lifestyle

Facing decline, pachinko industry tries offering a clean, well-lit place

12 Comments
By Minami Funakoshi

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12 Comments
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How about places that don't make your ears bleed?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I can't bear to be in these places because of the noise. Besides, I don't see the attraction in losing my money.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I disagree with young people's playing pachinko.

They have more important things to do like studying or traveling.

Some young people are prone to borrow money from their friends to play pachinko.

Such tendency should be eliminated soon.

It may increase the number of heavy-debtor in Japan.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"younger people prefer games on their mobile phones"

Not only young people, I see a bunch of middle-aged people wasting time playing games on their "smart" phones.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

G-o-o-d!! Wonderful news, at last. Hope all these joints will be closed for good.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Casinos will finish most of these places off. There are many abandoned pachinko parlours in small local rural areas that have closed and the massive buildings sit empty suitable for nothing else as the design is usually pretty odd, built during the bubble and built extravagantly.

Never saw the attraction in the smoke filled noisey brightly light places, bleeding ears as someone said.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I played once. I lost ¥3000 in 10 minutes.

Not what I call a fun time.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

On late night Japanese TV, there is show that features different pachinko parlors where celebrities mostly pretty girls spend their time playing games. It is similar to the shows where celebrities travel around together and viewers just watches them eat.

:(

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The deafening noise, choking second-hand smoke, and rapid loss of personal income. Sound like fun to me.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Wow luring stay at home moms to gamble? That is dangerous the courts will be very busy or the mortuaries!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

To try and reverse the trend, some pachinko operators have built spacious, airy parlors designed to attract more women and younger players to a pastime tarred by its association in the public mind with older and idle men given to chain smoking.

More like its association with the Yakuza in the area. Don't beat around the bush! I lived in Edogawa for 4 years and there were... wait for it... SEVEN pachinko parlours around the station. In a supposedly family-friendly neighbourhood. Prime real estate outside the station would be cleared and, who would've guessed it, another pachinko parlour goes up! Nothing suspicious about that whatsoever.

That aside, I did enter a pachinko parlour one time just because, you know, When in Rome - awful experience. My ears were ringing for days and I also had a sore throat from all the smoke. The sooner these questionable establishments go out of business, the better.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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