100 Yen: Japanese Arcade Documentary


Thanks for sharing.
I've mentioned this before, but one of the guys in the video wrote a book about Japanese Arcades. Brian Ashcraft who is also a writer at kotaku.com has written that book and one about Japanese school girls and the the Japanese culture that glorifies them. lol
If this documentary is interesting to you, then I definitely recommend Brian's book to you.

The one thing I sort of disagree with, is what some people were saying about the reason of why America is losing it's arcade scene. There is two important factors to me on why the arcade scene is dead here.

1. People are not as proactive anymore. Hardly see kids playing outside these days, much less seeing them travel to an arcade.
Many people here would think. "Why would I go all the way to Aladdin's Castle to play a game against someone, when I can play at home for free? Plus I don't even have to leave my house, and that is good because it's 80 fricken degrees out!"

In Japan there are a lot less hermits and people are always finding some place to go. Either it be some place to eat, drink, play, sight see etc. People here figure they can sit at home and do it, or do it for a lot cheaper and/or free. When I was there, I would go to gamecenters to kill time or just because I wanted to be there and out of the house. I would sometimes even play against the same person on the same game at home later on that night or day if we wanted to have more battles. You see many people go there on lunch breaks, or before or after work/school. Also in Japan you can buy and enjoy food, drinks and a smoke while you play.

2. Economy. For those that don't know, Japan has a bad economy too, but you can't tell. There are soooooo many business and things to do, eat, drink, or see. Here where I live for it being a city, is really fucking dull. Sorry not much to do here after you have spent a weekend here doing all the things that Milwaukee has to offer. Plus games are much more expensive now, and for the businesses that are already struggling for various reasons, and not just the reason above in #1. Chances of a establishment going for broke on a 20-40k machine is just absurd, and I don't blame them really.
 
Smoking in the arcades suck!!!. Hate it then and hate it now. I was there last november. I couldn't take the smoke, especially when you see people smoking in those Gundam pods. The other great thing about arcades in Japan is the toilets are super clean. So if you are visiting and need a place to go, head over there.
 
Thanks for the book recommendation, looks like a good one! the arcade book that is... :D I'll be going there in May this year and I can't wait!
 
Smoking in the arcades suck!!!. Hate it then and hate it now. I was there last november. I couldn't take the smoke, especially when you see people smoking in those Gundam pods. The other great thing about arcades in Japan is the toilets are super clean. So if you are visiting and need a place to go, head over there.

funny you mention that, my pachinko machine has a sticker above the ashtray that says "dont over smoke".. not dont smoke.. you can smoke just dont go crazy LOL
 
I have a slot machine and a candy straight from Japanese operators. The slot machine never got that much play and doesn't have one cigarette burn. Even in it's built in ashtray!!! Yes, it has a good sized built in ashtray. lol

The sega blast city had a few faint burns here and there around the CP. Some heavily involved player(s) must have missed the ashtray that EVERY arcade machine has in these centers. Not built in of course, just a black ashtray with the logo of the gamecenter and/or game company. It's still funny to me, because when I worked at NAMCO's Timeout. I had to turn everyone away who had food, drinks, ciggs. Many places were like this and yet you still would find spots that had machines that looked like they were pulled out of a dump.
 
I have a slot machine and a candy straight from Japanese operators. The slot machine never got that much play and doesn't have one cigarette burn. Even in it's built in ashtray!!! Yes, it has a good sized built in ashtray. lol

A few of the pachinko's/slots i've owned have covers over the ash tray that say no smoking, so most likely yours had one as well. I'm assuming they came from non smoking sections of the parlors.
 
A few of the pachinko's/slots i've owned have covers over the ash tray that say no smoking, so most likely yours had one as well. I'm assuming they came from non smoking sections of the parlors.

Hmm... Maybe it did at one time. There is however a little divot to place your cigarette though. :D I also figured it may have been off somewhere out of smoking parlors, doesn't look like it was on location for long.
 
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