Japan is the home of Nintendo, Sega and Sony, so naturally computer games are very popular. It seems to be a lot more popular to visit games arcades than in England though, and these arcades can be found in every city centre and urban area.
The most popular is "Pachinko", which is almost a national sport! Everyone, from teenage boys to elderly housewives can be found in a Pachinko parlour, playing this form of pinball. I still haven't got a clue how to use the machines, but some people seem to do very well, and can be seen with crates of silver pinballs piled up around them!
In the normal computer game arcades, you get all the usual games, and some others besides. "Dance dance revolution" is a very popular game, which involves dancing on sensor pads to a beat and following specific steps. Variations on this involve playing the drums, guitar, keyboard or taiko.
There are also the usual cuddly toy grabbing machines, although it is a lot easier to actually win one generally! The odd thing is the variations on this game, however. The strangest one we have found is a machine where there is a tank full of lobsters, and a grabbing claw.�@You put your 200 yen in the slot, and try to grab one of the poor creatures without snapping all its legs off, drop it down a hole into a plastic bag and take it home for your tea. Where are the RSPCA in the country????? |
