Way of the Pachinko

Pachinko is a strange gambling machine involving the collection (if your doing well) of hundreds of small metallic balls in a tray which are long-windedly exchanged for money. The halls where these machines are housed are so loud and colourful that I could barely handle it, despite this at any time of the day it will be full of young, old and the ancient smashing buttons and turning knobs. The concept is the balls will fall down the screen, like pin ball, but there is no control over where they fall. Depending on where they fall, mini-games are triggered, usually played by the bashing of a button to win a cartoon animated battle. This then only increases your chance of a positive outcome, but if that happens, you win more balls, eventually enough to begin syphoning them off into provided trays.

If that sounds complicated, converting your winnings is even stranger. As it is illegal to gamble in Japan, you exchange the balls for chips. You then must leave the building, usually to across the street to a hole in the wall, where a hand will take the chips and present the money. Sounds dodgey but these places are EVERYWHERE. Just another example of confusing Japanese practice.

My friend Joss is well seasoned in the art, and gambled 3000 yen, £20, in a couple of hours and walked away with 12,000, £90. I believe his overall total is a profit of nearly £200. This tempts me, but I think I should wait until I have money other then scholarships, loans and Dad's money to risk.