Pachinko: Where Yen Come to Die

So, if you look at the machine on the right up there, you can kind of get a feel for how to play.  Basically, on the right is a knob that determines how hard the ball bearings shoot up the left side of the machine.  The more you turn, they faster they go.  The balls then come tumbling down, hitting pegs along the way.  There are also slots that the balls can fall in, and depending on which slot the ball goes in, you can win more balls, or lose them.  So, theoretically, a skilled player can "guide" the balls into the right places.  Unfortunately, we are not those skilled players.

Instead, we are the unskilled foreigners who walk into a loud and smokey gambling den.  A pachinko parlor is a bit like some crappy roadside casino on the fringes of an indian reservation.  The machines are deafening and if you forgot to bring your cigarrettes, don't worry, because one breath of the air is enough. 

When we walked in, the other "players" seemed to be enraptured in the game and more worried that the inexperienced whiteys will only mess up their good luck voodoo.  Fortunately, one of the younger employees at the parlor was kind enough to take us to a machine that we could afford and showed us how to use it.  After learning the ropes, we promptly lost all of the ball bearings that we had just bought.


You may wonder what people do with all of those ball bearings.  I mean, why would people happily spend their money to win little metal balls?  Ok here's the deal: gambling is technically illegal in Japan.  So you can't win money directly.  Instead, you win the little balls, and you can trade those in for prizes (like dish soap, or electronic devices).  But, then, you can take those prizes, go to another business a couple blocks away and "sell" them for cash.  In theory, the "Prize Buying Business" and the pachinko parlor are supposed to be separate entities, but the rumor is that they are both run by organized crime.  So, don't be surprised if the same prize that was just sold ends up back in the pachinko parlor the next day.

All in all, pachinko was about as much fun as playing a slot machine to me.  In other words, mowing the lawn is more fun.  But, if you're into the flashy lights and some ghetto Vegas style, a pachinko parlor is the place to be.