anime ver like keroro.

another way of spending time is the medal games in arcade and game centres, they seem to be popular with couples too cause the seat usually has enough for 2

talk about a luxurious casino!! ^^

Not too familiar with pachinko-plays.. ^^;

Nah, I keep away from gambling. If winning were so easy, the gambling industry would have closed long ago.

In Singapore, gambling is operated by the government. As a non-profit organization, it donates its hefty annual surplus to charity and community services (http://www.singaporepools.com.sg/en/corporate/corp_profile.html ). That way, even if you don't win, at least you get some satisfaction that you are contributing to a worthy cause.

I was surprised how often I passed by pachinko parlors when I was in Japan. Seemed like a hassle what with all the balls you need to lug around.

Mmm... I wasn't aware you could win money at pachinko parlours? I may have been mistaken from an old law or something. I've had one of those smaller ones at home that they've made for kids, but never really played the actual gambling ones. One day perhaps. I wanna try the Evangelion one XD

I kind of want to play that just for the experience. It seems about as fun as slots though and I would rather play something a bit more involved than spinning a dial.

A Stormtropper trying his luck on Pachinko...

The Empire might not be paying much to its troopers XDDD

I like how there are themed ones, e.g. Evangelion themed machines. That would be awesome ^^

Hey Danny,

Do you tend to take your stormtrooper outfit for a walk quite often? Pretty amusing for the daily patron to see a stormtrooper pachinking lol

I was so tempted to walk in and give a whirl after seeing all these anime themed ones. Thanks for the lack of time I didn't experience it... Would love to try it next time I'm there.

Watched a show in Japan with celebs on pachinko... and all you hear them say is Leech and Oatari. Pretty intense I gotta say and more interactive.

Hmmm...No matter what anyone says, I will never trust gambling. You lose more than what you gain when gambling, its the truth, well to most people anyway XD

Isn't there a new show coming out that's based on a character popularly found in Pachinko parlors? I'd like to check it out and see if that's going to be any good.

looks kinda fun might give it a whirl if i ever go to japan.

First time I ever saw a Pachinko game was when I was living in Colorado 30 years ago. A neighborhood friend had a couple and I was too young at the time to understand the point of the game. I was too busy thinking how dumb it was for the game not to have flippers. Again, I didn't know any better. Aside from that, I remembered thinking how nice they looked.

now couples can throw away their money together... pachinko parlors are loud like i was walking on the street and one of the doors opened and the noise level increased like ten fold... the retarded thing is that there is like one parlor every 3 blocks maybe even more depending where you are.

First picture looks cozy.

My friend was telling me that you got to take those little balls to a shop but no one will tell where it is and you just have to wait for and follow and pounter who walks out with lots of toekn or something like that.

How much can you win from Pachinko? Aren't they pin-ball machines? o.O

Danny I hope you can explain how to play the game or how's it look like when playing. a short video with your storm trooper on is nice

pachinko looks awesome. if my luck wasn't as crappy as crap can crap i would totally want to play. but it sucks so i don't.

I can't stand those gambling halls in the middle of the city. The number of halls are decreasing, but they're advertising like crazy on televison which wasn't allowed in the past.

My friends just got their machine up and running. Kinda fun to practice when its free :). I will have to try it again when I go back. The noise in the pachinko parlor does get to me after a while. I dont know how most people can stand it without earplugs. And the smoke is pretty bad too. I wonder if they will tell a non japanese where to go to trade your prizes?

I always wanted to try this, but never really understood the rules and everything. Very informative post Danny!