Pachinko
Along remote paddies and in the heart of Tokyo, neon lights pulse. Inside, day and night, thousands test their luck and skill at what could be called Japan's national pastime: pachinko.
Pachinko is an electric pinball game modeled after American mechanical versions from the early 1900s. In those mechanical models, players physically flipped a switch to propel small steel balls upward. The balls bounced off pins before falling into slots. A winning slot would produce more balls for play. A losing slot would swallow up the balls until the player had none left. Today's electric-powered models add more lights and flash and allow players to simply hold a knob steady in order to shoot the steel balls. Otherwise, however, pachinko rules remain the same.
Pachinko machines first found their way to Japan in the cosmopolitan years of the 1920s. However, because Western-inspired activities were increasingly discouraged during the war years of the next two decades, the game fell out of favor. In the postwar years, however, the populace craved new leisure activities. The first commercial pachinko parlor was opened in Nagoya in 1948. From there, parlors spread rapidly around the nation. Today, pachinko parlors can be found even in remote rural villages, and it is estimated that as many as one-quarter of the population ventures into the ear-shattering din of pachinko parlors at least occasionally. Particularly avid players dedicate their time to pachinko parlors as they would to a job. However, although the payoffs can be great, so can the losses.
Technically, gambling for cash payoffs is illegal. Players awarded bucket loads of winning pachinko balls take their winnings to a counter inside the parlor and receive small gifts such as chocolate bars or imitation gold bullion. It is commonly understood, however, that at a nearby offsite location, players can exchange their winning trinkets for real cash. As such, the pachinko industry is, in reality, a flourishing illegality mostly overlooked by law enforcement. Underworld connections to certain pachinko chains and illegal tax dodges have also brought disrepute to the business end of pachinko. Further, as in other gambling industries, pachinko has its fair share of addiction. It is clear from its ubiquitous presence, however, that pachinko remains a popular leisure activity in Japan, enjoyed by young and old, men and women, and persons from all walks of life.
Further Reading
Kiritani, Elizabeth. (1993) "Pachinko." In Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.
——. (1994) "Pachinko: Japan's National Pastime." Mangajin 34 (April): 10–62.
Schilling, Mark. (1997) Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. New York: Weatherhill.
Tanioka Ichiro. (2000) Pachinko and the Japanese Society: Legal and Socio-Economic Considerations. Trans. by Osawa Minae, Madeleine Vedal, and Okamoto Miki. Osaka, Japan: Institute of Amusement Industries.
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