Cultural Tips

There are almost 10,000 arcade halls in Japan, where kids and adults can spend time and have fun at the same level. Game arcade halls are often called “Game Center (gemu-senta)” in Japanese, or called “Ge-sen” for short.

In the 1930s, there were a lot of amusement park on the rooftop of department stores, which were the Avant-garde of Game Centers. Later, the game arcade industry was imported from Europe and the United States and became very popular among young people. Gradually the game arcades spread to all over Japan, joined the ranks of Japanese amusement facilities.

The main categories are as follows; claw crane games, rhythm/music games, medal games, video games (UFO catcher), and Purikura photo booth.

The major difference is that most of the games are played with 100-yen coins. Each machine has a hole to insert 100-yen coins. In most cases, only 100- yen coins are accepted, so there is often a money-changing machine in the Game Centers. Only for the medal games, you buy medals with cash and use them as an alternative.

Some Game Centers have entry restrictions. For example, under 18s are not allowed to enter after 8 p.m. or so to protect public morals.

Transferring or selling medals is prohibited. Likewise, medals cannot be exchanged for cash or prizes. Medals may only be used in the store.

It is said that when you target a prize at claw crane games, sometimes you can ask staff to move the prizes you want to make it easy to get them. Although, whether you can still get it or not depends on your skill.

Purikura photo booth is evolving rapidly these days, to make your eyes bigger, your chin and legs look slimmer, and your lips turn colored. It definitely does not look like you at all, but it is fun to take some with your friends for memories. There are often several Purikura booths at one Game Center, and each has different concepts and functions, such as cute or beautiful, so you can enjoy the difference as well.

Lots of games for children and adults to enjoy, alone or in large groups. If you are living in Japan, you should visit once to feel the culture!!